Technical Lead Consumer Experience

At Koalafi we believe in a world where no one has to put an important purchase on hold. Thats why were making it easier for more people to pay for big purchases over time.

Retailers across the country rely on us to offer flexible lease-to-own financing to their non-prime consumers while increasing sales and strengthening customer loyalty. Their 2M customers love us because we provide a flexible way for them to make payments and give them an opportunity to improve their credit. Our 200 Koalafi teammates enjoy inspiring and challenging work that accelerates their careers.

Interested in learning more about how were transforming the financing experience and joining our team

About the role

Koalafi is seeking a hands-on Tech Lead for the Consumer Team to drive the technical direction and execution of the systems that power our consumer web experience. This leader will guide a team of engineers responsible for payment processing modernizing legacy systems building scalable services and delivering the tools that enable consumers to meet their financing needs with Koalafi.

As Tech Lead for the Consumer Team youll shape the systems and team that power Koalafis consumer experience. Youll direct and guide engineers through design and delivery work closely with product risk and operations and stay hands-on in the codebase. Youll grow as both a people and technical leader while continuing to code and mentor others.

What youll do

Lead and deliver:

• Define and execute the technical roadmap for consumer services and APIs

• Architect build and modernize backend and frontend systems using React Golang and AWS

• Guide design reviews and promote best engineering practices within the team

• Shape quarterly roadmaps that balance ambitious modernization with high-impact features

Coach and influence:

• Mentor engineers through pairing feedback and thoughtful one-on-one guidance

• Partner with product operations and risk to align business goals with technical execution

• Nurture a high-performing collaborative engineering culture grounded in ownership and accountability

Innovate and optimize:

• Improve system reliability observability and scalability for high-volume financial transactions

• Integrate AI tools into daily development to streamline code analysis refactoring and feature builds while ensuring system reliability

• Champion automation testing and deployment practices that drive speed and confidence

• Collaborate on technical design reviews and ensure architectural consistency across services

What youll bring

• 7 years of professional software engineering experience

• 3 years of prior management experience

• Experience leading technical efforts or small teams guided by data-driven decisions

• Track record of turning complex technical visions into phased achievable roadmaps

• Proficiency in React and Golang with the ability to provide legacy system support in C#/.Net

• Strong database skills in schema design and performance optimization (SQL Server Postgres)

• Comfort working across frontend backend and serverless technologies (TypeScript AWS)

• Strong understanding of containerized services and event-driven systems

• Proven ability to balance technical depth with business impact and clear communication

• Bonus: prior experience in fintech payments or e-commerce

Location: Richmond VA; Arlington VA; or Remote (U.S.). Associates near one of our office locations may work in-office hybrid or remotely. Remote opportunities are available to candidates throughout the United States.

Salary Range: $168000-$217000 per year (depending on experience and location)
Additional Compensation: This position will be eligible to participate in company bonus plan.

The final salary offer will depend on factors including but not limited to experience skills and geographic location. The actual annualized salary amount offered to any candidate at the time of hire will be reflected solely in the candidates offer letter.

Applications will be accepted until position is filled.

Why choose Koalafi: A career at Koalafi means opportunities to tackle exciting challenges every single day. We take pride in a culture of innovation trust and ownership. Youll get outside your comfort zone build meaningful relationships and most of all take charge of projects that ultimately help people get the things they need most.

Benefits:

At Koalafi you will have a direct impact on our products and help shape the companys success. We offer competitive compensation & benefits packages to keep you at your best:

• Comprehensive medical dental and vision coverage
• 20 PTO days 11 paid holidays
• 401(k) retirement with company matching
• Student Loan & Tuition Reimbursement
• Commuter assistance
• Parental leave (maternal paternal)
• Inclusion and Associate Engagement Programs

Who we are & what we value:

• We focus on whats most important
• We set clear expectations and deliver
• We embrace challenges to reach our full potential
• We ask How can this be better
• We move fast together