Software Engineering Manager

PILLAR AI (formerly Ringkas) - the AI-native sales infrastructure for financial institutions, loan origination, built on four years of live, real-world data. We're not prototyping. We're scaling a system already proven across 33 bank partners and 50+ cities. What started in Asia is now expanding across the GCC through our partnership with ROSHN Group in Saudi Arabia and others.
We're seeking a hands-on Engineering Manager to lead an engineering team at a fintech company building at the intersection of Vertical AI and product innovation. You'll drive day-to-day delivery, mentor engineers, and ensure your team ships secure, compliant, and scalable software.
Roles And Responsibilities:
Product Engineering & Execution
Partner closely with the Product team to translate product strategy into engineering execution.
Drive a high-velocity, agile engineering culture with clear OKRs, sprint cadences, and delivery accountability.
Lead engineering teams building scalable, reliable, and high-performance applications.
Engineering Organization & Culture
Recruit, develop, and retain engineering talent across full-stack, platform, AI/ML, and security disciplines.
Serve as a mentor and coach to engineers and tech leads, driving individual career growth and performance management.
Foster a culture of technical excellence, psychological safety, and continuous learning.
Maintain clear team structure and performance frameworks.
AI Product & Technical Operations
Oversee the hands-on delivery of AI-powered features (e.g., intelligent underwriting, fraud detection, personalized insights).
Establish responsible AI and engineering practices, including code quality, testing, explainability, and auditability in regulated environments.
Champion continuous improvement and modern delivery practices across the team.
Infrastructure, Security & Compliance
Ensure team adherence to security-by-design principles (identity management, encryption, access control).
Maintain compliance standards (e.g., PCI-DSS, ISO 27001, SOC 2, data privacy) within software delivery pipelines.
Oversee team-level incident response, system reliability, and operational readiness.
Requirements:
Technical & Domain Experience
6+ years of software engineering experience, including 2+ years of hands-on technical management leading teams through full software delivery cycles.
Hands-on mastery in modern full-stack web architectures: TypeScript, React, [protected info], and SQL databases (with strong API design and client-server patterns).
2+ years of experience building, deploying, and maintaining scalable applications on cloud platforms (AWS, GCP, or Azure) using modern cloud-native practices.
Exposure to or strong interest in fintech domain platforms (e.g., payments, lending, open banking) and shipping/integrating AI/ML-powered workflows.
Delivery & Engineering Operations
Deep understanding of agile methodologies, product development lifecycles, and design thinking-translating product vision into reliable sprint execution and measurable OKRs.
Working knowledge of security-by-design, data governance, and compliance frameworks (e.g., PCI-DSS, SOC 2, ISO 27001) required in regulated environments.
People Leadership & Management
Demonstrated experience in recruiting, onboarding, and developing engineering talent, including setting performance frameworks and coaching tech leads.
Proven ability to foster a culture of technical excellence, psychological safety, continuous learning, and clear accountability.
Strong organizational skills to balance team capacity, technical debt, release schedules, and operational budgets effectively.
Communication & Problem Solving
Exceptional analytical and problem-solving skills, with the ability to navigate architectural trade-offs under high business urgency.
Excellent English communication skills (written and verbal) to effectively partner with product managers, cross-functional stakeholders, and senior executive leaders.