Engineering Lead - Onboarding Team

Airwallex1 months ago

Location

SG - Singapore

Type

Full Time

Level

Lead

Role

Engineering Manager

Posted

Feb 2, 2026

Full TimeLead

The role

Summary

Airwallex is seeking an Engineering Lead to guide the Onboarding team, which builds orchestration systems for KYC, RFI, and risk-based operations to onboard businesses globally onto their payments platform. The role requires 8+ years of backend engineering experience with Java/Kotlin and Spring Boot, focusing on distributed systems, microservices architecture, and fintech compliance requirements.

What you'll do

Technical Strategy & Roadmap: Partner with Product and Design teams to define roadmap, scope, and success metrics while translating customer needs into executable technical plans

Product Roadmap Execution: Collaborate with product managers and stakeholders to define product roadmap, prioritize projects, and ship incrementally to production

Backlog Management: Work with Product Managers to build and maintain a backlog that continuously contributes to roadmap execution

Delivery Leadership: Drive strong delivery practices including planning, prioritization, execution, and continuous improvement processes

Technical Architecture Ownership: Own the technical strategy and architecture for services and APIs with focus on scalability, reliability, security, and maintainability

Engineering Quality Leadership: Stay hands-on to guide design reviews, de-risk complex initiatives, and raise the bar on engineering quality standards

System Architecture Accountability: Serve as the accountable owner for architecture and system quality across all team services

Technical Design Validation: Analyze and validate technical design for software functions developed by the team

Code Review & Standards: Review code from team members and ensure adherence to engineering standards and best practices

Quality Standards Implementation: Drive design and code quality by instituting standards, reviews, and automated checks that raise the bar without slowing teams down

Infrastructure Evolution: Guide the evolution of application and platform infrastructure to reduce operational overhead and improve developer productivity

Operational Excellence: Establish operational excellence for production systems including monitoring, incident response, postmortems, and reliability improvements

Security Leadership: Champion secure coding practices, robust authentication/authorization, and proactive vulnerability management

KYC/RFI Orchestration: Build and maintain orchestration systems for Know Your Customer (KYC), Request for Information (RFI), and risk-based operations

Compliance System Management: Ensure highest standards of compliance while handling sensitive financial data and regulatory requirements

What we look for

Technical

Backend Engineering Experience8+ years of backend engineering experience with deep foundation in distributed systems and high-availability architectures

JVM Ecosystem ProficiencyExpert proficiency in modern JVM ecosystems including Java 17+, Kotlin, Spring/Spring Boot with multi-threading and high concurrency

Distributed Systems DesignExpert knowledge of design patterns, microservices architecture, and event-driven/streaming systems

Cloud Platform ExperienceHands-on experience with GCP/AWS, Docker, and Kubernetes for production deployments

Observability ToolsStrong grasp of observability tools like Splunk, Grafana, and Prometheus for system monitoring

Large-Scale SystemsExperience in developing large-scale system control interfaces and API/integration-heavy systems in production

Problem-Solving LeadershipAbility to take initiative and skillfully navigate complex technical challenges to deliver impactful results

Education

Engineering DegreeBachelor's degree in Computer Science, Software Engineering, or related technical field preferred

Experience

Senior Backend EngineeringMinimum 8 years of backend engineering experience with proven track record in distributed systems

Technical LeadershipExperience leading engineering teams and making architectural decisions at scale

Production SystemsHands-on experience building and maintaining large-scale production systems

Fintech Domain KnowledgePreferred experience in Fintech, Risk, or regulated financial domains (KYC, Onboarding, or Payments)

Skills

Required skills

Java/Kotlin Expertise8+ years of proficiency in modern JVM ecosystems including Java 17+, Kotlin, Spring/Spring Boot

Distributed SystemsDeep foundation in distributed systems, high-availability architectures, and availability/consistency challenges

Microservices ArchitectureExpert knowledge of design patterns, microservices architecture, and event-driven/streaming systems

Cloud TechnologiesHands-on experience with GCP/AWS, Docker, and Kubernetes for production environments

Observability & MonitoringStrong grasp of observability tools like Splunk, Grafana, and Prometheus

API DevelopmentExperience in developing large-scale system control interfaces and API/integration-heavy systems

Multi-threading & ConcurrencyExpertise in multi-threading, high concurrency, IO/NIO, and network communication

Event StreamingHands-on experience with event-driven systems and streaming platforms like Kafka

Nice to have

Fintech ExperienceExperience in Fintech, Risk, or regulated financial domains (KYC, Onboarding, or Payments)

Workflow OrchestrationExperience building complex, asynchronous workflows and identity orchestration systems

AI & Machine LearningFamiliarity with building products using AI and Large Language Models (LLMs)

Polyglot ProgrammingExperience with additional modern languages such as Scala, JavaScript, Python, or Golang

Financial RegulationsUnderstanding of financial compliance requirements and regulatory frameworks

Data AnalyticsExperience with data-driven approaches to process refinement and operational efficiency

Compensation & benefits

Benefits

Global Team Environment

Work with over 2,000 innovative professionals across 26 global offices

High-Impact Projects

Tackle complex, high-visibility problems with exceptional teammates in a $8B valued company

Career Growth

Accelerated learning opportunities and true ownership in building the future of global banking

Equal Opportunity

Inclusive workplace that values diversity and considers all qualified candidates based on merit

Disability Support

Accommodation provided for employees with disabilities or special needs

Professional Development

Opportunity to work with cutting-edge technology including AI and LLMs

Global Impact

Contribute to financial solutions used by over 200,000 businesses worldwide including major brands

Interview process

1
Application Review — Initial screening of technical background, experience with distributed systems, and fintech domain knowledge
2
Technical Phone Screen — 45-60 minute technical discussion covering JVM ecosystem, microservices architecture, and system design concepts
3
System Design Interview — Deep dive into distributed systems design, focusing on scalability, reliability, and compliance requirements for financial services
4
Technical Leadership Interview — Assessment of technical leadership experience, architectural decision-making, and experience managing engineering quality standards
5
Behavioral & Cultural Fit — Discussion of leadership style, experience with cross-functional collaboration, and alignment with Airwallex's operating principles
6
Final Interview Panel — Meet with senior leadership to discuss strategic vision, technical roadmap, and long-term growth opportunities
7
Reference & Background Check — Standard background verification and professional reference checks, including financial services compliance screening