Principal Software Engineer

Forward Financing LLC; United States; Remote; USD 200,000 - 250,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Medical insurance

Dental insurance

Vision insurance

401k match

Flexible time-off policy

Parental leave

Wellness reimbursement

Volunteer days

Development budget

Charitable donation match

Job summary

Forward Financing is seeking a senior engineering leader to architect our core platform, design scalable backend systems, and set the technical direction across multiple teams.

You will mentor engineers, champion best practices, own the ecosystem, and drive cross-functional initiatives, balancing delivery with reliability while fostering a culture of ownership and continuous learning.

Qualifications

• 10+ years experience in technical leadership, mentorship, and sponsorship.
• Deep expertise in designing and implementing complex, distributed backend systems, scalable architectures across multiple software applications and/or languages (Ruby on Rails required).
• Excellent written and verbal communication.
• Significant ability to influence others.
• Passion for learning and self-development.
• Typically has several years of experience in agile software development.
• Experience with front-end architecture or a full-stack perspective, with an understanding of how backend services impact the end-user experience.
• Typically has a Bachelor’s or Master’s degree in Computer Science or related field or additional relevant experience.

Responsibilities

• Architect the Future: design and lead the development of scalable, reliable core platform.
• Be a Technical Leader: set technical direction and promote code quality and best practices.
• Lead Cross-Functional Initiatives: align across engineering teams and business domains.
• Champion Best Practices: promote architectural integrity and system observability.
• Mentor and Elevate: provide technical guidance and foster ownership.
• Own the Ecosystem: maintain engagement across teams and address incidents promptly.

Skills

Technical leadership

Mentorship

Ruby on Rails

Distributed backend systems

Front-end architecture / full-stack

Communication

Agile software development

Influence others

Education

Bachelor’s or Master’s degree in Computer Science or related field

Job description

Forward Financing is a financial technology company based in Boston, Massachusetts with team members throughout the United States, Dominican Republic, and Canada. The company is on a mission to unlock the capital that fuels small businesses across America. Recognized as a Best Place to Work by Built In Boston and certified as a Great Place To Work Forward is investing in its employees, technology, and customer experience – with long-term success in mind every step of the way.

In This Role, You Will

• Architect the Future: You will be the primary architect for our core platform, designing and leading the implementation of scalable, reliable, and highly efficient systems. Your decisions will directly impact our ability to grow and innovate. You will design, blueprint, and lead the development of our core platform, ensuring it is scalable, reliable, and efficient.
• Be a Technical Leader: As the lead engineer for your domain, you'll set the technical direction and raise the bar for code quality, design patterns, and operational excellence from conception through deployment.Serve as the lead engineer for the team, driving technical excellence, and raising the bar for quality from design to deployment.
• Lead Cross-Functional Initiatives: You'll lead complex, cross-team initiatives that require technical alignment across multiple engineering teams and business domains. You will be the technical glue that ensures we execute on our most critical strategic priorities.Steer cross-team planning and execution for complex features that span multiple engineering teams and business domains.
• Champion Best Practices: You'll be the subject matter expert on our software ecosystem, actively promoting architectural integrity and technical best practices. Your expertise will be crucial in building highly resilient and observable systems. You'll also provide a high-level of engagement across teams to address technical debt and promptly resolve incidents.Act as a subject matter expert on Forward’s software ecosystem, promoting technical excellence, modern design patterns, and architectural integrity across the organization.
• Mentor and Elevate: Improve the quality and efficiency of the engineering team through technical guidance, mentorship, and sponsorship, fostering a culture of ownership and continuous learning.
• Own the Ecosystem: Maintain a high level of engagement across multiple teams, build highly resilient and observable systems, promptly address bugs and incidents, and be a reliable and accessible leader.

Why You Should Apply

• Mission-driven company: Forward is a trusted source of fast, flexible funding for small businesses that have often been underserved by traditional financing options. When you join the team, you will help ensure all small businesses have access to the financial support they need to succeed.
• Flexibility is a top priority: Our employees are empowered to choose where they want to work (whether that’s from home, in the office, or a combination of both) with flexible hours.

Role Requirements

(Even if you don’t check every box, but see yourself contributing, please apply.)

• 10+ years experience in technical leadership, mentorship, and sponsorship
• Deep expertise in designing and implementing complex, distributed backend systems, scalable architectures across multiple software applications and/or languages (Ruby on Rails required)
• Excellent written and verbal communication
• Significant ability to influence others
• Passion for learning and self-development
• Typically has several years of experience in agile software development
• Experience with front-end architecture or a full-stack perspective, with an understanding of how backend services impact the end-user experience.
• Typically has a Bachelor’s or Master’s degree in Computer Science or related field or additional relevant experience

Compensation

Annual Targeted Salary: $200,000 - $250,000 USD
Annual Target Bonus: 15%

At Forward Financing, we're committed to fair and transparent compensation. We believe in providing a compensation package that recognizes your skills, experience, and the unique value you bring to our team. We take a market-based approach to pay, regularly reviewing benchmark data to ensure our compensation remains competitive, equitable, and aligned with our performance-driven culture.

Final offers are determined by a variety of factors, including the candidate's qualifications, relevant experience, specific skills, and internal equity. This approach ensures that our compensation is competitive and equitable. Your recruiter will provide specific details on the expected base and variable earnings as it pertains to this specific role.

Total Rewards Additionally, we offer a comprehensive total rewards package, including but not limited to: medical, dental, vision, commuter benefits, a flexible time-off policy, paid parental leave, 401k match for US employees, wellness reimbursement, volunteering days, annual professional development budget, and charitable donation match.

Forward is proud to be a remote-first company, keeping workplace flexibility a top priority for our employees. As a business, we are focused on impact; we are more concerned with your contributions to the success of the company than where you get your work done. To help facilitate in-person collaboration, employees are welcome to work from one of our premiere office locations.

Our Culture: The Forward Compass

• Back the Builders: We are wired to fuel customer progress, not just provide support.
• Rooted in People: We create an environment that balances deep connection with the extreme ownership and honesty required to reach our highest potential.
• Flying V: We move through coordinated effort with speed and urgency to achieve what no individual could do alone.
• Always Forward, Never Finished: We pursue growth with a relentless drive that keeps us ahead of the competition.

About Us

Forward Financing is a fintech company based in Boston, Massachusetts with team members throughout the United States, Dominican Republic, and Canada. The company is on a mission to unlock the capital that fuels small businesses across America. Whether facing challenges accessing traditional financing or simply needing a convenient, flexible solution, Forward is committed to funding more of the millions of small businesses nationwide. By simplifying the requirements, streamlining the process, and using advanced proprietary technology, Forward is often able to deliver approvals within hours and funds that same day – giving more businesses the financial opportunity they need to thrive. Plus, with their dedicated teams and award-winning service, customers get personalized support when they need it most.

U.S. Equal Opportunity Employment Information

Forward Financing is proud to be an equal opportunity employer, and is committed to fostering a fair and inclusive culture built on a foundation of high performance and exceptional customer experience. With a laser focus on employee impact, we’re able to reduce biases and ensure the right people are in the right jobs to contribute to our mission. The varied perspectives of our people fuel innovation and make us a stronger team. By embracing what makes each of us unique, we create a supportive environment where people feel valued, accepted, and empowered to thrive.

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