VP, Engineering - Forward Financing

As Vice President of Engineering, you will have a strong background in software development, demonstrating expertise in designing and delivering high-quality solutions. A key focus will be fostering a collaborative, innovative, and results-driven engineering culture that inspires teams to excel. This leader must have the ability to effectively manage and guide multiple engineering teams, ensuring alignment across diverse projects and priorities. They will partner closely with business unit leaders and product teams to develop impactful and reliable software solutions that align with organizational goals. A deep understanding of business objectives is essential, along with the ability to leverage technology effectively to achieve strategic outcomes.

In this role you will:

• Serve as a senior leader within the broader technology organization, playing a key role in shaping its strategy and direction.
• Oversee multiple engineering teams, working in close collaboration with the Chief Technology Officer, Product Management, and TechOps teams to deliver a unified vision and roadmap.
• Partner with leaders across the business to understand their needs, set clear expectations, provide technical thought leadership, and regularly address challenges and opportunities.
• Demonstrate a strong bias for action mindset, driving initiatives forward with urgency and a focus on delivering impactful results in a timely manner.
• Inspire and empower engineering talent within your teams, fostering professional growth and a culture of excellence.
• Drive a focus on scalability, efficiency, reliability, and the use of meaningful metrics to measure and enhance team performance.
• Actively contribute to strategic planning and review processes, preparing and presenting updates, opportunities, and challenges in forums such as quarterly and annual planning, while soliciting feedback from executive leaders.
• Make key architectural decisions by collaborating with senior technical contributors to define and execute technical roadmaps that align with organizational goals.
• Recruit, develop, and mentor engineering leaders and team members, ensuring the organization remains equipped with top-tier talent.

Additionally as VP of Engineering, you will:

• Champion a strong engineering culture that values innovation, accountability, and customer-centric problem-solving.
• Lead initiatives to modernize and scale systems, ensuring alignment with evolving business and technical requirements.
• Drive strategic make-buy-build decisions, assessing when to leverage external solutions, build in-house capabilities, or integrate a hybrid approach to achieve business objectives efficiently.
• Leverage global technology resources effectively, tapping into talent and capabilities across geographies to optimize costs and productivity while maintaining a high standard of quality.
• Foster a culture of accountability by setting clear expectations, establishing measurable goals, and ensuring that team members take ownership of their work and outcomes.
• Identify and implement emerging technologies and best practices to maintain a competitive edge.
• Act as a key advocate for engineering, articulating its value and impact to stakeholders at all levels of the organization.
• Collaborate with cross-functional teams to drive alignment on priorities, timelines, and deliverables for key business initiatives.
• Ensure the engineering organization is structured and resourced to support long-term business goals and innovation strategies.

Requirements:

(Even if you don't check every box, but see yourself contributing, please apply.)

• At least 10 years of experience in software engineering leadership, including 5+ years managing multiple teams and mentoring other engineering managers.
• Experience in the consumer, commercial or small business financing industry.
• Prior software architecture and development experience in enterprise-grade platforms such as Ruby, Java, Go, or similar technologies, with a focus on building scalable, reliable, and high-performance systems.
• Proven experience building enterprise systems on Salesforce and integrating it seamlessly into the overall enterprise architecture.
• Extensive experience with the Software Development Life Cycle (SDLC), leveraging Agile or other iterative frameworks to deliver high-quality software efficiently and effectively.
• Prior experience in building robust, scalable platforms, particularly in fast-paced, dynamic environments.
• Exceptional leadership skills that inspire and motivate teams, combined with an empathetic and thoughtful approach.
• Proven ability to build strong, inclusive relationships across teams and stakeholders.
• A passion for tackling complex technical challenges at scale and working closely with engineering teams to solve them.
• Experience in facilitating and contributing to architectural design discussions to drive technical excellence.
• A results-driven mindset, with a strong emphasis on leveraging data, achieving measurable outcomes, and maintaining high standards of software quality.

Good to Have:

• FinTech industry experience, with a strong understanding of its unique challenges and opportunities.
• Familiarity with small business lending, including workflows, underwriting processes, and customer needs.
• Expertise in designing and implementing solutions that address regulatory and compliance requirements in financial services.
• A track record of working in organizations that emphasize innovation, customer-centric problem-solving, and driving business value through technology.

Forward Financing Core Values:

• Drive the Mission - We believe in financial opportunity for underserved small businesses. We say "yes" when others say "no."
• Keep It Real - We value direct communication, candid feedback, and authenticity. We are an open book.
• Act With Kindness - We create an environment where caring is cool and helping is the norm. We do the right thing.
• Shoot for Extraordinary - We are inspired by innovative thinking and continuous improvement. We never settle for yesterday's best.

About Us:

Forward is a fintech company headquartered in Boston, Massachusetts with an affiliate office in Santiago, Dominican Republic, providing fast, flexible working capital to small businesses across the US. Forward offers revenue-based financing – delivering an upfront sum of working capital in exchange for a set amount of the business's future revenue. By simplifying the requirements, streamlining the process, and using advanced proprietary technology, Forward is often able to deliver approvals within hours and funds that same day — giving more businesses the financial opportunity they need to thrive. Plus, with their dedicated teams and award-winning service, customers get personalized support when they need it most.

Since 2012, Forward has expanded access to capital by providing over $3 billion in funding to nearly 63,000 small businesses. The company is A+ rated by the Better Business Bureau with an Excellent / 4.8 stars rating on Trustpilot.com. Forward is also recognized as a Best Place to Work by Built In Boston, certified as a Great Place to Work, and is committed to helping their people and the small businesses they serve to achieve their full potential.

Forward actively promotes a focus on diversity, equity, and inclusion in all we do. We encourage a workplace where trust and respect are paramount and all employees feel valued, heard, and accepted. Our diverse and driven group of about 450 people, with approximately 200 based in the US, and 250 in the Dominican Republic, is a 100% employee-owned company. Our people are excited about their work, knowing they are helping thousands of small businesses while advancing their own careers.

Perks & Benefits:

At Forward, our team members are at the heart of our company, and we are committed to taking care of them as people, not just employees. We offer a comprehensive benefits package, including but not limited to: medical, dental, vision, and commuter benefits, a flexible time-off policy, paid parental leave, 401k match for US employees, wellness reimbursement, volunteering days, annual professional development budget, and charitable donation match.

Workplace flexibility is a top priority at Forward too. Our Employee Choice policy means that almost all of our employees get to decide where they work. As a business, we are focused on impact; we are more concerned with your contributions to the success of the company than where you get your work done. If face-to-face time is desired, people managers are empowered to find a cadence that works for their team.

When we aren't collaborating to drive business and support our customers, we're finding virtual and in-person ways to get to know our colleagues, celebrate team wins, and have fun together!

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