Fintech Head OF Engineering - Identity & KYC Systems

Job Title

Salary:

About the Role

We’re looking for a Head of Engineering – Identity & KYC Systems for one of the biggest Fintech players in Middle East & Africa to lead their identity platform's development, evolution, and scale. You will drive the strategy and execution of systems that power user onboarding, identity verification, KYC/AML checks, and compliance workflows. As a senior technology leader, you'll work at the intersection of product, risk, operations, and legal teams to ensure that our platform is secure, compliant, scalable, and delivers a seamless user experience.This role requires deep technical expertise, an understanding of regulatory landscapes, and a strong ability to build and lead high-performing engineering teams.

What You Will Do

Identity & KYC Platform Ownership

a. Define and drive the architectural vision and roadmap for identity, KYC, and verification systems.

b. Led the engineering efforts across user onboarding, identity proofing, document OCR, biometric checks, AML screening, and account verification workflows.

c. Ensure systems comply with regional and international regulations (e.g., AML/CFT, GDPR, eKYC standards).

d. Build a scalable and pluggable platform that integrates seamlessly with third-party verification vendors.

Engineering & Org Leadership

a. Manage and mentor a team of engineering managers, architects, and ICs across backend, mobile, and platform security teams.

b. Build a world-class team culture centered on trust, ownership, and quality.

c. Define org structure, career paths, and hiring plans to support scaling.

Security, Compliance & Observability

a. Implement best practices in data security, encryption, and user privacy across the

identity platform.

b. Partner with compliance and legal teams to adapt the platform to evolving regulatory requirements.

c. Ensure detailed observability of user verification flows, errors, drop-offs, and audit trails.

Cross-Functional Collaboration

a. Work closely with Product, Risk, Legal, and Operations teams to align roadmap and OKRs.

b. Support the launch of KYC features in new regions by adopting verification logic and flows.

c. Own vendor evaluations and partnerships for biometric ID, OCR, AML, and risk scoring systems.

Delivery & Incident Management

a. Drive reliable, timely delivery of new identity features, compliance updates, and platform improvements.

b. Ensure systems are resilient and maintain high availability (99.9%+ uptime).

c. Establish incident response processes for sensitive identity workflows and coordinate postmortems.

What You Will Need

1. 10+ years of engineering experience, with at least 3–5 years in engineering leadership roles.

2. Deep understanding of identity verification workflows, user onboarding, or KYC/AML systems.

3. Experience integrating with or building APIs for document OCR, biometric verification, AML screening, and fraud detection.

4. Strong system design skills for high-availability, privacy-first, and auditable systems.

5. Familiarity with compliance frameworks such as GDPR, PCI DSS, SOC 2, FATF guidelines, or local laws.

6. Track record of leading technical teams through scale, complexity, and regulatory change.

7. Excellent communication and stakeholder management skills.

Nice to Have

1. Experience working with regulated financial services, crypto, or telecom identity systems.

2. Familiarity with modular identity frameworks (DID, verifiable credentials, reusable KYC).

3. Experience in markets with fragmented ID infrastructure (e.g., Africa, Southeast Asia).