Head of Engineering

NAVA Software solutions is looking for a Head of Engineering

Details:

Head of Engineering

Location: Austin, TX (On-site)

Duration: Long term

We are building a modern, API-first fintech platform in the heart of Austin. Our product spans client-facing applications, payment processing infrastructure, and a high-volume ACH and reconciliation engine operating in one of the most compliance-sensitive domains in US financial services. We are not guessing at product-market fit - we have deep domain expertise, enterprise clients going live, and a founding team that has done this before. We are lean, ambitious, and AI-native by design.

The Role

You are equally comfortable reviewing a pull request and defining a quarterly roadmap. You will be the first engineering hire in Austin - hands-on in the codebase while building and coaching a small, high-output team. You are comfortable taking a one line requirement and developing it into a full implementation. You are comfortable working with a distributed engineering and product team that will necessitate early morning and late night calls. This role is structured as a contract-to-hire engagement with a clear path to full-time employment, equity, and a senior leadership position. This structure is intentional - we want the right technical leader to demonstrate impact before we make a long-term mutual commitment, and we want you to feel the same confidence about us.

What You Will Own

• Build and lead a team of ~4 engineers in Austin - hiring, coaching, and setting the technical bar
• Manage the overseas security, devops, and production support teams
• Be ready to dig into the codebase, unblock engineers, and ship code yourself
• Own architecture decisions across Node.js, React, PostgreSQL, AWS, and open source CRM
• Drive high-volume ACH processing reliability, virtual account ledgering, reconciliation integrity, and NACHA/SOC 2 compliance
• Build CI/CD pipelines and self-serve deployment workflows - make releasing a non-event
• Establish TDD, peer review, and modern engineering standards from day one
• Lead by example with AI coding tools - Claude, Copilot, Cursor - and embed them into team culture
• Represent engineering in customer and sales conversations
• Earn the trust of senior engineers by reading, challenging, and reviewing production code credibly
• Operate with seriousness about reliability - in a payment processing environment, uptime and accuracy are not negotiable

What We Are Looking For

Must Have

• 10+ years engineering experience, 3 5+ years hands-on leadership
• Deep ACH processing and fintech platform experience
• Strong Node.js, React, PostgreSQL, REST API, and AWS proficiency
• Proven 0-to-1 startup experience - you have shipped a product from scratch
• CI/CD, TDD, and modern engineering practices in production
• Practical knowledge of US fintech compliance obligations - NACHA, PCI DSS, GLBA, BSA/AML, and SOC 2 Type II
• AI-native - you actively use AI tools daily, not occasionally

Strong Plus

• Twenty CRM or open-source CRM experience
• Offshore team management experience
• Wire, debit card, and real-time payment rail experience beyond ACH