Engineering Manager - Authentication & Authorisation *remote* (m/f/d)

Pliant; Berlin; Remote; EUR 90,000 - 140,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Remote work option

Laptop choice

Lunch allowance

Flat hierarchy

Career development

Job summary

Pliant is seeking an Engineering Manager to lead and shape the authentication and authorization architecture for its growing platform. You will start hands-on with a mixed team, then transition into leadership while mentoring engineers and driving best practices.

You will collaborate with product managers, engineers, and designers to define roadmaps, deliver secure features, and scale the system. Emphasis on delivery, security, and a culture of excellence defines this role.

Qualifications

• 7+ years of software development experience with Java/Kotlin and Spring Boot, including 2+ years in leadership/management.
• Strong background in distributed, testable, and maintainable backend systems.
• Prior experience on authentication and authorization topics.
• Deep understanding of REST APIs, relational databases (PostgreSQL), and microservices.
• Experience leading teams, mentoring engineers, and driving best practices.
• Passion for people management and developing engineering teams.
• Strong problem-solving skills and ability to drive projects from concept to completion.
• Having worked on security related infrastructure or with third party vendors is a plus.

Responsibilities

• Lead and Develop the Team: Manage a high-performing, interdisciplinary engineering team, while supporting the team with up to 50% hands-on development in the beginning.
• Mentor and Grow Talent: Foster open communication, career development, and engineering excellence by championing best practices like test-driven bug fixing, automated testing, continuous integration and daily deployments to production.
• Collaborate with Stakeholders: Work closely with product managers, backend and frontend engineers, and non-technical teams to align on business goals, deliver high-quality features, and manage changes, bug fixes, and new initiatives.
• Drive Technical Direction: Guide the team in technical discussions to find innovative solutions, steer timelines for releases, and ensure automation and operational excellence are front and center in scaling the Pliant platform for rapid growth.
• Manage OKRs and Continuous Improvement: Set and track quarterly team OKRs together with the product manager. Promote innovation, knowledge sharing, and ongoing enhancements to maintain a culture of excellence.
• Champion Pliant Values: Embrace and live Pliant’s core values - Push It, Own It, Open Up, Be Kind, Have Fun, Be Pliant - while collaborating with peers on company-wide initiatives and fostering a positive team and department culture.

Skills

Java/Kotlin

Spring Boot

Leadership

Authentication & Authorization

REST APIs

PostgreSQL

Microservices

Team leadership

People management

Problem solving

Security infrastructure

Job description

About Us

Pliant is a modular B2B payments platform that combines commercial card issuing, payment accounts, FX, and spend management in one system — adapting to existing setups rather than requiring customers to replace them.

Businesses across industries such as travel, e-commerce, and insurance use Pliant to manage complex payment workflows with cards, backed by credit lines Pliant underwrites itself.

Fintechs and software platforms embed Pliant's payment infrastructure into their own products, from API-based Cards-as-a-Service to fully white-label solutions. Banks use Pliant's Card & Spend OS, the customer-facing interface, on their own infrastructure to run card programs

Founded in 2020 and headquartered in Berlin, Pliant serves 5,000+ businesses and 40+ partners across Europe and the United States. A principal member of Visa and Mastercard, Pliant issues commercial cards in 13 currencies across 32 countries — under its own European e-money license and with licensed partners in the UK and US.

Learn more at www.getpliant.com

About the Role

We're seeking an Engineering Manager - Authentication & Authorisation (m/f/d) to build and lead one engineering team. The team is focused on the authentication and authorization architecture for the Pliant platform.

This is a unique opportunity arising from our successful growth. You'll start with a small team of existing and new backend/frontend engineers, a Product Manager, and partial Design support. Initially, you'll be about 40-50% hands-on, gradually transitioning to a more leadership-focused role. You'll architect scalable, maintainable, and secure solutions while mentoring and developing your team.

You'll collaborate with other (Senior) Engineering Managers, Product Managers, Designers, and Engineers to define roadmaps, drive execution, and uphold best practices. You'll contribute to the codebase and guide your team in developing innovative solutions for our customers.

About the Team

The current team focuses on key areas including authentication, authorization, member management, and white labeling. This team will be a spin-off from a larger existing team, necessitating a new Engineering Manager. The team's composition will include both new and experienced Pliant engineers, fostering continuous knowledge sharing and transfer.

What You'll Do

• Lead and Develop the Team: Manage a high-performing, interdisciplinary engineering team, while supporting the team with up to 50% hands-on development in the beginning. Support engineers in a psychologically safe environment through regular performance reviews and candid feedback.

• Mentor and Grow Talent: Foster open communication, career development, and engineering excellence by championing best practices like test-driven bug fixing, automated testing, continuous integration and daily deployments to production.

• Collaborate with Stakeholders: Work closely with product managers, backend and frontend engineers, and non-technical teams to align on business goals, deliver high-quality features, and manage changes, bug fixes, and new initiatives.

• Drive Technical Direction: Guide the team in technical discussions to find innovative solutions, steer timelines for releases, and ensure automation and operational excellence are front and center in scaling the Pliant platform for rapid growth.

• Manage OKRs and Continuous Improvement: Set and track quarterly team OKRs together with the product manager. Promote innovation, knowledge sharing, and ongoing enhancements to maintain a culture of excellence.

• Champion Pliant Values: Embrace and live Pliant’s core values - Push It, Own It, Open Up, Be Kind, Have Fun, Be Pliant - while collaborating with peers on company-wide initiatives and fostering a positive team and department culture.

What You'll Bring

• 7+ years of software development experience with Java/Kotlin and Spring Boot, including 2+ years in leadership/management.

• Strong background in distributed, testable, and maintainable backend systems.

• Prior experience on authentication and authorization topics.

• Deep understanding of REST APIs, relational databases (PostgreSQL), and microservices.

• Experience leading teams, mentoring engineers, and driving best practices.

• Passion for people management and developing engineering teams.

• Strong problem-solving skills and ability to drive projects from concept to completion by leveraging your team’s skills.

• Having worked on security related infrastructure or with third party vendors is a plus.

What We Offer

• The opportunity to work in a growing team with big responsibilities that thrives on a strong exchange of knowledge and excellence

• Attractive remuneration

• Your choice of preferred hardware: Windows-based laptop or MacBook Pro

• Flat hierarchy and transparent communication in a relaxed, professional atmosphere

• Opportunity to develop your talent in a dynamic team with ambitious goals

• Flexibility and possibility to work remotely

• Company card with a monthly allowance for lunches, coffee, etc. with co-workers

• As an engineering manager, you report to the Head of Engineering for the group

Pliant is an equal opportunity employer. We welcome applications from people of all backgrounds, identities and abilities, and are committed to an inclusive hiring process. If you need any accommodations during the interview process, please let us know.

At Pliant we use the Ashby AI Criteria to assist with looking over resumes against our job qualifications for this role. All final decisions are made by our Talent Team and Hiring Team.

A human is behind these processes. Ashby does not automatically reject candidates or make final hiring decisions. Our teams review all results and make the final hiring decision with every candidate that applies.