Flutter Competency Lead

About the role

Luno is seeking a highly skilled and experienced technical leader to spearhead the migration of our mobile infrastructure to a unified Flutter codebase. In this role, you will be responsible for defining the architectural standards, setting strategic direction, and establishing best practices for a platform that serves millions of users across the globe. Your leadership will be crucial in balancing deep technical expertise with organizational influence, ensuring a smooth and efficient migration process that aligns with business goals. You will work closely with cross-functional teams, including engineering managers, product managers, and designers, to deliver a scalable, maintainable, and high-quality mobile platform. This position offers an exciting opportunity to shape the future of Luno's mobile applications and to lead a chapter of Flutter developers in a fast-paced fintech environment.

Key facts

What you'll do

• Establish the technical vision and long-term roadmap for the Flutter platform, including defining governance models for shared tooling, code standards, and migration strategies.
• Design and document architectural patterns for key aspects such as state management, platform channels, accessibility, and localization to ensure consistency and best practices across the team.
• Collaborate with engineering managers, product teams, and designers to plan the migration process, including sequencing, dependency management, and risk mitigation.
• Lead the internal Flutter community by hosting design reviews, maintaining comprehensive technical handbooks, and mentoring engineers to foster best practices and continuous learning.
• Act as a technical ambassador for Luno by engaging with the external developer community through open-source contributions, participating in conferences, and delivering public talks to promote Flutter adoption and showcase Luno's technical leadership.
• Partner with product and design leadership to align technical constraints with business objectives, ensuring that product velocity and quality are maintained throughout the migration process.
• Drive the adoption of automated testing strategies, including widget tests, integration tests, golden-image tests, and end-to-end testing, to uphold high quality standards.
• Oversee the implementation of mobile release engineering practices such as phased rollouts, feature flags, crash monitoring, and A/B testing to ensure reliable and user-friendly releases.
• Influence multiple teams by establishing and enforcing technical standards, promoting best practices, and fostering a culture of technical excellence.
• Utilize advanced AI prompting techniques to assist in software design, reduce technical debt, and improve development efficiency.
• Monitor and evaluate emerging Flutter features and tools, integrating them into the platform when appropriate to enhance performance and developer experience.
• Maintain awareness of industry trends and contribute to strategic planning to keep Luno at the forefront of mobile technology innovation.

Requirements

• A degree in Computer Science, Software Engineering, or a related field, or equivalent professional experience demonstrating deep technical expertise.
• At least 7 years of experience in mobile engineering, with a minimum of 3 years in a lead or senior role managing large-scale hybrid mobile development projects.
• Expert knowledge of Dart and Flutter, including understanding of the rendering pipeline, widget internals, Impeller, and platform channels.
• Proven experience managing complex migrations of legacy mobile applications, demonstrating strong project management and technical leadership skills.
• Proficiency in designing and implementing automated testing strategies, including widget, integration, golden-image, and end-to-end testing frameworks.
• Solid understanding of mobile release engineering processes, such as phased rollouts, feature flag management, crash monitoring, and A/B testing methodologies.
• Strong influence skills, with the ability to drive technical standards and best practices across multiple teams and stakeholders.
• Experience utilizing AI prompting techniques to assist in software design, technical debt reduction, and improving development workflows.
• Excellent communication skills, capable of articulating complex technical concepts to both technical and non-technical audiences.
• Ability to work effectively in a fast-paced environment, managing multiple priorities and adapting to changing requirements.

Nice to have

• Prior experience in a Staff or Principal engineering role, demonstrating leadership at a strategic level.
• Background in native iOS development using Swift or native Android development with Kotlin, providing a broader understanding of mobile platforms.
• Experience working within fintech or other highly regulated industries, understanding compliance and security requirements.
• A history of contributing to open-source Flutter packages, showcasing community engagement and technical expertise.
• Familiarity with cloud services and backend integrations relevant to mobile app development.
• Knowledge of other programming languages or frameworks that complement Flutter development, such as JavaScript or native SDKs.

Skills & tools

• Dart programming language
• Flutter framework
• Mobile architecture design principles
• Automated testing frameworks and strategies
• Continuous Integration/Continuous Deployment (CI/CD) pipelines
• AI prompting techniques for software development and technical debt management

Practical notes

Luno offers a flexible work environment that supports remote work arrangements. The company provides private medical insurance and a retirement fund to support employees' health and financial security. Additional benefits include six months of primary caregiver leave, paw-ternity leave, an annual Inspiration Day to foster innovation and team bonding, and the option to buy or sell up to five days of leave each year. Employees working at Luno enjoy free lunch and snacks in the office, creating a collaborative and comfortable work environment. The company also offers zero fees on Luno Instant Buy, making it easier for employees to manage their investments. This role is based on-site at the Cape Town or Johannesburg offices, with on-site responsibilities and collaboration.