Software engineer (Madrid)
WeTransfer · Valencia, Valencian Community, Spain
- On site
- Full-time
- €188,000 / year
- Valencia, Valencian Community, Spain
Job highlights
- Build impactful systems used by millions.
- Amplify development with powerful AI tools.
- Master diverse tech stacks end-to-end.
- Join a new Madrid office team.
- Shape company culture and energy.
About the role
About WeTransfer and Bending Spoons
WeTransfer helps millions of users share ideas and collaborate seamlessly. Now part of Bending Spoons, it plays a key role in a portfolio of outstanding digital businesses united by a shared focus on innovation and operational excellence. By applying through the WeTransfer brand, you’ll be stepping into the wider Bending Spoons team. You may work directly on WeTransfer or contribute to one of our other leading products. Either way, you’ll be part of a high-performing, collaborative environment where you can make a real impact. Bending Spoons is striving to build one of the all-time great companies, serving a huge number of customers, fostering team member growth, functioning at unparalleled levels of effectiveness and efficiency, creating extraordinary value for shareowners, and adhering to high ethical standards. We acquire and operate digital businesses for the long term, making deep transformations to speed up innovation, benefit customers, and strengthen business performance. Our hierarchy is minimal, teams are small and talent-dense, and we operate established products with the ambition, agility, and urgency of a startup. We integrate AI deeply into our work to reinforce human judgment and machine intelligence. For a talented, driven, and collaborative individual, working at Bending Spoons is an opportunity to learn, make an impact, and progress their career at an exceptionally high rate.New Madrid Office - Shaping the Future
As one of the first hires in our new Madrid office, you’ll help shape the culture and energy of the place, setting the tone for how we work, collaborate, and raise the bar locally. You’ll be part of a fully integrated global team that works across our other European hubs and beyond, while also contributing to an environment in Madrid that reflects our ambition and standards.Key Responsibilities
- Build stuff that matters. Take real ownership from idea to production, creating systems used by millions and evolving them into products at scale.
- Amplify your impact with AI. Integrate the most powerful AI tools directly into your development workflow—design, implementation, testing, and documentation—to move faster while maintaining high standards for correctness, reliability, and maintainability.
- Master your toolkit. Work across diverse stacks with end-to-end ownership, choosing the right technologies for each challenge. From monoliths to microservices, gRPC to REST, Kubernetes to Docker, Python to Rust—you’ll apply technologies thoughtfully, focusing on depth and purpose rather than trends.
- Simplify relentlessly. Question every layer of complexity. Improve architectures, pipelines, and codebases to build systems that are simpler, more scalable, and easier to maintain.
What We Look For
- Reasoning ability: Given the necessary knowledge, you can solve complex problems. You think from first principles, structure your ideas sharply, resist bias, and identify and care for the details that matter.
- Drive: You’re extremely ambitious, with initiative, effort, and tenacity matching your ambition. You feel deeply responsible for your work and hold yourself to a high, rising bar.
- Team spirit: You give generously, support the best idea, help your team without expectation, and are reliable, honest, and transparent.
- Proficiency in English: You read, write, and speak proficiently in English.
What We Offer
- Incredibly talented, entrepreneurial teams: Work in small, result-oriented, autonomous teams alongside bright minds.
- Exceptional opportunity for growth: We prioritize hiring outstanding potential and putting individuals in ideal positions to thrive. Spooners in their 20s lead products worth hundreds of millions.
- Competitive pay and equity: Competitive salaries with potential for equity participation. Salary ranges are provided, with potential for compensation beyond usual ranges for exceptional capability. Special tax benefits may apply for relocation to Italy.
- All these benefits: Flexible hours, remote working, unlimited learning and training, top-tier health insurance, relocation package, generous parental support, and a yearly retreat.
- Flexible start date and part-time options: Possibility to start part-time, transition to full-time, and join before graduating.
