Tech Lead- Onboarding Engineering Job Watu Credit

AI summary

Watu Credit is hiring a Tech Lead for Onboarding Engineering, responsible for architecture, technical direction, and light people management of a squad of 3-5 engineers. The role involves KYC/anti-fraud systems, B2B API design, and partner governance. Requires experience in Java, Angular/React.js, and African markets.

• Technical authority for onboarding engineering squad with 3-5 direct reports.
• Owns architecture, quality, and governance of outsourced development partner.
• Domain includes KYC/anti-fraud, B2B licensing portal, and market rollout tooling.
• Requires Java, Angular/React.js, and experience in regulated financial services.
• Remote work opportunity based in Nairobi.

Description

Home » Jobs In Kenya » IT Jobs In Kenya » Tech Lead- Onboarding Engineering Job Watu Credit Job Title: Tech Lead- Onboarding Engineering Date Posted: 15/07/2026 Job Type: Remote Job Level: Management Employer: Watu Credit Industry: IT Salary: Open Location: Nairobi Country: Kenya Deadline: 31/07/2026 Summary: IT Jobs, Watu Credit Jobs. Looking for an IT job in Kenya? Watu Credit is hiring a Tech Lead – Onboarding Engineering skilled in user onboarding workflows, API integration, and engineering team leadership. Job Summary Tech Lead is one of the most important individual roles in the engineering organisation. You are the technical authority for your squad – you own the architecture, set the quality bar, govern external partners when applicable, and are the primary escalation point for every engineering decision in your domain. This role carries light people management alongside deep technical ownership. You will have 3-5 direct reports (Backend Engineers, Frontend/Mobile Engineer, QA Engineer). You are responsible for their day-to-day unblocking, their technical growth, and honest feedback on their work. Formal performance reviews and hiring decisions sit with the Head of Engineering – but in practice, your view of each engineer in your squad is the most important input into those decisions. Do not let the word “light” mislead you: if an engineer in your squad is struggling, that is your problem to solve. You are a peer of the Product Owner, not a subordinate. Product owns What. You own How and When. Sprint commitments are signed off by both of you together. If the roadmap is technically unrealistic, your job is to say so early and clearly. Squad: Onboarding Engineering Quick facts for this squad Partner governance: Hybrid development in-house (phone) / outsourced (vehicle) – Tech Lead governs architecture, quality, and releases. Primary tech focus: Java backend · Angular/React.js frontend · KYC/anti-fraud APIs · B2B Licensing Portal · Event-driven onboarding flows Domain responsibilities Own the architecture of the vehicle and phone onboarding flows – from customer-facing entry points to KYC resolution and disbursement of the loan, including back-office flows and interactions Govern Partner: review all code changes, own the architecture decisions, and hold the final sign-off on all releases. Partner executes; you govern. Own the KYC and anti-fraud engine – design and maintain the integration layer with third-party identity verification and fraud detection providers with no vendor lock-in. Own the B2B Licensing Portal & APIs – the technical interface through which B2B partners manage licenses. API design, security, and versioning are your responsibility. Manage market rollout tooling – technical readiness for new market launches is a squad deliverable. Domain-specific requirements (in addition to base JD) Experience building KYC, identity verification, or anti-fraud systems in a regulated financial services context. Experience with Java and FE frameworks (Angular, React.js) Familiarity with B2B API design patterns and partner integration governance. Understanding of mobile-first onboarding UX constraints and the backend systems that support them. Experience operating in or building for African markets – connectivity constraints, local identity document formats, regulatory variance. Responsibilities Architecture & technical direction Own the technical architecture for your squad’s domain – system design, API contracts, data models, integration patterns, and the Architectural Decision Records that document why. Enforce the Watu engineering standards within your squad: GitHub for all code, mandatory PR review, coverage gates, OpenAPI documentation, runbooks, and secrets management. Be the squad’s representative to the Platform General Architecture – escalate cross-squad concerns, contribute to shared standards, and ensure your squad’s patterns align with the broader platform direction. Delivery & quality Review and approve all pull requests for your squad. Not as a bottleneck, but as the quality gate. Your name is on everything that ships. Define and maintain the squad’s Definition of Done. Work with the embedded QA engineer to ensure quality is built in, not bolted on. Own the squad’s release process. Nothing ships without your sign-off – including work from external partners where applicable. Drive sprint planning with the Product Owner – translate user stories into technical tasks, surface dependencies, flag risks early. Partner & vendor governance Where your squad governs an external partner, you are the technical point of accountability. The partner executes; you govern. Architecture decisions, code quality, and release timing are owned internally. Review partner code via PR access. Nothing a partner ships enters production without your review. People management (light but real) You have 4-6 direct reports: typically 1–2 Backend Engineers, 1–2 Frontend/Mobile Engineers, and 1-2 QA Engineers. They report