Feedzai Software Engineer Interview Questions + Guide in 2025

Feedzai is the world’s first RiskOps platform for financial risk management, leading the charge in safeguarding global commerce with cutting-edge cloud-based solutions powered by machine learning and artificial intelligence.

As a Software Engineer at Feedzai, you will play a pivotal role in developing and maintaining systems that protect against financial fraud. Your responsibilities will include building distributed systems that operate 24/7 with ultra-low latencies, designing and implementing extensive databases (both relational and NoSQL), and collaborating closely with product teams to enhance user experience for fraud analysts. The ideal candidate will possess strong programming skills in languages such as Java, a solid understanding of algorithms and data structures, and experience with API development and debugging. Additionally, familiarity with concepts such as multithreading and performance optimization is crucial for success in this fast-paced environment.

At Feedzai, we value technical expertise that aligns with our mission to enable digital trust in every transaction. The collaborative culture in our engineering team encourages continuous learning and innovation, making it essential for candidates to demonstrate adaptability, problem-solving skills, and a passion for tackling complex technical challenges.

This guide will help you prepare for your interview by providing insights into the specific skills and attributes Feedzai is looking for in a Software Engineer, ensuring you can confidently showcase your qualifications and fit for the role.

The interview process for a Software Engineer at Feedzai is structured to assess both technical skills and cultural fit within the company. It typically consists of several stages, each designed to evaluate different aspects of a candidate's qualifications and compatibility with Feedzai's engineering culture.

1. Initial Screening

The process begins with an initial phone screening, usually conducted by a recruiter or HR representative. This conversation focuses on understanding the candidate's background, experience, and motivations for applying to Feedzai. It also serves to align the candidate's skills with the company's needs and to provide an overview of the recruitment process.

2. Technical Assessment

Following the initial screening, candidates are typically required to complete a technical assessment. This may involve an online coding challenge or a take-home project that tests problem-solving abilities, knowledge of data structures, algorithms, and relevant programming languages. The assessment is designed to gauge the candidate's technical proficiency and ability to tackle real-world engineering challenges.

3. Technical Interviews

Candidates who successfully pass the technical assessment will move on to one or more technical interviews. These interviews are often conducted by team members or technical leads and may include live coding exercises, system design discussions, and questions related to specific technologies relevant to the role. Interviewers will assess the candidate's coding skills, understanding of software engineering principles, and ability to work collaboratively on technical problems.

4. Behavioral Interview

In addition to technical skills, Feedzai places a strong emphasis on cultural fit and teamwork. Candidates will likely participate in a behavioral interview, where they will be asked about their past experiences, how they handle challenges, and their approach to collaboration and communication within a team. This stage is crucial for determining how well a candidate aligns with Feedzai's values and work environment.

5. Final Interview

The final stage of the interview process may involve a conversation with higher-level management or team leads. This interview often focuses on the candidate's long-term career goals, their vision for contributing to Feedzai, and how they see themselves growing within the company. It may also include discussions about the candidate's expectations regarding the role and the company culture.

Throughout the process, candidates can expect a friendly and supportive atmosphere, as Feedzai values open communication and collaboration.

As you prepare for your interview, it's essential to familiarize yourself with the types of questions that may be asked during each stage.

Here are some tips to help you excel in your interview.

Understand the Interview Structure

The interview process at Feedzai typically consists of multiple stages, including an initial HR screening, technical interviews, and possibly a final discussion with higher management. Familiarize yourself with this structure so you can prepare accordingly. Each stage serves a different purpose, from assessing your fit within the company culture to evaluating your technical skills. Knowing what to expect will help you navigate the process with confidence.

Prepare for Technical Challenges

Technical interviews at Feedzai can be rigorous, often focusing on algorithms, data structures, and system design. Brush up on your knowledge of Java, APIs, multithreading, and Linux, as these topics frequently come up. Practice coding problems on platforms like HackerRank or LeetCode, especially those that involve real-world scenarios. Be ready to explain your thought process and approach to problem-solving, as interviewers are interested in how you think, not just the final answer.

Showcase Your Problem-Solving Skills

During technical interviews, you may be presented with challenges that require you to think critically and creatively. Be prepared to discuss how you would improve system performance or troubleshoot issues in a distributed system. Use examples from your past experiences to illustrate your problem-solving abilities. Feedzai values candidates who can demonstrate a proactive approach to identifying and addressing challenges.

Emphasize Team Collaboration

Feedzai prides itself on a collaborative and open work environment. Highlight your experience working in teams, especially in fast-paced settings. Discuss how you have contributed to team success and how you handle conflicts or differing opinions. Show that you are a team player who values collaboration and communication, as these traits align with the company culture.

Be Ready for Behavioral Questions

Expect behavioral questions that assess your leadership style, adaptability, and conflict resolution skills. Prepare to discuss specific situations where you demonstrated these qualities. Use the STAR method (Situation, Task, Action, Result) to structure your responses, ensuring you provide clear and concise examples that showcase your strengths.

Ask Insightful Questions

At the end of your interviews, you will likely have the opportunity to ask questions. Use this time to demonstrate your interest in the company and the role. Inquire about the team dynamics, ongoing projects, or the company's approach to innovation and continuous learning. Thoughtful questions can leave a positive impression and show that you are genuinely interested in contributing to Feedzai's mission.

