Manager: Engineering (Software Development / Payments)

Manager: Engineering (Payments & Platforms)

Location: Johannesburg or Cape Town (Hybrid)
Level: Senior Management
CTC: Market-related (Senior Engineering Leadership)

About the Role

We are looking for an experienced Manager: Engineering to lead and scale a high-performing engineering function within a complex, high-availability payments and digital platforms environment.

This role sits at the intersection of technology leadership, delivery execution, and people management. You will be responsible for guiding multiple engineering teams, ensuring secure and resilient systems, and translating business priorities into effective technical execution within a regulated environment.

This is a hands-on leadership role suited to an engineering manager who understands modern delivery practices, values operational excellence, and has successfully led teams delivering mission-critical systems at scale.

Key Responsibilities

Engineering Leadership & Delivery

• Lead the design, development, implementation, and ongoing operation of scalable, secure technology solutions.

• Translate business and departmental objectives into clear, actionable delivery plans for engineering teams.

• Ensure consistent execution of engineering standards, processes, and delivery frameworks.

• Provide technical guidance and decision support on architecture, design, and implementation approaches.

• Support the reliability, performance, and security of platforms through effective operational oversight.

Operational & Tactical Management

• Contribute to departmental planning, including short- to medium-term goals, budgets, and resource planning.

• Monitor delivery quality, team output, and adherence to agreed standards and policies.

• Track team-level budgets and resource utilisation, providing input into management reporting.

• Identify opportunities for incremental improvement across systems, processes, and ways of working.

• Collaborate with internal stakeholders to ensure alignment across product, operations, risk, and business teams.

People & Team Management

• Lead, coach, and develop a team of engineers and technical specialists.

• Set clear performance expectations and provide regular feedback and mentorship.

• Support recruitment, onboarding, performance management, and succession planning.

• Foster a collaborative, accountable, and inclusive team culture.

• Delegate effectively while maintaining delivery accountability.

Risk, Compliance & Governance

• Ensure compliance with organisational policies, regulatory requirements, and data governance standards.

• Support risk management initiatives related to security, reliability, and operational resilience.

• Contribute to audits, reviews, and continuous improvement initiatives where required.

Minimum Requirements

Qualifications

• Bachelors degree in Computer Science, Information Technology, Software Engineering, or a related field.

• Relevant professional certifications are advantageous (e.g. Cloud, Agile, DevOps, ITIL).

Experience

• 5+ years experience within a relevant technical or engineering function.

• At least 2–3 years in a formal people leadership or engineering management role.

• Proven experience managing delivery teams in fast-paced, production-critical environments.

• Exposure to departmental planning, delivery execution, and operational continuity.

• Experience working in agile, collaborative, and delivery-focused teams.

• Demonstrated ability to work with business and technical stakeholders.

Technical Knowledge

• Solid understanding of software engineering principles and system delivery life cycles.

• Working knowledge of cloud platforms, DevOps pipelines, and modern delivery practices.

• Familiarity with CI/CD, infrastructure-as-code, monitoring, and performance tooling.

• Understanding of security, risk, and compliance considerations in enterprise environments.

• Ability to translate business requirements into technical execution plans.

Key Skills & Attributes

• Strong people leadership and coaching capability

• Tactical planning, prioritisation, and execution

• Clear communication and stakeholder engagement

• Problem-solving and decision-making under pressure

• Time, resource, and delivery management

• Comfortable operating in structured, governed environments

• Passion for building stable, high-performing engineering teams

Why Join

• Lead meaningful, large-scale technology initiatives

• Work with experienced professionals in a delivery-driven environment

• Influence how engineering teams scale, deliver, and operate

• Be part of a culture that values stability, accountability, and continuous improvement