Data Engineer

About Fairlo

The story of Fairlo began when our founders, Jimmy and Shamon, saw first-hand how unfair and predatory lending practices can trap people in cycles of debt. Their mother was misled by a major bank – an injustice that inspired them to build something radically different.

Fairlo was created to reimagine credit through transparency, flexibility, and respect.

Since launching in 2018, we've helped tens of thousands of people access fairer, more flexible credit. Today, we have around 50,000 active customers, an outstanding Trustpilot rating, and a team of passionate people across Stockholm, Crete, and the UK.

We're a tight-knit team of around 45 people, united by kindness, courage, collaboration, and common sense. Backed by experienced investors, we've built something we're incredibly proud of. But what comes next is even more exciting.

Where we're going

Fairlo is becoming a bank. And we're building an AI-native organisation along the way. We're entering a new chapter where technology, data, and AI will play an even bigger role in how we operate, make decisions, develop products, and create value for our customers. Our ambition is to become truly AI-native – not simply adding AI tools to existing processes, but rethinking how we work from the ground up. We want to use AI to move faster, make smarter decisions, automate what can be automated, and free up our people to focus on the things that create the most value. And to make that possible, we need something fundamental: exceptional data foundations.

Reliable, accessible, well-structured data isn't just important for reporting and analytics. It's what will enable us to unlock the full potential of AI across Fairlo – from smarter insights and decision-making to intelligent automation and entirely new ways of building financial services.

That's where you come in.

The mission: why this role exists

This is a role for a builder who cares about what happens after launch. You’ll design and build the data foundations for Fairlo’s next chapter, with maintainability built in from the start. We're looking for a proactive, experienced Senior Data Engineer to help lead the fundamental redesign and rebuild of our data platform.

You'll work closely with our existing Data Engineer in Stockholm, combining your expertise, ideas, and perspectives to shape our data architecture, establish the standards and practices that will guide us forward, and create a platform that people across Fairlo can genuinely trust and build upon.

We want someone who sees beyond the immediate task. Someone who identifies problems before they become blockers, challenges existing solutions, and has the confidence and expertise to turn ideas into action.

Together, you'll transform our data landscape into a reliable, scalable, well-governed, and AI-ready foundation. One that enables analysts, product teams, and business leaders to access and use data with confidence – and supports our ambition to become an AI-native organisation.

You'll have real ownership, significant influence, and the opportunity to make a lasting impact on how Fairlo works with data.

What you'll do

• Rebuild our data foundations. Lead the architectural design and hands-on implementation of our data platform in Snowflake, working closely with your fellow Data Engineer. Redesign and simplify our data models, establish clear and scalable data layers, and resolve structural complexities that limit us today.

• Make our data AI-ready. Build the reliable, well-structured, and accessible data foundations needed to support AI-driven insights, intelligent automation, and future AI-powered products and workflows.

• Establish strong data governance. Introduce sustainable standards and practices for data quality, ownership, documentation, access management, and development. Create the structure needed to scale responsibly as we become a bank.

• Build trust in our data. Implement robust data quality monitoring and automated testing in dbt, making data accurate, consistent, discoverable, and easy to use across the organisation.

• Enable self-service and smarter decisions. Make it easier for teams to find, understand, and confidently work with data, reducing dependencies and empowering people across Fairlo to turn insights into action.

• Embrace AI in data engineering. Actively explore how AI can improve the way we design, develop, test, document, and maintain our data platform. Challenge traditional approaches, experiment with new tools, and help shape AI-native ways of working within data engineering.

• Take ownership and drive change. Identify opportunities, challenge existing structures, propose solutions, and work closely with stakeholders across Engineering, Product, Risk, Finance, and the wider business to make them happen.

Who you are

We're looking for someone who combines deep technical expertise with curiosity, initiative, and a genuine desire to build something better. You're not someone who waits for a backlog of tickets. You enjoy understanding the bigger picture, identifying what needs to change, and taking responsibility for making it happen. You're passionate about data engineering, but equally interested in how data can unlock new possibilities for the entire business. And you're excited about how AI is changing the way we work – both as engineers and as an organisation.

We believe you'll thrive at Fairlo if you:

• Have significant experience in data engineering, including hands-on experience designing, rebuilding, or substantially improving complex data warehouses or platforms.

• Know dbt inside out. You have expert-level proficiency in dbt, understand best practices, and have used it to build, test, and maintain complex, scalable data models.

• Have deep Snowflake expertise. You're confident in Snowflake architecture, data modelling, performance optimisation, and designing solutions for long-term scalability.

• Understand modern data pipelines. You are familiar with modern data pipelines, including orchestration tools (e.g. Airflow, Dagster) and change data capture (CDC).

• Care deeply about data quality and governance. You know that trustworthy data doesn't happen by accident, and you have the experience and judgment to establish the right foundations.

• Are curious and proactive about AI. You're already exploring how AI can improve your own work and are excited about the possibilities of making data more accessible, actionable, and valuable through AI.

• Think beyond the technology. You understand how data connects to business outcomes and enjoy working closely with both technical and non-technical colleagues.

• Take ownership and make things happen. You're comfortable challenging existing solutions, making recommendations, building alignment, and driving initiatives forward.

• Communicate clearly and collaborate naturally. You can explain complex technical concepts in a way that makes sense to different audiences, and you're fluent in English, our shared working language.

Nice to have

• Experience building data foundations for AI, machine learning, or advanced analytics.

• Familiarity with modern AI tools, LLMs, or AI-assisted data engineering workflows.

• Experience with data cataloguing, metadata management, and data observability tools.

• Experience in fintech, banking, or other regulated industries.

• Experience working in a fast-growing organisation where you've helped establish new structures, standards, and ways of working.

Why Fairlo?

There are plenty of places where you can work with data. At Fairlo, you'll have the opportunity to shape what data can make possible.

Build something foundational. This is a chance to take real ownership of a data platform redesign, alongside an experienced colleague, and create something that will influence how the entire company operates for years to come.

Be part of our AI-native journey. We're not looking for someone to follow a finished playbook. We want you to help build the foundations that make our AI ambitions possible.

A rare moment to join. We're transitioning from fintech to bank, combining startup energy and ambition with increasingly interesting technical, operational, and regulatory challenges.

Real influence, without unnecessary layers. We're small enough that your ideas can make a difference immediately. You'll work closely with decision-makers and have the opportunity to drive meaningful change.

Talented people, without the egos. You'll join a supportive, collaborative, and genuinely caring team that values curiosity, autonomy, and learning together.

A mission worth getting behind. We're building a fairer financial world, where technology and data help create better experiences and outcomes for real people.

Where you'll work

You'll be based primarily at our Stockholm office, working closely with our existing Data Engineer and colleagues across the business. We offer flexibility through our hybrid working model, with opportunities to collaborate with teams in Sweden, Greece, and the UK.

We believe great things happen when people with different perspectives, backgrounds, and experiences come together – and when they're given the trust and freedom to do their best work.

Come build what's next.

We're becoming a bank. We're becoming AI-native. And great data will be at the heart of both. If you're excited about building something from the ground up, passionate about creating data foundations that truly make a difference, and curious about what's possible when data and AI come together, we'd love to hear from you.