Lead Software Engineer & Technical Team Lead

About the Position 

AeTrust PLC , One of the Company under AeTrade Group, AeTrust PLC is seeking an experienced Lead Software Engineer & Technical Team Lead to provide hands-on technical leadership for the architecture, development, and operational reliability of our next-generation fintech platforms. This is a strategic technical leadership role for a practitioner who leads through deep engineering expertise while guiding and strengthening a high-performing engineering team.

The role holds primary technical ownership of AeTrust’s ISO-compliant fintech platform ecosystem, supporting digital wallets, payment processing, cross-border remittances, financial API integrations, and AI-driven digital lending systems. You will drive critical architecture decisions, ensure platform security, scalability, and reliability, and strengthen internal engineering capability to build resilient, high-performance financial infrastructure.

As the bridge between strategic vision and technical execution, you will foster engineering excellence through mentorship, structured code reviews, and collaborative development practices—enabling the team to deliver secure, production-grade fintech systems that advance scalable and inclusive digital finance across Africa.

Key Responsibilities

• Technical Leadership & Platform Architecture-Lead the architecture and development of AeTrust’s fintech ecosystem, including digital lending, payment and wallet platforms, and financial APIs. Ensure systems are scalable, secure, and resilient while guiding engineering standards, reviewing code, and resolving critical production issues.
• Platform Engineering & Infrastructure- Oversee cloud infrastructure and containerized environments across development and production. Manage orchestration platforms, deployment pipelines, and CI/CD practices while implementing Infrastructure-as-Code for secure and reliable environments.
• Fintech Security & Financial Integrations-Ensure compliance with financial security and regulatory standards including PCI-DSS. Lead integration of eKYC, AML, and fraud prevention systems while enabling secure connectivity with banks, mobile money providers, and payment partners.
• Digital Lending & Intelligent Systems-Guide the development of digital lending platforms, including credit scoring, loan management, and repayment systems, while supporting AI-driven analytics and alternative data models for responsible lending.
• Engineering Leadership & Capability Building-Mentor developers, conduct code reviews, and promote a culture of technical excellence, documentation, and knowledge sharing to strengthen internal engineering capabilities.
• Technology Delivery & Ecosystem Coordination-Lead end-to-end delivery of fintech technology initiatives, coordinating internal teams, vendors, and integration partners to align engineering execution with product strategy and regulatory requirements.

Qualification and Experience 

• 6–8 years of software engineering experience, with at least 3 years in fintech-specific development.
• Proven track record of leading 5 or more end-to-end technical projects as the primary technical driver.
• Demonstrable hands-on experience managing Kubernetes/K3s and Docker Swarm in production environments.
• Deep knowledge of secure software development practices and fintech regulatory compliance frameworks.
• Experience designing and implementing CI/CD pipelines at a team-wide scale.
• Strong proficiency in at least two backend programming languages (e.g., Python, Java, Go, Node.js).
• Experience integrating payment gateways, banking APIs, and third-party financial services.
• Demonstrable experience in a technical mentorship or engineering lead role.
• Required technical Skills: Expertise in microservices architecture, Kubernetes/Docker container orchestration, CI/CD pipelines, Infrastructure-as-Code, secure API and payment gateway integrations, PCI-DSS compliance, eKYC/AML, ISO 20022 messaging, RESTful & gRPC APIs, Git workflows, AI/ML credit scoring, and platform observability.

Preferred / Nice to Have

• Experience developing and customizing LMS platforms.
• Hands-on work with AI-based credit scoring using behavioral and alternative data.
• Exposure to cross-border remittance systems and multi-currency transaction processing.
• Familiarity with fintech regulations across African markets.
• Experience with cloud-native deployments in resource-constrained or multi-node edge environments.

Competencies  & Skills required 

• Passion for African development, digital trade, and entrepreneurship.
• Ability to work independently, take initiative, and meet targets.
• Strong communication, interpersonal, negotiation, and teamwork skills.
• .Proactive, solution-oriented, with strong problem-solving abilities.
• Candidates must demonstrate practical,production-level experience, not just theoretical knowledge — across the following areas
•  Microservices Architecture
•   Kubernetes (K8s / K3s) & Docker Swarm Overlays
•   CI/CD Pipeline Design & Infrastructure-as-Code (IaC)
•   PCI-DSS Compliance & Secure API Integration
•   Payment Gateway Systems
•   AI/ML Credit Scoring
•   eKYC & AML Integration
•  ISO 20022 Financial Messaging
•  RESTful & gRPC APIs
•  Git-based Workflows
•   Container Registry Management
• Observability & Platform Monitoring

Equal Opportunity:
AeTrust PLC is an equal opportunity employer committed to diversity and inclusion. Women and candidates from diverse backgrounds are strongly encouraged to apply. Application

How To Apply

Interested applicants should submit a Curriculum Vitae (CV) and a cover letter outlining relevant experience and motivation for the role to : [email protected]

Deadline 

March 31, 2026

About AeTrade Group & AeTrust PLC

AeTrade Group is a pan-African digital trade company headquartered in Rwanda, driving intra- and inter-African trade through platforms like Sokokuu Africa, AeLearning, and AeTrust. With regional offices in Eswatini and Ethiopia, we partner with public and private sectors to empower MSMEs, women, and youth through accessible technology and financial solutions.

AeTrust PLC, part of AeTrade Group, is building the next-generation digital financial infrastructure to support payments, digital lending, and financial inclusion across Africa. Our mission is to create scalable fintech platforms that empower businesses, entrepreneurs, and underserved communities through innovative digital financial services to drive financial inclusion as well as job creation