Senior Software Engineer - Product Platform

Kikoff; San Francisco (CA); Hybrid; USD 180,000 - 240,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Medical, dental, and vision coverage

Meaningful equity in the form of RSUs

20 days of paid time off

401(k) plan with employer match

Competitive pay based on experience

Job summary

A consumer fintech startup based in San Francisco is seeking a Senior Software Engineer to build and evolve foundational systems that support their products. You will own critical platform services and work closely with product teams to enhance efficiency and quality. The ideal candidate has 5+ years of experience in producing and scaling systems, strong communication skills, and a builder’s mindset. The role offers hybrid work with 3 days onsite, competitive pay, and comprehensive benefits including health coverage and equity options.

Qualifications

• 5+ years of experience building and scaling production systems.
• Comfortable leveraging AI tools for efficiency and quality.
• Experience with Ruby on Rails preferred but not mandatory.
• A builder’s mindset — thrives in ambiguity, takes initiative, and enjoys owning systems end-to-end.
• You communicate technical complexity clearly and appropriately depending on the audience, listen actively and humbly to feedback, and know that great software is built by teams, not individuals.
• Experience building platform services or shared infrastructure used by multiple teams.
• Knowledge of identity verification and KYC processes a plus.
• Excellent debugging instincts and the ability to piece together how unusual data states occurred.

Responsibilities

• Build and evolve foundational systems for product teams.
• Own critical platform services essential for engineering.
• Ensure systems are rock-solid, scalable, and continuously improving.

Skills

Experience building and scaling production systems

Ability to leverage AI tools

Comfort with Ruby on Rails

Strong communication skills

Experience with platform services

Knowledge of identity verification and KYC

Excellent debugging instincts

Tools

Ruby on Rails

Job description

At Kikoff, we’ve redefined how people build financial confidence, helping millions of Americans establish credit, access smarter financial products, and reach their goals. We're looking for a Senior Software Engineer to join our Product Platform team, where you'll build and evolve the foundational systems that power every product we ship. You'll own critical platform services that the entire engineering organization depends on—our identity and KYC infrastructure, furnishing systems and other core capabilities that need to be rock‑solid, scalable, and continuously improving. Your work will directly enable product teams to move faster and serve customers better.

What We’re Looking For

• 5+ years of experience building and scaling production systems.
• Comfortable leveraging AI tools to work smarter and ship better products faster without sacrificing quality.
• Experience with Ruby on Rails is a plus but not required; we value strong fundamentals and the ability to learn quickly.
• A builder’s mindset — thrives in ambiguity, takes initiative, and enjoys owning systems end-to-end.
• You communicate technical complexity clearly and appropriately depending on the audience, listen actively and humbly to feedback, and know that great software is built by teams, not individuals.
• Experience building platform services or shared infrastructure used by multiple teams.
• Knowledge of identity verification and KYC processes a plus.
• Excellent debugging instincts and the ability to piece together how unusual data states occurred.

Kikoff: A FinTech Unicorn Powering Financial Progress with AI

At Kikoff, our mission is to provide radically affordable financial tools to help consumers achieve financial security. We're a profitable, high‑growth FinTech unicorn serving millions of people, many of whom are building credit or navigating life paycheck to paycheck. With innovative technology and AI, we simplify credit building, reduce debt, and expand access to financial opportunities to those who need them the most. Founded in 2019, Kikoff is headquartered in San Francisco and backed by top‑tier VC investors and NBA star Stephen Curry.

Why Kikoff

This is a consumer fintech startup, and you will be working with serial entrepreneurs who have built strong consumer brands and innovative products. We value extreme ownership, clear communication, a strong sense of craftsmanship, and the desire to create lasting work and work relationships. Yes, you can build an exciting business AND have real‑life real‑customer impact.

Benefits

• Medical, dental, and vision coverage – Kikoff covers the full cost of health insurance for the employee!
• Meaningful equity in the form of RSU’s.
• 20 days of paid time off per year – we encourage taking real time away to recharge and do your best work.
• 401(k) plan with a generous employer match to help you invest in your future.
• Competitive pay based on experience consisting of base + equity + benefits.

Location: Hybrid, 3 days onsite in San Francisco, CA.

Visa sponsorship available: Kikoff is willing to provide sponsorship for H1‑B visas and U.S. green cards for exceptional talent.

Equal Employment Opportunity Statement

Kikoff Inc. is an equal opportunity employer. We are committed to complying with all federal, state, and local laws providing equal employment opportunities and consider qualified applicants without regard to race, color, religion, creed, gender, national origin, age, disability, veteran status, marital status, pregnancy, sex, gender expression or identity, sexual orientation, citizenship, or any other legally protected class.