VP of Engineering

About UsFirst Circle is a fast-growing, profitable, credit-led SME neobank in the Philippines, backed by shareholders including the World Bank Group (IFC). Thousands of SMEs use our Business Credit Line and Business Bank Accounts to run and grow their businesses. Our product velocity continues to accelerate, with upcoming launches including SME Corporate Cards, Payroll, Invoices, and Solar Financing - redefining the SME neobank category through software, financial products, and exceptional risk models.Our culture emphasises building, problem solving, ownership / responsibility, and personal & professional growth. We balance a collegiate atmosphere with free & direct communication which enables us to move very quickly and avoid politics or toxicity. Our team continues to level up quickly, necessary for business to compound more than 100% per year, which we achieve through individual growth and bar-raiser hiring.Stage:Profitable150% YoY growth$25-50m revenueResponsibilitiesAs VP of Engineering, you will be the most senior technical leader in the business, reporting directly to the CEO. You will own engineering output end-to-end: from system design and domain architecture to delivery velocity, team culture, and the platform decisions that define the next chapters of our journey. This is not a role for a detached engineering executive. We are looking for a technically excellent leader who understands that solving the hardest problems means being hands-on, not someone who manages through process and delegation. The ideal candidate raises the bar on every dimension of engineering quality, and builds the engineering organisation which will enable us to become the dominant SME NeoBank across Southeast Asia. Product Velocity & QualityEvolve the engineering delivery framework - sprint cadence, definition of done, code review standards, and release processesDrive meaningful improvement in lead time, deployment frequency, and change failure rate (DORA metrics)Balance feature velocity against technical debt with rigour and transparencyPartner with Product to co-own the technical roadmap, sequencing build decisions against architectural dependenciesArchitecture & System DesignDefine and enforce domain boundaries across a microservices landscape, including cross-service messaging patterns, event contracts, and data consistency modelsOwn data modelling standards and schema governance across servicesLead design reviews for significant architectural decisions: ledger design, transaction state machines, reconciliation, and authorisation flowsBuild the architecture review process - lightweight enough to not slow teams down, rigorous enough to prevent expensive mistakesRegulatory, Security & Non-Functional RequirementsOwn the technical implementation of MAS TRM Guidelines and/or HKMA SPM on ITLead PCI-DSS compliance engineering and scope managementDrive adoption of the Azure Well-Architected Framework across all workloadsDefine and maintain SLA/SLO frameworks, on-call rotation design, and post-mortem cultureOwn cloud cost governance, capacity planning, and tooling budgetAI in EngineeringEvolve and implement out the firm's AI-assisted development strategyStay close to the emerging agentic engineering landscape and make deliberate adoption decisionsProvide architectural guidance on model integration, data pipelines, and inference infrastructureAPI, Integration & Vendor StrategyOwn the API design philosophy for internal and external-facing servicesHold the technical relationship with key infrastructure partners - issuer processors, core banking providers, cloud vendorsDefine the integration pattern library and partner onboarding standardsData PlatformAccountability for data infrastructure: pipelines, warehouse, and models feeding BI and regulatory reportingEnsure data lineage, quality, and governance standards are fit for a regulated entityTeam Leadership & HiringHire, develop, lead & manage engineering team leaders: own the org design as the team scales from 25+ to 100+Drive hiring at all levels - define the bar, run structured processes, attract senior talentDevelop engineering culture: ways of working, documentation standards, incident response normsDevelop career pathways and performance frameworks oriented around A-playersRepresent engineering to the board, in investor due diligence, and in regulatory interactionsRequirementsDegree in Computer Science, Software Engineering, Mathematics, or a related disciplineDeep expertise in building financial technology - payments, lending, cards, or core bankingExperience managing one or more engineering teamsProven track record of solving hard technical problems personallyProven track record hiring and retaining strong engineersStrong communication in English; ability to translate technical complexity for exec/board audiencesStrong preference for:Deep familiarity with global fintech and/or Southeast Asia tech ecosystemPrior experience in a high-growth environmentHands-on Azure architecture experienceFamiliarity with card and payments infrastructure (issuer processors, scheme rules, clearing flows)Experience within a regulated entity or navigating a licensing processBenefitsCompetitive base salary with outcome-based bonuses and significant equity participation High impact role with meaningful influence over company directionFlexibility to work remotely with opportunities for travelMacbooks, health insurance, training budget, and more!Disclaimer: all information provided in this advertisement is subject to our terms and conditions.