Head of Practice Development - Engineering & Architecture

Our Platform Engineering Team is on a mission to solve complex challenges for some of the world’s most reputable FinTech and Financial Trading firms. With our expertise, we tackle issues at the heart of financial technology, including platform stability, integration, and scaling capabilities that impact billions globally. Our recent initiatives have set new standards in Conversion & Go Live, supporting the core infrastructure of the financial trading industry.

This role provides an opportunity to lead a high-impact practice where innovation meets the financial sector’s demanding technical landscape. With your expertise and vision, we will continue driving meaningful change and advancing industry standards.

We are looking for a Practice Leader with a strong background in Non-Functional Requirements (NFR) to build and scale a comprehensive technical practice. You will lead the design and implementation of our core NFR methodology, review processes, automation roadmap, and checklist management that ensure consistent, high-quality platform assessments and delivery across projects. The Practice Leader will oversee capacity planning, resource allocation, and engagement processes to streamline technical reviews and create value across the organization.

This role requires a deep understanding of application reliability, automation, data architecture, and platform engineering, and an ability to develop a structured, repeatable approach to managing client engagements and technical quality at scale. You will lead a talented team to standardize our methodology, build automation into the review process, and enhance the technical rigor of each platform assessment.

We are looking for a leader who can

Develop and maintain a comprehensive NFR methodology and checklist for standardized technical reviews, ensuring alignment with the latest technologies and client needs.
Manage the expansion and review of technical checklists, adding tool-specific questions and maintaining a balance between core diagnostic questions and technology-specific considerations.
Drive quarterly and monthly updates to the methodology, ensuring all documents, frameworks, and checklists reflect the latest standards.
Oversee team capacity planning and skill development, organizing a mix of core and flex resources to ensure effective coverage across all review areas.
Establish clear processes for client and internal engagements, including data collection, file organization, naming conventions, and engagement cadence.
Develop an automation roadmap to streamline repetitive processes in data collection, report generation, and communication, enhancing efficiency and reducing errors.

This position calls for a visionary who can translate technical expertise into structured, scalable processes that improve both internal efficiency and client outcomes, ensuring that every technical engagement is conducted with rigor, quality, and innovation.

Tech & Leadership Skills
Non-Functional Requirements (NFRs) & SLO Management: Establish and uphold standards for NFRs and Service Level Objectives to maintain system reliability and performance.
Enhance Resiliency and Stability: Drive automation initiatives that boost application resilience and reduce operational risk.
Manage Technical Operation Levels (TOLs): Oversee risk assessments, EOL (End of Life) planning, ViOS (Vital Operating Statistics), and perform in-depth technical evaluations.
Incident Management Leadership: Supervise and enable SWAT teams for swift incident response, chair the Service/Operations Council, and maintain robust response frameworks.
Testing & Quality Assurance: Develop and manage testing methodologies, data management, and test automation frameworks, ensuring reliability through comprehensive NFR testing and CI/CD strategies.
Cloud Enablement and Virtualization: Accelerate cloud adoption within applications, optimizing for scalability and resilience through virtualization and advanced cloud strategies.
Financial Operations (FinOps) and Cost Management: Implement FinOps strategies to optimize application costs, supporting financial transparency and efficiency.
Enterprise Data Platform Management: Oversee data platforms such as Snowflake, establishing standards for data security, reliability, and governance.
Platform Reporting and Governance: Manage internal tools (e.g., Jira, Cognos), and integrate tools like Kafka and MQ for robust data transfer, policy enforcement, and governance.
UX and Developer Experience (DX): Enhance both UX and DX, improving productivity with inner sourcing practices, process enhancements, engineering metrics, and tool development.
Developer Engagement and Community Building: Foster a community-driven developer culture with tools, IDEs, accelerators, and consistent advocacy for engagement and best practices.
Strategic Tech Leadership: Leverage expertise in software development, architecture, and infrastructure, with a focus on Agile, DevOps, AI, machine learning, and data analytics in the fintech sector.
Compliance and Security: Ensure that all platform solutions meet the highest security standards and regulatory requirements within fintech, with experience in blockchain and cryptocurrency seen as advantageous.

Qualifications & Background
Educational Background: Bachelor’s or Master’s degree in Computer Science, Engineering, or a related field (Master’s preferred).
Leadership Experience: 10+ years of progressive leadership in technology roles, ideally within the fintech or financial services industry, with a proven record of managing platform engineering, cloud infrastructure, and large-scale technology initiatives.
Technical Expertise: Advanced experience with CI/CD pipelines, cloud platforms (AWS, Azure, GCP), and automation tools (e.g., Terraform, Ansible).
Programming Proficiency: Strong knowledge of programming languages, including Java and Python, with the ability to guide teams on best practices and implement effective solutions.
Certifications: Relevant industry certifications (e.g., AWS Certified DevOps Engineer, Certified Information Systems Security Professional - CISSP) are highly valued.
Data Security and Compliance: Deep understanding of data security protocols, compliance standards, and regulatory requirements specific to the fintech industry.
FinOps and Cost Management: Experience implementing financial operations (FinOps) strategies to optimize technology costs and efficiency.
Innovation and Research Skills: Strong background in exploring and implementing new tools and technologies, including knowledge of AI, machine learning, and data analytics, particularly as they apply to financial technology.
Knowledge of Blockchain and Cryptocurrency: Familiarity with blockchain and cryptocurrency technologies is an advantage.
Agile and DevOps Methodologies: Proficiency in Agile development methodologies and DevOps practices, with experience fostering a collaborative, high-performing engineering culture.
Strong Communication and Leadership Abilities: Excellent strategic thinking, problem-solving, and interpersonal skills, with the ability to inspire and motivate diverse teams.
Startup or High-Growth Experience: Previous experience in a startup or high-growth company environment, adaptable to rapid scaling and evolving technical demands.

Technology Stack Requirements
Java Development: Strong experience with Java 8, Spring Boot, and Hibernate ORM, building scalable and high-performance applications.
Cloud Infrastructure: Proficiency in AWS (Amazon Web Services) for cloud hosting, deployment, and management.
DevOps Practices: In-depth understanding of DevOps, including CI/CD processes and tools.
REST-based Microservices: Experience in designing, developing, and deploying RESTful microservices.
Data Streaming and Messaging: Proficiency in Kafka for real-time data streaming and messaging solutions.
Relational Databases: Advanced knowledge of relational databases, database modeling, and management.
Scripting and Automation: Competence in Python for scripting, automation, and data processing tasks.
Operating Systems: Strong familiarity with Linux/Unix environments for system management and application deployment.

Our Process
Schedule a 15 min Video Call with someone from our Team
4 Proctored GQ Tests (< 2 hours)
30-45 min Final Video Interview
Receive Job Offer

If you are interested in reaching out to us, please apply and our team will contact you within the hour.