Commitment & Contract
Permanent or fixed-term. Full-time.Location
Madrid, Spain.The Selection Process
We prioritize verifiable signals of excellence, regardless of seniority. Don't self-reject if you feel you lack experience or have an imperfect CV; if you believe you can excel, apply. If you pass screening, you’ll complete challenging tests that may take several hours. We set a high bar and won’t offer until confident we’ve found the right candidate, which may lead to roles remaining open or being reposted. We consider all applicants and provide reasonable accommodations for individuals with disabilities. If you’ve applied before without an offer, wait at least a year before reapplying. Bending Spoons is a demanding, ambitious environment requiring significant commitment, leading to extraordinary learning and growth. We recommend spending the first few months in our Milan office for rapid culture absorption and team integration, with travel and accommodation support. Post-onboarding, options include Milan, London, or remote work from approved countries. If the role excites you and you’re ready to give your best, apply now.Key skills/competency
Software Engineer, AI Integration, System Design, Scalability, Python, Rust, Kubernetes, Docker, Microservices, gRPC, REST, Problem Solving, Ambition, Teamwork, English Proficiency.Skills & topics
- Software Engineer
- Python
- Rust
- Kubernetes
- Docker
- Microservices
- gRPC
- REST
- AI
- Full-time
How to get hired
- Tailor your resume: Highlight problem-solving, ambition, and teamwork relevant to WeTransfer and Bending Spoons' values.
- Showcase impact: Emphasize projects where you took ownership from idea to production and scaled systems.
- Demonstrate AI fluency: Detail experience integrating AI tools into your development workflow for efficiency and quality.
- Prepare for tests: Expect challenging, multi-hour technical tests that assess first-principles thinking and problem-solving.
- Embrace the culture: Articulate how your drive, team spirit, and desire for growth align with Bending Spoons' ambitious environment.
Technical preparation
Practice first-principles problem solving.,Review Python, Rust, and system design.,Familiarize with Kubernetes and Docker.,Prepare for multi-hour technical challenges.
Behavioral questions
Describe a complex problem you solved.,Share an experience of taking ownership.,How do you collaborate in a team?,Discuss your ambition and drive.
Frequently asked questions
- What is the salary range for a Software Engineer at WeTransfer in Madrid?
- For a Software Engineer at WeTransfer in Madrid, typical annual salaries fall between €107,837 and €188,848 for candidates with considerable relevant experience. For individuals at the start of their career, the annual salary is typically €66,065. Compensation varies by location and expected impact, and can extend beyond these ranges for exceptional candidates. For specific details, it is best to inquire during the interview process or refer to your offer.
- How does Bending Spoons integrate AI into the Software Engineer role?
- Bending Spoons deeply integrates AI into the development workflow for Software Engineers. This includes using AI tools for design, implementation, testing, and documentation to accelerate the development process while maintaining high standards for correctness, reliability, and maintainability. The goal is to amplify impact through the synergy of human judgment and machine intelligence.
- What is the onboarding process like for a Software Engineer joining the Madrid office?
- To facilitate rapid culture absorption and team integration, new hires are recommended to spend their initial months working from the Milan office, with travel and accommodation support provided. After this initial period, you can work from offices in Milan or London, or remotely from approved countries, based on the offer stage agreement.
- What are the key technical skills required for a Software Engineer at WeTransfer?
- WeTransfer's Software Engineers work across diverse stacks with end-to-end ownership. Key technologies mentioned include Python, Rust, Kubernetes, Docker, monoliths, microservices, gRPC, and REST. The emphasis is on choosing the right technologies for each challenge and applying them thoughtfully, focusing on depth and purpose.
- What does Bending Spoons look for in a candidate besides technical skills?
- Beyond technical proficiency, Bending Spoons seeks candidates with strong reasoning ability, who think from first principles and are detail-oriented. They also look for drive, characterized by ambition, initiative, and a deep sense of responsibility. Team spirit, involving generosity, support for the best ideas, and reliability, is also crucial. Proficiency in English is a requirement.
- Is this a remote or on-site Software Engineer position in Madrid?
- While the role is based in Madrid, Spain, Bending Spoons offers flexibility. After an initial onboarding period in Milan, employees can work from offices in Milan or London, or remotely from approved countries. The specific work arrangement (on-site, hybrid, or remote) is agreed upon at the offer stage.
- What kind of career growth can I expect as a Software Engineer at Bending Spoons?
- Bending Spoons offers an exceptional opportunity for growth. The company prioritizes hiring individuals of outstanding potential and places them in ideal positions to thrive. Many Spooners in their 20s lead products worth hundreds of millions, and you can expect to play an essential role in major projects, progressing your career at an exceptionally high rate.
- How challenging are the technical tests for the Software Engineer role?
- The technical tests are challenging and may involve unfamiliar problems, potentially taking several hours to complete. They are designed to assess your problem-solving skills and ability to think from first principles, reflecting the high standards Bending Spoons sets for its candidates.