Stay Calm and Confident

Interviews can be nerve-wracking, but maintaining a calm and confident demeanor is crucial. Practice mindfulness techniques or mock interviews to help manage anxiety. Remember that the interview is as much about you assessing the company as it is about them evaluating you. Approach each stage with a positive attitude, and be yourself—Feedzai values authenticity.

By following these tips and preparing thoroughly, you can position yourself as a strong candidate for the Software Engineer role at Feedzai. Good luck!

In this section, we’ll review the various interview questions that might be asked during a Software Engineer interview at Feedzai. The interview process will likely assess your technical skills, problem-solving abilities, and understanding of distributed systems, as well as your capacity to work collaboratively in a fast-paced environment. Be prepared to discuss your past experiences and demonstrate your technical knowledge through coding challenges and system design discussions.

Technical Skills

1. Can you explain the differences between a relational database and a NoSQL database?

Understanding the strengths and weaknesses of different database types is crucial for a software engineer at Feedzai, especially given their focus on data management.

How to Answer

Discuss the use cases for each type of database, highlighting scenarios where one might be preferred over the other. Mention aspects like scalability, data structure, and transaction support.

Example

“Relational databases are ideal for structured data and complex queries, providing ACID compliance, which is essential for financial transactions. In contrast, NoSQL databases excel in handling unstructured data and can scale horizontally, making them suitable for large volumes of data with varying structures, such as user-generated content.”

2. Describe a time you optimized a piece of code. What was the problem, and how did you solve it?

This question assesses your problem-solving skills and your ability to improve system performance.

How to Answer

Provide a specific example, detailing the initial performance issue, the steps you took to analyze and optimize the code, and the results of your changes.

Example

“I was working on a data processing application that was taking too long to execute. I profiled the code and found that a nested loop was causing inefficiencies. By refactoring the code to use a hash map for lookups instead, I reduced the execution time by over 50%.”

3. How do you ensure the security of an API?

Given Feedzai's focus on financial risk management, security is paramount.

How to Answer

Discuss various security measures such as authentication, authorization, encryption, and input validation. Mention any specific frameworks or tools you have used.

Example

“To secure an API, I implement OAuth for authentication, ensuring that only authorized users can access certain endpoints. Additionally, I use HTTPS to encrypt data in transit and validate all inputs to prevent SQL injection attacks.”

4. What is multithreading, and how have you implemented it in your projects?

Multithreading is essential for building efficient applications, especially in a distributed system.

How to Answer

Explain the concept of multithreading and provide an example of how you have used it to improve application performance.

Example

“Multithreading allows multiple threads to run concurrently, which can significantly improve performance in I/O-bound applications. In a recent project, I implemented a thread pool to handle multiple incoming requests simultaneously, which reduced response time and improved user experience.”

5. Can you describe a challenging bug you encountered and how you resolved it?

This question evaluates your debugging skills and persistence in problem-solving.

How to Answer

Share a specific instance, detailing the nature of the bug, the steps you took to identify and fix it, and what you learned from the experience.

Example

“I once faced a memory leak issue in a Java application that caused it to crash under heavy load. I used a memory profiler to track down the source of the leak, which was due to unclosed database connections. After implementing proper connection management, the application became stable and handled the load effectively.”

System Design

1. How would you design a system to handle real-time fraud detection?

This question assesses your ability to think critically about system architecture and design.

How to Answer

Outline the components of the system, including data ingestion, processing, and response mechanisms. Discuss technologies you would use and how you would ensure scalability and reliability.

Example

“I would design a microservices architecture where data from transactions is ingested in real-time using a message broker like Kafka. Each transaction would be processed by a dedicated service that applies machine learning models to detect anomalies. The system would be designed to scale horizontally to handle spikes in transaction volume, and I would implement monitoring to ensure system health.”

2. What strategies would you use to ensure high availability in a distributed system?

High availability is critical for systems that operate 24/7, especially in financial services.

How to Answer

Discuss redundancy, load balancing, failover strategies, and monitoring practices that contribute to high availability.

Example

“To ensure high availability, I would implement a multi-region deployment strategy with load balancers to distribute traffic. I would also use health checks to monitor service status and automatically reroute traffic in case of a failure. Additionally, I would maintain backups and have a disaster recovery plan in place.”

3. Explain how you would approach performance testing for a new application.

Performance testing is vital to ensure that applications can handle expected loads.

How to Answer

Describe the types of performance tests you would conduct, the tools you would use, and how you would analyze the results.

Example

“I would start with load testing using tools like JMeter to simulate user traffic and identify bottlenecks. I would analyze response times, throughput, and resource utilization to pinpoint areas for optimization. After making improvements, I would retest to ensure that performance goals are met.”

4. How do you handle version control in your projects?

Version control is essential for collaborative development and maintaining code quality.

How to Answer

Discuss your experience with version control systems, branching strategies, and how you manage code reviews.

Example

“I use Git for version control, following a branching strategy where I create feature branches for new developments. I ensure that all code is reviewed through pull requests before merging into the main branch, which helps maintain code quality and facilitates collaboration among team members.”

5. What is your experience with cloud services, and how have you utilized them in your projects?

Given Feedzai's cloud-first approach, familiarity with cloud services is crucial.

How to Answer

Share specific cloud platforms you have worked with and how you have leveraged their services to enhance your projects.

Example

“I have extensive experience with AWS, where I utilized services like EC2 for compute resources, S3 for storage, and RDS for managed databases. In a recent project, I deployed a web application on AWS, taking advantage of auto-scaling to handle varying loads and ensuring high availability.”