Head of Engineering

Head of Engineering - Fintech/Banking

New York, NY | Hybrid (3–5 days/week)

$200,000–$250,000 Base + 15% Target Bonus + Up to 0.75% Equity

About the Company

Shields Group Search is partnering with an innovative fintech company building an open architecture private banking platform serving independent wealth managers. Our client's team partners with leading non-bank financial institutions, including investment advisors, insurance carriers, and family offices in the United States, to deliver cash management, credit, and enterprise-grade analytics to wealthy individuals and families.

About this Position

The Head of Engineering will lead the development of the entire stack across our client's web application, backend systems, and core infrastructure. This is a hands-on leadership role: we are looking for someone with superior coding ability who wants to continue to write code, architect core systems, and mentor a talented team of engineers. AI is central to this role: you will use and build at the frontier of AI/ML in finance to drive innovation across our client's private banking infrastructure.

We expect the ideal candidate to have 10–15 years of experience developing enterprise applications at a bank, ideally in private banking, commercial banking, or payments. Startup experience is preferred. Above all, the ideal candidate must have the technical and commercial aspirations to build an enterprise-grade banking platform.

The base salary will range from $200,000 to $250,000, with a target cash bonus equal to 15% of the base and an initial equity grant of up to 0.75%. We also offer a comprehensive benefits package, including health, dental, and vision coverage, as well as a 401(k).

This is a hybrid position based in New York, NY, reporting directly to the CEO. The ideal candidate will be in the office three to five days a week.

Responsibilities

• Manage a team of highly skilled engineers with frontend, backend, and infrastructure responsibilities.
• Maintain the platform's security, including SOC 2 compliance across multiple Trust Services Criteria and building/managing required infrastructure for our cybersecurity roadmap.
• Enforce the firm’s regulatory policies and procedures.
• Develop applications across web, mobile, and API interfaces.
• Develop platforms for end users, partners, and internal stakeholders.
• Recruit and maintain a pipeline of engineers capable of delivering innovative, world-class solutions using Next.js, Typescript, FastAPI, Python, AWS, Terraform, and other technologies as we expand our stack.
• Oversee full-stack development, database engineering, DevOps, QA automation, security, and IT/Hosting.
• Establish efficient processes for software development and continuous delivery.
• Maintain connectivity between our internal architecture, sponsor bank(s), and lenders.

Expectations for the First Six Months

• Conduct a hands-on review of the codebase, including developing a clear understanding of all key primitives.
• Audit our agentic engineering workflows and define a strategy for their continued development.
• Take ownership of key deliverables, including hands-on development, architectural and system design, and quality assurance.
• Develop a clear understanding of our vendor integrations, including third-party risk management duties.
• Take ownership of all compliance frameworks, starting with SOC 2 and PCI DSS.

Required Skills/Experience

• B.S. or Graduate Degree in Computer Science/Engineering or a related field.
• 10–15 years of experience developing enterprise applications at a bank, ideally in private banking, commercial banking, or payments; startup experience strongly preferred.
• 2+ years of management experience.
• Expertise in modern web stacks, cloud platforms, microservices/monolith frameworks, APIs, automated testing, and security.
• A desire to use and build at the frontier of AI/ML solutions in finance, driving innovation in private banking infrastructure, with hands-on experience across modern AI/ML platforms.
• Broad knowledge of software/web development techniques, processes, methods, and best practices.
• Technical and commercial aspirations to build an enterprise-grade banking platform.
• Superior coding ability, with a demonstrated track record of writing production-quality code.
• A desire to remain hands-on, to continue to write code, architect core systems, and mentor and grow a talented team of highly skilled engineers.
• Passion for creating best-in-class products and user experiences.
• Excellent communication and interpersonal skills to effectively lead and motivate teams.
• Proven experience and strong understanding of traditional finance and/or fintech infrastructure.

This is an opportunity to architect a state-of-the-art platform and build/lead a talented engineering team.