Director of Engineering

Director of Product Development - Small Business Lending Platform

The Opportunity

We're searching for a passionate and experienced Director of Product Development to lead the creation of a cutting-edge small business lending platform. This is a unique chance to build a product from the ground up, leveraging your expertise in Java, Python, and machine learning to revolutionize access to capital for small businesses. You'll wear multiple hats – strategist, leader, and hands-on developer – as you guide a small team and collaborate with founders to translate ideas into reality.

Key Responsibilities:

• Strategic Leadership:
• Partner with the founding team (CEO, CTO, CMO) to define product vision, roadmap, and user experience.
• Conduct market research and competitor analysis to identify opportunities for innovation.
• Develop and implement a robust Software Development Life Cycle (SDLC), likely Agile, focusing on iterative development and continuous improvement.
• Lead the growth of the product development team, hiring and mentoring top Java and Python developers as the business scales.
• Evaluate, implement, and integrate various 3rd party solutions and data-providers.
• Technical Expertise:
• Design and develop core components of the lending platform using Java Spring Boot and Python with frameworks like Django.
• Integrate internal and 3rd party solutions to build and end-to-end lending platform.
• Integrate machine learning models (developed in collaboration with data scientists) to assess creditworthiness and streamline loan decisions.
• Champion the adoption of best practices, including test-driven development, code reviews, and version control (Git).
• Establish a development environment with robust tools (IDEs, bug tracking systems, CI/CD pipelines, etc.).
• Collaborate with engineers to tackle complex technical challenges and ensure code quality.

Qualifications:

• Required:
• Minimum 5 years of experience leading product development teams in a software environment and at least 5 years as a developer.
• Proven track record of building and scaling successful software products.
• In-depth knowledge of Java (Spring Boot) and Python (web frameworks) development best practices.
• Experience with building and integrating machine learning models into software applications.
• Familiarity with Agile methodologies and SDLC processes.
• Demonstrated ability to write clean, maintainable, and well-documented code.
• Excellent communication and collaboration skills, able to bridge technical and non-technical discussions
• Nice to Have:
• Prior experience in the financial services industry, particularly lending or risk management.
• Understanding of cloud platforms (AWS, GCP, Azure) for potential deployment.
• Experience managing and scaling development teams.

Desired Qualities:

• Strong leadership presence with the ability to motivate and inspire a team.
• Passion for building innovative solutions and a relentless focus on user needs.
• Hands-on mentality with a willingness to jump into technical tasks.
• Excellent problem-solving skills and a proactive approach to challenges.
• Strategic thinking with the ability to translate vision into actionable plans.

IMPORTANT NOTES

• This is an incredible opportunity for someone looking to get in on the ground floor with a senior, experienced management team that has grown companies, including taking them public on the NYSE
• If you are looking for a basic large corporate environment, this is NOT FOR YOU.
• We are looking for a driven, creative, highly technical individual that has led application development before, to create an extraordinary platform that will be critical to our business success
• There is the opportunity for equity
• US Citizens and Permanent Residents Only
• We will consider a pack and move for people outside of the area, BUT, onsite in Paramus, NJ is not negotiable. This will be a hybrid of on-site and work-from-home. The applicant must be easily commutable to Paramus, NJ, as they will be there in general, 3 days a week at the minimum.
• You need to be EXCEPTIONAL technically, not just a manager of technical professionals

Email resume and salary requirements to jeff@itemalignmentinc.com and jeff@silkrivercapital.com

****AGENCY APPLICANTS WILL NOT BE CONSIDERED******

****DIRECT APPLICANTS ONLY***************

****W2 FULL TIME EMPLOYEES ONLY, NO CONTRACTORS*********