Engineering Manager (Remote)

Lifecheq; Gauteng; Remote; ZAR 800 000 - 1 200 000; Full time

Job summary

A fintech company is seeking an experienced Engineering Manager to lead a fully remote team in South Africa. The ideal candidate will have over 10 years of software development experience and a proven track record in engineering management. You will foster team growth, enhance delivery predictability, and ensure successful project execution while working closely with cross-functional teams.

Benefits

Career development plan

Collaborative team environment

Work with cutting-edge technology

Qualifications

• 10+ years of professional software development experience.
• Prior engineering management experience with a track record of people development.
• Strong communication skills with technical and non-technical stakeholders.

Responsibilities

• Own the career development of your direct reports through performance expectations and coaching.
• Partner with Tech Leads and Product Managers to navigate trade-offs and ensure quality standards.
• Lead hiring processes from definition through onboarding.

Skills

Software Development

Team Leadership

Performance Management

Communication Skills

Tools

Clojure

JavaScript

Job description

About us

Lifecheq is a fintech company aiming to provide the global emerging middle class with quality holistic financial advice.

Our platform combines smart tech, deep financial expertise, and a unique approach to financial advice.

We're growing rapidly, backed by major investors including Summit Africa, Futuregrowth, African Rainbow Capital, and Naspers Foundry.

As we scale, we believe that engineering management is fundamentally about creating the conditions for exceptional teams to thrive.

The Engineering Manager role sits at the heart of this philosophy - bridging the crucial gap between technical excellence and human potential.

You’ll shape not just what we build, but how we build it and who we become as an engineering organisation.

Our fully remote team primarily uses Clojure for backends and a mixture of ClojureScript and TypeScript for frontends.

We're organised as cross-functional agile squads with engineers, financial experts, designers, and product managers.

What you’ll do

As Engineering Manager, you’ll sit at the crucial intersection between people leadership and delivery enablement, reporting to our SVP Engineering.

You’ll have direct line management for 7-9 engineers across 3-4 squads whilst partnering with Tech Leads and Product Managers to ensure effective delivery.

People Leadership

Own the career development of your direct reports through clear performance expectations, regular 1 : 1s, and targeted coaching.

Foster an engineering culture of excellence, learning, and psychological safety whilst representing the engineering team in cross‑functional forums.

Delivery Enablement

Partner with Tech Leads and Product Managers to navigate trade‑offs, remove blockers, and maintain quality standards.

Support prioritisation with business context, facilitate cross‑squad dependencies, and ensure predictable delivery cadences.

Recruitment & Growth

Lead hiring processes from definition through onboarding, making key hiring decisions whilst building our engineering talent pipeline and employer brand.

Who we’re looking for

You’re an experienced engineering leader with an intense interest in understanding people and helping them be more effective in teams.

You’ve had a positive effect on others’ careers and know how to repeat that success.

You’ve learned from tough people experiences and worked effectively with people very different from yourself.

Essential experience

• 10+ years professional software development experience
• Prior engineering management experience with proven people development track record
• Experience supporting delivery across multiple technical workstreams
• Strong communication skills with technical and non‑technical stakeholders
• Demonstrated ability to navigate complex organisational dynamics
• Experience with performance management and career development

What will set you apart

• Track record of improving delivery predictability whilst balancing technical debt with feature delivery
• Experience with Clojure and/or JavaScript environments (helps you offer more specific guidance)
• Background in fintech or adjacent regulated industries
• Experience scaling engineering teams during rapid growth periods
• History of successfully working in matrix organisational structures

Success looks like

• Team Health : Improved retention, engagement scores, and team satisfaction
• Delivery Performance : Increased predictability, velocity, and quality metrics
• Leadership Effectiveness : Reduced escalations to senior leadership
• Talent Development : Growth in technical and leadership capabilities within your team
• Recruitment Success : Effective time‑to‑fill, quality of hires, and onboarding

Working with us

Lifecheq values technical depth, autonomy, and clear thinking.

You’ll be part of a capable team that enjoys solving hard problems together and takes pride in doing things properly.

It’s a collaborative, engineering‑driven environment where well‑reasoned decisions carry weight and your ideas will be taken seriously.

This is a fully remote role requiring fluency in English and availability during core hours (10:00 GMT).

For South African residents, this will be a permanent position; otherwise, a contract arrangement.

We take the development of our people very seriously and will work with you to carve out your success plan, accelerate your career, and make a real difference in the lives of real people seeking better lives.