Head of Engineering Pillar

Head of Engineering Pillar Millions of people across Europe want better ways to build long-term wealth, but traditional investing often feels complex or out of reach. Mintos is solving that. We've built a platform that makes investing in income-generating assets simple, transparent, and accessible. And we're expanding fast. We're looking for a Head of Engineering Pillar , an experienced engineer who has made a deliberate move into people management and is ready to lead one of two domain pillars in our engineering organisation. Someone who still thinks like an engineer: you can read an RFC, challenge an architectural assumption, and tell when a technical estimate doesn't add up. But you've chosen to scale your impact through building teams, growing engineers, and shaping how an engineering organisation works. You'll manage 20-30 engineers across backend, frontend, QA, and test automation, organised into multiple cross-functional delivery teams. You own hiring, performance, career development, and capacity allocation. Tech Leads own the technical direction. Product Owners own prioritisation. Your job is making sure the right people are on the right teams, that they're growing, and that the organisation has the capacity it needs. You stay close enough to the technology to make informed decisions about people and capacity, without stepping into the Tech Lead's chair. If you're energised by building engineering organisations in a regulated, high-stakes environment, we'd love to talk. Could this role be a great match for you? This is a new role in a newly restructured engineering organisation. We've separated people management from technical leadership: Tech Leads own technical direction and delivery, Heads of Pillars own people and capacity. You'll be one of the first Head of Engineering Pillar hire, which means establishing how the function works day-to-day: building relationships with Tech Leads who previously managed their own engineers, earning trust across the pillar, and setting the cadence for how people management operates at Mintos. If you thrive in environments where the structure is clear but the practice still needs to be built, this might be your next move. What you'll do As a Head of Engineering Pillar, you'll own the people side of a domain pillar and work in close coordination with Tech Leads, Product Owners, Platform Leads, and the CTO. This role reports to the CTO and is a key hire for the newly restructured engineering organization. You will: Own the full people management lifecycle: 1:1s, performance reviews, career development, compensation inputs, onboarding, and difficult conversations Assemble and recompose cross-functional delivery teams as initiatives start, scale, and complete. Allocate capacity across them, balancing individual growth against delivery demands Act as hiring manager for all engineering roles in the pillar: design the process, calibrate the bar, assess candidates technically, and make hiring decisions Participate in architecture reviews and RFCs as a stakeholder: challenge assumptions, flag capacity risks, and help Tech Leads think through trade-offs between technical investment and feature delivery Provide the CTO with structured visibility into pillar health, hiring pipeline, capacity, and risks. Partner with the People team on salary reviews, workforce planning, and organisational development Collaborate with pillar teams to define, implement and improve the way of working to test assumptions and deliver products fast with focus on customer value and minimising waste Your professional skills and background Must-haves: A background in software engineering: you've built and shipped software professionally, and you can engage credibly in architecture and system design discussions today A deliberate move into people management: you chose this path and can articulate why 5+ years of experience in engineering leadership or people management roles, managing 15+ engineers across multiple teams Track record owning the full people management cycle: hiring as hiring manager, performance reviews, capacity allocation, career development, and difficult conversations Comfort with a role-separated model: you engage with technical direction on a strategic level, and you trust your Tech Leads to make tactical calls Direct, low-formality communication style. Good communication skills in English, both written and verbal Bonus points for: Experience in a regulated or compliance-heavy environment (fintech, banking, insurance, healthcare) Hands-on experience with distributed systems, microservices, or event-driven architectures Experience managing through an organisational change: restructuring, role redefinition, or manager transitions Familiarity with financial services concepts (payments, AML/KYC, licensing) at a conversational level Experience partnering with HR/People on compensation frameworks, levelling, and workforce planning Experience working in a pillar or tribe model with explicit role separation between EMs and Tech Leads What we offer 💸Competitive salary and stock options. Your experience and contribution matter, and we reflect that in fair compensation. You’ll also receive equity so you can share in the value you help create. 🤹Flexibility that fits real life. We understand how important it is to stay connected with colleagues while having the opportunities to work remotely. Come to the office to collaborate and be productive side by side, work from home when you need to, and spend up to three months each year working from another country. 🌴Generous vacation policy. Rest and recovery are essential. We don’t limit vacation to the minimum required by law. Take the time you need to recharge and come back refreshed. 🧠Learning and growth. An annual €1,200 learning budget to support your professional and personal growth. Whether you want to explore something new or deepen your expertise, we’ll support you along the way. ☕Very well equipped office. Comfortable environment matters. When in the office, enjoy the parking, showers, kitchen with snacks and drinks, massage chair, nap room and others. Proud to be recognized for fairness Mintos was recognized by Figure Baltic Advisory for fairness and equality in compensation and representation, achieving 3rd place in 2025. International team of 180+ people from 17+ countries Join a diverse team where different perspectives and experiences are valued. We work across Europe, share ideas openly, and collaborate to solve meaningful challenges together. Mintos is an equal opportunity employer. We're committed to building a diverse team and creating an inclusive workplace for everyone. If you need accommodations during the interview process, contact us at [email protected]. Department Engineering Locations Riga, Latvia Monthly salary €6,200 - €6,800 Employment type Full-time About Mintos Mintos is a leading European investment platform that enables individuals to build long-term wealth by investing in a unique combination of assets, such as loans, bonds, real estate, and more, all in one place. Mintos is powered by an international team of 180+ professionals working across offices in Riga and Berlin. The company fosters a culture of collaboration, openness, innovation, and flat hierarchies - offering a dynamic, high-impact environment where every team member has the opportunity to grow and shape the future of investing. Founded in 2014 Co-workers 180