VP of Engineering

Kuda · Cape Town, Western Cape

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Key Responsibilities

Scaling the Human Organisation

Lead, mentor, and grow a diverse, distributed engineering team of 100+, ensuring high levels of engagement and professional development.
Establish clear career frameworks and performance standards that reward technical excellence and leadership.
Foster a culture of psychological safety where engineers feel empowered to take calculated risks and innovate.

Operational & Delivery Excellence

Own the internal execution of the product roadmap, ensuring high velocity without compromising on quality or security.
Drive the adoption of modern engineering practices e.g., GitOps, automated testing, CI/CD to accelerate delivery cycles.
Optimize engineering processes to reduce friction and improve the developer experience across all squads.

Technical Strategy & Scale

Oversee the architectural integrity of our cloud-native, high-throughput, and low-latency financial systems.
Ensure our core banking systems and microservices are built to handle millions of global customers.
Drive cloud infrastructure consolidation to simplify maintenance and improve cost-efficiency.

Compliance & Security

Partner with internal stakeholders to ensure all software delivery upholds the highest standards of security and financial compliance.
Ensure readiness for evolving standards such as ISO 20022, 22301, CBN Risk-Based Cybersecurity Framework, PCI-DSS, etc and lead the implementation of advanced security features.

Requirements

Seasoned Technologist: 10+ years of engineering experience with a demonstrable background in building and maintaining high-throughput, low-latency financial systems.
Proven Leadership: Previous experience leading large engineering organizations 100+ and building high-performance squads in a fast-paced, high-growth environment.
Cloud-Native Expertise: Deep understanding of modern cloud infrastructure and distributed systems.
Regulatory Knowledge: Experience navigating the security and compliance mandates of financial regulatory bodies.

Expertise in software delivery metrics DORA metrics and process optimization.
Strong grasp of architectural patterns for scalable fintech applications 12 Factor Apps.
Experience with automated regression testing and security-first development DevSecOps.

Clear Communication: Ability to translate complex technical challenges into business impact for executive and other business stakeholders.
Empathetic Leadership: A commitment to fostering an inclusive, safe, and high-growth environment for engineers.
Strategic Thinking: Ability to balance immediate delivery needs with long-term organizational health.