ING Bank Tech Hiring: Application Tips

ING Bank runs one of the largest engineering organizations in European banking. The company has invested heavily in becoming a "tech company with a banking license" and the engineering culture reflects that ambition. ING tech hires across the Netherlands, Belgium, Poland, Romania, Spain, and several other markets.

If you are aiming for an ING tech role in 2026, here is the real picture.

Where ING Hires Engineers#

Amsterdam (HQ)

Largest engineering organization. Focus on core banking platform, retail digital products, mortgages, and corporate banking systems.

Bratislava

Major engineering hub for backend services, data platform, and risk systems. Significantly lower cost basis than Amsterdam.

Bucharest

Growing hub for data engineering, ML, and microservices development.

Warsaw

ING Tech Poland is one of the largest IT employers in Poland. Backend, frontend, mobile, and platform engineering.

Brussels

ING Belgium tech, primarily focused on Belgian retail and corporate banking.

Madrid

Smaller hub, growing in 2026 for cards and payments tech.

What ING Builds#

Understanding what ING actually does helps you target your application.

• ING Bankieren mobile app (the most-used banking app in the Netherlands)
• Core banking platform (Mendix-heavy, plus Java, Kotlin, Python services)
• Payment infrastructure (SEPA, instant payments, card processing)
• Mortgage origination and servicing systems
• Wholesale banking platforms for corporate customers
• Risk management and regulatory systems
• AI and analytics for fraud detection, credit decisions, customer service

ING Tech Hiring Process#

Stage 1: Application

Apply through ing.jobs (or local market equivalents like ingjobs.com/poland). ING uses Workday and SmartRecruiters across markets.

The application requires:

• CV (one to two pages preferred)
• Cover letter (optional but helps)
• Some markets require you to answer 1-3 open-ended questions on the application form

Stage 2: Recruiter Screen

30 to 45 minutes. Recruiter assesses:

• Communication
• Motivation for ING specifically
• Salary expectations
• Visa status
• Availability

ING recruiters are generally helpful and well-prepared. They have detailed knowledge of the teams.

Stage 3: Hiring Manager Interview

45 to 60 minutes. Deep dive into your background and technical experience. The manager evaluates:

• Technical depth in the specific area
• Team fit
• Communication style
• Approach to problems

Common questions:

• Walk me through your most challenging project
• How do you handle technical disagreements
• Tell me about a production incident you led
• What do you know about ING's tech stack

Stage 4: Technical Assessment

Varies by role. Common formats:

For backend engineering

• Take-home coding assignment (3 to 8 hours of work) or live coding interview
• System design discussion
• Deep technical interview on languages and frameworks

For data engineering

• SQL test
• Data modeling exercise
• ETL pipeline design

For ML engineering

• ML coding (PyTorch or scikit-learn)
• Feature engineering discussion
• Model evaluation methodology

For platform / DevOps

• Infrastructure design (often Kubernetes, AWS, or Azure scenarios)
• CI/CD pipeline design
• On-call and incident response stories

Stage 5: Final Loop

2 to 3 more interviews including:

• Team-fit conversation with future peers
• Architect or technical leader interview
• Sometimes a panel interview at senior levels

Stage 6: Offer

If approved, the recruiter calls with the offer. Negotiation typically yields 5 to 10 percent on base salary, more on sign-on and relocation for international hires.

Total timeline: 4 to 8 weeks from application to offer.

ING Salary Ranges 2026#

Netherlands (Amsterdam)

• Junior software engineer: €55,000 to €72,000
• Mid software engineer: €72,000 to €100,000
• Senior software engineer: €100,000 to €130,000
• Lead / Principal: €130,000 to €165,000

Poland (Warsaw)

• Junior software engineer: PLN 130,000 to PLN 180,000
• Mid software engineer: PLN 180,000 to PLN 260,000
• Senior software engineer: PLN 260,000 to PLN 380,000
• Lead: PLN 380,000 to PLN 500,000

Romania (Bucharest)

• Junior software engineer: RON 120,000 to RON 180,000
• Mid software engineer: RON 180,000 to RON 280,000
• Senior software engineer: RON 280,000 to RON 420,000
• Lead: RON 420,000 to RON 600,000

Slovakia (Bratislava)

• Junior software engineer: €30,000 to €45,000
• Mid: €45,000 to €68,000
• Senior: €68,000 to €95,000
• Lead: €95,000 to €120,000

Belgium (Brussels)

• Mid software engineer: €60,000 to €82,000
• Senior software engineer: €85,000 to €110,000
• Lead: €110,000 to €140,000

Spain (Madrid, growing hub)

• Mid software engineer: €45,000 to €62,000
• Senior software engineer: €62,000 to €85,000

Bonus and benefits

• Annual performance bonus: 5 to 15 percent of base
• 13th month payment in some markets (Netherlands, Belgium)
• 8 percent holiday allowance in the Netherlands
• Strong pension contributions, especially in Netherlands and Belgium
• 25 to 30 days vacation depending on country
• Hybrid work policy: typically 2 to 3 days in office per week

What ING Cares About#

1. Stability and ownership

ING engineers often stay 5 to 10+ years. The bank values long-term thinkers who own systems rather than ship-and-forget.

