Head of Engineering
Job description
About the role
Coinflow is seeking a Head of Engineering to lead our engineering team and take ownership of day-to-day engineering, including prioritization, delivery, technical direction, and team health, that currently runs through the CTO. As the player-coach, you will write, review, and ship production code on critical payment paths while simultaneously building and leading the engineering organization. You will own the team's deliverables - when something is late, broken, or unclear, it is your responsibility to drive it to done. This role requires a strong current IC who can earn context and trust by working directly alongside the team in the trenches during the first 6-12 months. Success is defined by the team running confidently under your ownership while the CTO steps back from operational engineering.
Key facts
What you'll do
Write, review, and ship production code on critical payment paths while staying hands-on in the codebase.
Debug the hard production incidents, reliability gaps, performance, and correctness issues that arise in a regulated environment.
Set the technical direction and make the architecture calls that materially impact security, reliability, and correctness.
Raise the engineering bar through rigorous code review, clear standards, and by shipping example implementations.
Own delivery by breaking work down, sequencing it, and ensuring it lands on schedule with real accountability.
Mentor every engineer on the team from senior to junior, leveling people up rather than only directing them.
Manage and grow the engineers through 1:1s, feedback, performance conversations, hiring, and the occasional hard conversation.
Own the process by establishing clear requirements before work hits engineering, defining DRI ownership, and creating a feedback loop that catches problems early.
Be the point of accountability for the team's output to the founders, reporting on personnel matters and team health directly to the CTO.
Surface risks and blockers quickly so that the business can make informed decisions without surprises.
Collaborate closely with product, compliance, and operations to align engineering outcomes with regulatory and business constraints.
Maintain and evolve the tech stack including TypeScript, Node, Express, React, MongoDB, ClickHouse, and Redis/queues.
Champion reliability, security, and correctness by operating with the same high bar required in a heavily regulated payments environment.
Continuously improve team practices and tooling to support fast, stable growth aligned with multi-billion-dollar transaction volume.
Requirements
Senior engineering leader who is still a strong, current IC - able to hold your own in the codebase, not just review it.
Track record owning delivery for a
team: shipping real product, on a real cadence, with real accountability for outcomes.
Experience building process without bureaucracy - you know the difference between rigor and overhead in fast-moving environments.
Comfortable working with our core technologies: TypeScript, Node (Express, React), MongoDB, ClickHouse, Redis, and queues.
High bar for reliability, security, and correctness - you have operated in systems where mistakes cost money and reputation.
Direct communicator who writes things down clearly and does not hide bad news from stakeholders.
Proven ability to operate in a regulated, compliance-forward environment where correctness and auditability are non-negotiable.
Experience in early-stage startups where scope, process, and stack evolve quickly and ownership is essential.
Nice to have
Payments experience including card acquiring, card networks, ACH, chargebacks, and chargeback indemnity.
Stablecoin or blockchain infrastructure experience such as Solana programs or EVM smart contracts and on-chain settlement.
Experience working in regulated, compliance-forward environments with strong controls and audit trails.
Background in early-stage startups where you wore multiple hats and drove process evolution.
Practical notes
This is a full-time position based in Chicago, IL.
The role reports directly to the CTO and requires close collaboration with founders.
No specific visa sponsorship details, hours, or travel requirements are stated in the source.
The compensation includes a base salary range, performance bonus, and equity eligibility.
The successful candidate will help define and own the engineering culture and delivery standards during a period of hyper growth.