Engineering Manager

Engineering Manager

Job Type: Contract

About Rapid Innovation

Rapid Innovation is a cutting-edge development services company specializing in building AI-powered agentic systems, digital labor solutions, and AI agents. We partner with forward-thinking clients looking to harness the transformative power of artificial intelligence to revolutionize work, automate tasks, and enable intelligent decision-making. Our mission is to innovate the future of work—and we're searching for a passionate Engineering Manager to help us drive that vision forward.

Role Overview

We are hiring a Engineering Manager who will own the delivery of our core Salt Lending platform project while also contributing to broader development initiatives across the company. In this hybrid role, you'll manage a dedicated project team, define technical strategy, and foster rapid innovation by integrating AI and cutting-edge fintech practices.

What You'll Own

1. Team Leadership & Platform Development

• Manage and mentor a team of 5–10 engineers focused on the Salt Lending platform.
• Drive the development roadmap for new features, integrations, and platform enhancements.
• Ensure timely delivery of high-quality software that meets both business and regulatory requirements.
• Foster a collaborative engineering culture centered on innovation, quality, and continuous learning.
• Partner closely with Product, Risk, Compliance, and Operations teams to align technical solutions with business needs.

2. Technical Strategy & Architecture

• Oversee the evolution of our lending platform architecture for scalability, performance, and reliability.
• Enforce best-in-class security practices for handling customer crypto assets and financial data.
• Architect microservices, API layers, and event-driven components that integrate blockchain protocols, custodial solutions, and traditional banking systems.
• Implement CI/CD pipelines, Infrastructure-as-Code, and observability frameworks to maintain platform stability amid rapid feature development.

3. Innovation & AI Integration

• Evaluate and adopt agentic coding frameworks and AI-assisted development tools.
• Identify opportunities to leverage AI/ML for risk assessment, process automation, and enhanced customer experiences.
• Prototype AI-driven features while ensuring compliance and security controls remain intact.
• Stay abreast of AI/ML and fintech trends, guiding the team on the practical adoption of emerging technologies.

Your Background

Required Experience

• 7+ years in software development, with at least 3 years in engineering management.
• Proven track record in financial services, lending, or fintech platforms.
• Hands-on experience building and scaling production systems that handle high-volume financial transactions.
• History of on-time delivery of complex software projects and successful talent recruitment and retention.

Technical Expertise

• Proficiency in modern languages (Java, Python, TypeScript preferred).
• Deep experience with distributed systems, microservices, and cloud platforms (AWS/GCP/Azure).
• Familiarity with databases (MongoDB, PostgreSQL), messaging systems (Kafka), and caching solutions.
• Solid understanding of DevOps practices, CI/CD, and Infrastructure-as-Code (Terraform, CloudFormation).
• Strong security mindset—especially for financial and blockchain applications.

Domain Knowledge

• Working knowledge of crypto assets, blockchain technology, and smart contracts (ERC-20 focus).
• Understanding of custodial vs. self-custody solutions and lending mechanics (LTV, collateral, margin calls).
• Awareness of AML/KYC regulations and DeFi vs. centralized lending paradigms.

AI & Emerging Tech Understanding

• Familiarity with AI/ML frameworks and agentic development tools.
• Insight into how LLMs and AI agents can accelerate development workflows.
• Knowledge of AI use cases in fintech (credit scoring, fraud detection, risk modeling).
• What Makes You Stand OutYou've led engineering teams in highly regulated financial environments.
• You balance rapid innovation with the stability and security required for financial systems.
• You're passionate about democratizing crypto and building accessible financial products.
• You've worked with real-time market data and automated decision engines.
• You have hands-on experience with custody solutions and securing digital assets.
• Key ResponsibilitiesLead sprint planning, code reviews, and architectural discussions.
• Define and enforce coding standards, security practices, and best-in-class development workflows.
• Ensure platform reliability (99.9%+ uptime) through monitoring, alerting, and incident management.
• Collaborate with stakeholders to translate business requirements into technical solutions and timelines.
• Drive technical debt remediation alongside continuous delivery of new capabilities.
• Evaluate and integrate third-party services (custodians, KYC providers, data feeds).

Note: This role requires candidates to be available during U.S. hours—specifically evening shifts on Mountain Time (PM MT).

Join us at Rapid Innovation to lead a high-impact project and help shape the future of AI-powered lending platforms. Apply now and let's build tomorrow's work-automation solutions together