[Hiring] Tech Lead - Onboarding Engineering @Watu

Role Description

The Tech Lead is one of the most important individual roles in the engineering organisation. You are the technical authority for your squad - you own the architecture, set the quality bar, govern external partners when applicable, and are the primary escalation point for every engineering decision in your domain.

• This role carries light people management alongside deep technical ownership.
• You will have 3-5 direct reports (Backend Engineers, Frontend/Mobile Engineer, QA Engineer).
• Responsible for their day-to-day unblocking, technical growth, and honest feedback on their work.
• Formal performance reviews and hiring decisions sit with the Head of Engineering.
• You are a peer of the Product Owner, not a subordinate.
• Sprint commitments are signed off by both you and the Product Owner together.

Qualifications

• 7+ years of software engineering experience, with at least 2 years as the de facto technical authority for a significant product area or team.
• Strong backend engineering fundamentals: distributed systems, event-driven architecture, API design, database design, and testing strategy.
• Proven ability to review and reason about code across the full stack of your domain.
• Experience in an Agile/Scrum or Kanban environment.
• Clear, direct communicator - with engineers, with Product, and upward to the Head of Engineering.

Requirements

• Experience building KYC, identity verification, or anti-fraud systems in a regulated financial services context.
• Experience with Java and FE frameworks (Angular, React.js).
• Familiarity with B2B API design patterns and partner integration governance.
• Understanding of mobile-first onboarding UX constraints and the backend systems that support them.
• Experience operating in or building for African markets.

Benefits

• Flexible location within Europe or Nairobi.
• Opportunity to work in a fintech company with a focus on financial inclusion.
• Engagement in a technology-first, data-driven approach.

Company Description

Watu is a fintech company operating across Africa and Latin America, providing device financing and financial services to customers historically excluded from the formal financial system. We finance motorcycles, smartphones, and other productive assets through a technology-first, data-driven approach, enabling customers to own income-generating assets and build credit histories.

• Our platform supports millions of customer journeys across Kenya, Uganda, Tanzania and beyond.
• Continued expansion into LATAM.