Head of Engineering (m/f/x) @ Early-Stage Fintech Venture

THE COMPANY
There are 2 mln seafarers on planet Earth, who spend day and night on deck making sure merchant ships transport stuff around the globe. Those seafarers get salaries in rather medieval ways: via cash, in payouts split into parts, with lots of money wasted on expensive transfer fees, exorbitant FX rates, and people hired to do it all manually. Yes, it is messed up.

Kadmos is focused on disrupting the way those 2 mln seafarers around the globe get paid. We are changing seafarer payroll by bringing in fintech, disintermediation, and cost-efficiency.

WHY JOIN

• Big vision, huge value. We are overhauling the way 2 mln people on our planet receive their salaries from the ground up. This will bring better experiences, fewer headaches, and huge savings for seafarers, their families, and shipping companies. The market is 50 billion dollars large - no small numbers there!
• Forget the status quo. You`ll be part of a group of rebels challenging the way things have been done for years.
• Strong background and powerful backing. Before Kadmos, Justus worked at McKinsey, and Sasha - at Warner Brothers, where we got different, but very complementary skills and experiences. On top of it, we secured a rather sizable pre-seed round from Atlantic Labs, a well-known VC with multiple sources available to tap in for subsequent funding.
• *** Flat hierarchy and transparency.** We offer fast decision-making, little bureaucracy, and openness for any feedback. You are encouraged to contribute ideas to and ask questions about any aspect of the business you are interested in.
• Inclusivity. Diversity and inclusion are a must for us – if we want to solve problems for people around the world, our team has to represent that world. Even the founding team is diverse: Sasha is Ukrainian, while Justus is German, we met in the US while studying finance at MIT. We dreamt of starting a company together after going on a ferry ride to the island of Nantucket. If you are curious, ask for the full story on the interview!
• Industry expertise. We have a business angel from within the shipping industry who brings many years of experience in shipping and a ridiculously strong network of contacts.

THE ROLE
We are looking for an owner of the tech side of our business. You get a lot of freedom which naturally comes with responsibility. You will be working closely with the leads of other teams and founders to ensure we execute on the grand vision in the best possible way.

We need you to be a world-class engineer and team leader armed with good communication skills and passion to change the world!

WHAT YOU CAN EXPECT
*** First Engineer. ** You will be the one who will define the direction and approach to the way development is done. You set the stage and call the shots.

• Build the team. We want you to define the way we hire the engineering team and the profiles we choose.
• Develop from scratch, no legacy. As Engineering Lead, you get to define our tech stack and set development principles. No systems to retrofit in - pure creation!
• Work with the best. You will be working alongside best-in-class payment and Banking-as-a-Service providers to shape our product. Cutting edge and nothing less!
• Cross-team collaboration. As a small team, you will be part of frequent workshops between founders, engineering, design, sales, and other teams - we get to build it together and you are an essential part of it.

BENEFITS

• Flexibility. Our office is in Berlin Mitte and we are open to remote work 1-2 days a week.
• Stock Options. As part of the OG Kadmos team, you get part of our employee stock option pool.
• Holiday. We offer 25 days of paid holiday per year on top of statutory holidays.

WHAT YOU NEED TO SUCCEED

• Experience in fintech and/or building banking backend systems
• Desire to build the product and drive hiring for engineering simultaneously
• Track record leading/assembling tech teams (however small)
• Ability to explain complex technical topics to someone as smart as a chicken
• Experience translating business needs into development tasks
• Track record in developing fintech applications for Web, iOS, and Android

NICE TO HAVE

• Experience with South-East Asian markets
• Knowledge of any South-East Asia language

Kadmos is a mythological hero known for bringing the alphabet to Ancient Greece. In a more general sense, he is a conduit for change via new technology - just like we are. On top of it, he could sow dragon teeth on the ground from which fierce armed men would spring to fight alongside him. BTW, Rubens made a painting dedicated to the guy.