What’s your name and what do you do at Liberis and where in the world do you work?
My name is Simon Skrabanek, and I’m a Lead Engineer at Liberis, based in the London office. I help my team build reliable software, keep our technical standards high, and make sure what we do fits with the wider direction of the company.
Describe a typical day for you in your role.
My day usually starts with one or more standups. They help me spot where I should focus and whether I can clear any blockers. Most of the time, though, I work on the Next Most Important Thing.
That might mean refining user stories, sketching out solutions, or reading and writing code. As a Lead Engineer on the Individual Contributor track, I still get to build things myself - just not as much as I once did.
Alongside that, I spend a lot of time with teammates and stakeholders: pairing or mobbing on code, discussing requirements, and deciding what to tackle next. No two days feel the same. Some flow smoothly, others whirl into little hurricanes of priorities, but most teach me something new about the business or software engineering.
From the moment you wake up in the morning, what do you look forward to for the day ahead
Before I do anything else, I get dressed and step outside to catch the morning sun. Working remotely, I’ve found this small habit wakes me up and sets the tone for the day.
Once work begins, I look forward to the next chance to build something new or improve what we already have. Whether it’s onboarding a new partner or expanding part of the Liberis ecosystem, the challenge is always the same: design systems that are efficient, scalable, and as simple as possible. That’s the kind of work I take pride in, and it’s often the highlight of my day.
What are your stand-out memories of working at Liberis so far?
One stand-out memory is when we set out to build a new Partner data sharing API alongside our legacy system. It was an ambitious project: moving towards real-time data in a unified format. For two full days, engineers, product managers, and leadership sat together to hammer out the high-level design. Because this service would centralize revenue data for both current and future products, we had to think carefully about how the model and architecture would fit both today’s systems and tomorrow’s vision.
We aimed for something that aligned with Liberis’ long-term goals and could scale far beyond our current needs. The volumes we were planning for were already an order of magnitude larger than before, with another tenfold increase expected in the future. That kind of scale is as much an engineering challenge as it is a product one.
Despite a few hiccups in testing, the project was a huge success. I still remember the moment we saw the first live data flow in without a hitch. The teamwork, quick problem-solving, and camaraderie of those days remain a highlight of my time at Liberis.
What advice would you give a colleague who has just joined your team?
Take your time to learn the domain and how the pieces fit together. A lot of systems go into funding a merchant and fresh engineers can get overwhelmed at first. But as you learn and contribute, you’ll start to see the whole picture. Our engineers are happy to share knowledge, mentor, and pair, so you’ll have plenty of opportunities to get up to speed.
We also believe in communicating directly and widely. You’ll talk to a lot of people about different topics - solving problems, discussing technical design, and often writing code together. Lean into your preferred communication style. Some people prefer to write, others to talk, so whenever you really need to be understood, use the style that works best for you.
Finally, I love working with engineers who genuinely like what they do and care about the quality of their work. If you take pride in doing your best, keep improving, and treat people as partners, you’ll do great.
What do you look forward to most in Liberis’ future?
I’m most excited to see how our new Capital Platform grows. I’ve been involved from the very beginning, and while we’ve only just launched, the real journey is ahead as more Partners integrate with us.
There are already plans on the horizon that will push us to scale our systems even further. New products and new challenges will come as we expand the platform and migrate merchants from legacy systems onto it. We already fund merchants in our sleep, and I expect that model to become like the internet: you only notice it when it stops working.
Are you office based, remote or hybrid? What are the pros and cons, if any?
I work remotely and visit the office now and then for workshops or team days. I’ve spent most of my career this way, with a few office years mixed in. I love skipping the commute and being able to end the day by simply stepping away from my desk. Remote work also gives me long stretches of focus without office noise or the stereotypical shoulder tap.
That said, office presence does make it easier to mingle and build relationships, especially with people outside your immediate group. Coffee machine catch-ups - our version of watercooler chats - exist for a reason.
Working from home also blurs the line between work and personal life. My family sometimes forgets I’m at work when I’m just a room away, and I have to be deliberate about setting boundaries.
The balance isn’t always easy, but Liberis helps a lot. From remote-friendly activities to leadership that genuinely cares about wellbeing, I feel supported in making remote work sustainable.
