Senior Software Engineer (Java)

About the Position

As a Senior Software Engineer (Java) at Upwork Inc., you will play a pivotal role in building and improving the services that power tax calculation across VAT, sales tax, and withholding for a global platform. You'll own meaningful pieces of the backend, contribute to frontend workflows, and collaborate closely with engineers, product, finance, and compliance partners to ship reliable, well-tested systems. This is a strong fit for someone who enjoys working through detailed business logic, integrating third-party providers, and steadily raising the quality of complex financial software.

Responsibilities

• Build, extend, and maintain backend services for tax calculation and payments, focusing on accuracy, reliability, and clean, testable code.
• Contribute to frontend workflows using Vue.js or similar modern JavaScript frameworks to support internal tools and customer-facing experiences.
• Develop and maintain APIs and integrations with external payment processors and tax engines, improving performance, observability, and error handling.
• Partner with product, finance, tax, and compliance stakeholders to translate business and regulatory requirements into well-scoped technical work.
• Improve code quality through thoughtful testing, code reviews, and AI-assisted development workflows that increase velocity without sacrificing rigor.
• Investigate production issues, identify root causes, and deliver durable fixes that strengthen the reliability of tax and payments systems.

Requirements

• Solid backend engineering experience with Java, including building RESTful APIs, working with relational databases, and deploying services on AWS.
• Working experience contributing to frontend applications using Vue.js or another modern JavaScript framework.
• Track record of owning project-level work end to end and collaborating effectively with cross-functional partners.
• Exposure to tax, fintech, payments, or another compliance-heavy domain is a plus, paired with a willingness to learn complex business rules quickly.
• Practical fluency with AI-enabled engineering tools such as GitHub Copilot or Cursor, with the judgment to review and validate outputs and a habit of sharing useful AI techniques with teammates.

We Offer

• Competitive salary: €53,500 - €77,000 EUR annually.
• Work environment: Join Upwork's first international operational hub in Lisbon, Portugal, with a mix of remote and on-site work.
• Career growth: Opportunities for professional development and potential transition to direct employment with Upwork.
• Benefits: Competitive benefits package offered by our partner, with additional benefits to be provided once the hub is established.
• Diversity and inclusion: Upwork is committed to building a diverse, inclusive, and equitable workforce.

About the Company

Upwork Inc.’s family of companies connects businesses with global, AI-enabled talent across every contingent work type including freelance, fractional, and payrolled. With access to professionals spanning more than 10,000 skills across AI & machine learning, software development, sales & marketing, customer support, finance & accounting, and more, the Upwork family of companies enables businesses of all sizes to scale, innovate, and transform their workforces for the age of AI and beyond.

Since its founding, Upwork Inc. has facilitated more than $30 billion in total transactions and services as it fulfills its purpose to create opportunity in every era of work. Learn more about the Upwork Marketplace at Upwork.com and follow us on LinkedIn, Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, and X; and learn more about Lifted at Go-Lifted and follow on LinkedIn.