In interviews, this shows up as questions about:

• Long-term system design choices
• How you handle technical debt
• Mentorship and knowledge sharing

2. Regulatory and risk awareness

Banking has strict regulatory requirements. ING engineers need to understand:

• GDPR
• PSD2
• Basel III risk frameworks
• Anti-money laundering (AML) basics
• Audit trails and immutable logs

You do not need to be an expert before applying. But showing awareness in interviews helps.

3. Agile at scale

ING was an early adopter of the Spotify-inspired squad model in banking. They evolved into their own model called the "Agile Way of Working." Engineers move across squads, joining tribes that span multiple products.

If you have experience with cross-team, cross-product work in a structured agile environment, highlight it.

4. Data-driven decisions

ING runs extensive A/B testing for customer-facing products. ML and data engineers are a strategic priority. Customer journey analytics drives product decisions.

Real Interview Questions#

Coding

• Reverse a singly linked list
• Find the first non-repeating character in a string
• Implement a basic transaction validator (check sufficient balance, account active, daily limit)
• Find duplicate transactions in a stream

System Design

• Design a real-time fraud detection system for card transactions
• Design ING's mobile banking notification service
• Design a payment ledger that handles SEPA Instant
• Design a recommendation engine for mortgage offers

Behavioral

• Tell me about a time you had to explain a complex technical concept to a non-technical stakeholder
• Describe a project where you handled regulatory or compliance requirements
• Walk me through a production incident you led
• How do you approach mentoring junior engineers
• What is your view on technical debt: when to pay it down vs ship features

Banking domain

• How does double-entry bookkeeping work in a banking system
• What is idempotency and why does it matter for payment APIs
• Explain SAGA pattern in the context of transferring money across two systems
• How would you handle a partial failure in a multi-step transaction

ING's Culture in Practice#

Calm pace

ING is not Klarna or N26. The pace is steady and sustainable. Engineers rarely work weekends. On-call is structured and paid.

Bureaucracy is real

It is still a bank. Some changes require multiple approvals. New tools and frameworks go through architecture review boards. People who thrive in startups may find this slow.

Inclusive and diverse

ING actively promotes diverse teams. Many teams have 5+ nationalities. English is the working language across all locations.

Strong tech learning culture

ING runs internal academies, sponsored certifications, and dedicated learning time. Many engineers earn AWS, Azure, or Kubernetes certifications fully sponsored.

Common Mistakes Candidates Make#

Mistake 1: Treating ING as just another bank

Modern ING engineering has more in common with Booking.com than with traditional retail banks. If you pitch it like "I want a stable bank job," you will be passed over for someone more ambitious.

Mistake 2: Skipping the regulatory angle

Banking-specific awareness matters. Even basic knowledge of GDPR, PSD2, and audit requirements signals seriousness.

Mistake 3: Underselling soft skills

ING teams are large and cross-functional. Strong communication, mentorship, and stakeholder management matter as much as raw technical skill.

Mistake 4: Pushing for Silicon Valley pay

ING pays at the high end of European banking, but not at FAANG levels. Salary expectations matching FAANG kill offers.

Career Growth at ING#

ING has a well-documented engineering career ladder:

• Software Engineer (Junior, Mid, Senior)
• Lead Software Engineer
• Principal Software Engineer
• Distinguished Engineer (small population, very senior)

Parallel management track:

• Engineering Manager
• Senior Engineering Manager
• Director of Engineering
• VP of Engineering

Internal mobility is real. Engineers regularly move between Amsterdam, Bucharest, Warsaw, and other hubs.

Visa Support#

ING sponsors visas across all its European hubs.

• Netherlands: Highly Skilled Migrant route, 2 to 6 weeks processing, well-handled
• Poland: Work permit and Type D visa, 2 to 4 months
• Romania: EU Blue Card or local work permit, 2 to 3 months
• Slovakia: EU Blue Card, 4 to 8 weeks
• Belgium: Work permit, 1 to 3 months
• Spain: Highly Qualified Professional or Blue Card, 4 to 12 weeks

Relocation packages range from €5,000 to €15,000 depending on level and family size.

Preparation Plan#

6 weeks out

• Research ING's tech stack and recent product launches
• Read articles about ING's Agile Way of Working
• LeetCode at easy and medium difficulty

4 weeks out

• Study banking domain basics (ledgers, double-entry, ACH/SEPA, KYC/AML at a high level)
• Practice system design with banking scenarios
• Prepare 5 to 7 STAR behavioral stories

2 weeks out

• Mock interviews
• Light technical review

Week of

• Sleep, exercise
• Verify video setup
• Re-read the job description

CV Optimization for ING#

Workday filters CVs by keyword match. ING-specific keywords to consider including:

• Java, Spring, Kotlin (very common in ING backend)
• Microservices, REST APIs
• Kubernetes, Docker
• Kafka or RabbitMQ
• React, TypeScript (for frontend roles)
• Python, scikit-learn, PyTorch (for ML roles)
• SQL, PostgreSQL
• Banking-specific: SEPA, PSD2, payments, ledger, regulatory

Run your CV through our free ATS Checker against any ING job posting to identify keyword gaps before applying.