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, Node.js, 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.