Electrum is a next-generation payment software technology company.
Since 2012, we've delivered trusted, enterprise-grade, cloud-native software to optimise financial transaction processing. Our deep expertise has established us as a respected partner in high-volume, low-value payment schemes, enabling clients to deliver services to millions of South Africans daily.
At Electrum, we are grounded in impact – designing solutions that matter, acting with urgency, and continuously learning as we scale. We believe in creating together – working side by side with our clients and teams to build meaningful, lasting solutions. We prioritise making it safe – encouraging open communication, smart risk-taking, and trust so that creativity and alignment thrive. And we back empowered strong teams – hiring brilliant people, collaborating hard, and holding each other to high standards while leading with empathy and kindness.
When you join the Electrum team, you’ll get to:
- Be part of the entire journey — from the spark of an idea to the final product launch.
- Grow your skills through world-class training and hands-on learning every day.
- Receive mentorship and guidance from industry leaders who are invested in your success.
- Work in a dynamic, innovative workplace where collaboration and creativity thrive.
- Tackle real-world customer challenges and see the impact of your work firsthand.
- Explore plenty of opportunities to grow your career and expand your expertise.
- Gain valuable experience in a leading FinTech environment, contributing to meaningful, high-impact projects.
The Opportunity
As the Software Engineering Team Lead, you will report directly to the Head of Platforms Engineering. Your mission will be to lead and develop a team of cloud engineers in provisioning, maintaining, and securing Electrum’s mission critical cloud infrastructure while ensuring compliance with ISO standards. By bridging hands-on technical contribution with people leadership, you will drive on-time project execution, ensure operational resilience, promote cloud cost-awareness, and foster a collaborative team culture committed to high-quality cloud architecture.
The Role
- Team Leadership & Performance: Lead, coach, and support the personal and professional growth of team members through regular 1-on-1s, goal setting, clear career pathways, and performance reviews. Set a strong sense of purpose, recognise talent gaps, and actively recruit to fill them.
- Technical Architecture & Hands-on Contribution: Lead by example with active technical contributions. Drive design and implementation for cloud infrastructure, VPCs, and networking components using AWS services (EC2, RDS, ELB, S3), Linux, and Infrastructure-as-Code best practices.
- Delivery & Project Execution: Utilise Agile/Scrum methodologies to manage capacity, maintain backlog health, and ensure high-quality software/infrastructure releases on time.
- Stakeholder Management: Partner across departments to prioritise, scope, and execute releases, continuously collaborating to optimise cloud systems.
- Cloud Infrastructure, Security & ISO Compliance: Oversee automation, setup, and maintenance of AWS environments. Implement robust security controls, encryption, access management, and vulnerability assessments alongside the security team in compliance with ISO standards.
- Cost Optimisation: Collaborate with Finance to improve cloud cost visibility, forecasting, and drive cost-reduction initiatives across AWS resources.
Requirements
- Education: Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science, Engineering, Information Technology, or a related field.
- Leadership Experience: 2–3+ years of technical team leadership or management experience.
- Technical Experience: 3–5 years of hands-on experience in software development and cloud operations/infrastructure management.
- Domain Knowledge: Domain experience in Fintech or payment platforms is highly advantageous.
- Core Technical Skills:
- Deep proficiency in Linux system administration, AWS services (EC2, RDS, ELB, S3), networking, and Infrastructure-as-Code concepts (Architectural certifications beneficial).
- Strong practical grasp of Agile/Scrum, cloud platform administration, and capacity optimization.
- Solid understanding of cloud security controls, encryption, and vulnerability management.
- Core Soft Skills: Excellent stakeholder management, cross-functional communication, clear goal setting, and a continuous improvement mindset.
Benefits
Why Join Electrum?
- We believe in a People First approach, ensuring a culture where you can thrive and make a real difference
Your Career & Culture
- Career Growth: Delivering world-class financial software is challenging, but your effort will earn you hands-on experience with products used by millions, accelerating your career.
- Strong Teams: We keep teams small, focused, and collaborative to maximise impact.
- Transparency: We openly discuss strategy, finances, and salaries. Mistakes are viewed as learning opportunities that we actively discuss.
- Autonomy: We trust you. You're expected to seek out the data needed for informed decisions and manage your own time—knowing when to focus and when to recharge.
- Shared Vision: You'll have the power to shape the vision of how we build the future of financial services.
Practical Perks
- Here's how we support our culture:
- Flexible Work: Office-first environment with flexible hours.
- Generous Leave: Starting at 20 days per year.
- Office Perks (Cape Town): Fully-stocked kitchen and daily catered lunch.
- Social Life: Regular team activities like hikes, getaways, and dinners