Software Engineering Lead (Core)

About Thunes
Thunes is the Smart Superhighway to move money around the world. Thunes’ proprietary Direct Global Network allows Members to make payments in real-time in over 140 countries and more than 90 currencies. Thunes’ Network connects directly to over 12 billion mobile wallets, stablecoin wallets and bank accounts worldwide, as well as 15 billion cards via more than 220 different payment methods, such as GCash, M-Pesa, Airtel, MTN, Orange, JazzCash, Easypaisa, AliPay, WeChat Pay HK and many more. Thunes’ Direct Global Network differentiates itself through its worldwide reach, in-house SmartX Treasury System and Fortress Compliance Platform, ensuring Members of the Network receive unrivaled speed, control, visibility, protection, and cost efficiencies when making real-time payments, globally. Members of Thunes’ Direct Global Network include gig economy giants like Uber and Deliveroo, super-apps like Grab and WeChat, MTOs, fintechs, PSPs and banks. Headquartered in Singapore, Thunes has offices in 14 locations, including Barcelona, Beijing, Dubai, Hong Kong, Johannesburg, London, Manila, Nairobi, New York, Paris, Riyadh, San Francisco and Shanghai. For more information, visit: https://www.thunes.com/ Context of the role We are seeking a highly driven, self-motivated, and technically sound Software Engineering Lead (Core) to manage our core engineering team in Singapore. In this role, you will lead the team responsible for building and maintaining our mission-critical payout APIs and services - the engine driving our global payments ecosystem.
You will bring a startup mindset backed by the rigor required for enterprise scale, ensuring our platform remains highly performant, resilient, secure, and ready for rapid growth.
Tech Stack & Tooling

• Backend: Golang (Primary), Perl (Mojolicious), Python
• Frontend: Vue.js
• Database: PostgreSQL
• Cloud & Infrastructure: AWS, Kubernetes (EKS), Docker
• Practices & Tools: Agile, CI/CD, TDD, Infrastructure as Code, AI-assisted development (e.g., Claude Code, Copilot)

Key Responsibilities
Technical Leadership & Architecture

• Architect & Scale: Design, build, and maintain high-throughput, low-latency RESTful APIs and core backend microservices.
• Ownership & Quality: Take end-to-end ownership of the core payout platform, ensuring SLA compliance, security, high availability, and 24/7 reliability.
• Best Practices: Drive engineering excellence by enforcing clean code standards, automated testing (TDD), thorough documentation, and rigorous code reviews.

Team Leadership & Process

• Lead & Mentor: Guide, mentor, and grow a team of high-performing software engineers, fostering a culture of continuous learning and accountability.
• Agile Execution: Champion Agile practices (sprint planning, stand-ups, pair programming) to ensure predictable and high-velocity delivery.
• DevOps & Automation: Collaborate with platform/DevOps tools to streamline CI/CD pipelines, automated provisioning, monitoring, and zero-downtime deployments multiple times per day.

Collaboration & Stakeholder Management

• Global Coordination: Partner closely with the Chief Architect, product management, and cross-functional engineering teams globally to translate business requirements into technical roadmaps.

What We’re Looking For
Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science, Software Engineering, or a related technical field (or equivalent practical experience).

Experience & Technical Skills

• Proven Leadership: Experience mentoring or leading an engineering team in a fast-paced environment.
• Golang Expertise: Strong hands-on proficiency in Golang for building scalable backend systems and web services.
• Database Mastery: Deep understanding of relational databases, query optimization, and schema design (preferably PostgreSQL).
• API Design at Scale: Demonstrable track record of designing, building, and securing high-volume REST/JSON APIs.
• Cloud & Containers: Solid familiarity with AWS services and container orchestration using Kubernetes (EKS).
• Legacy & Polyglot Curiosity: Willingness or experience working with Perl (Mojolicious) or legacy codebases as part of platform evolution and modernization.

Nice to Have

• Experience in the Fintech / Payments industry.
• Familiarity with modern frontend frameworks (e.g., Vue.js, JavaScript/TypeScript).

What We Offer

• High Impact: Direct ownership of core payment infrastructure used around the world 24/7.
• Continuous Delivery Culture: A true DevOps culture where you own your code - write, test, and deploy multiple times a day.
• Growth Environment: A collaborative, feedback-driven workplace equipped with modern engineering tools and room to innovate

Sound like you? Apply now!