Founding Engineer (Backend / Fintech)

Founding Engineer (Backend / Fintech) Location: Remote – NYC or LATAM Employment Type: Full-time Seniority Level: Mid-level Salary: $200,000 base + equity Overview An early-stage fintech startup is seeking a hands-on, product-driven backend engineer to join as the first full-time technical hire . In this role, you will work closely with the founder and external contractors to deliver the MVP, shape the technical architecture, and eventually lead the internal engineering team as the company scales. This position offers the opportunity to play a key role in building a fintech product from the ground up while contributing to both technical development and early engineering leadership. Key Responsibilities Partner with the founder and external engineering contractors to deliver the MVP during the initial development phase Own the technical architecture, with a primary focus on backend systems Design and implement production-grade backend code Manage relationships with external engineering contractors and ensure milestone delivery Maintain high standards for code quality, system reliability, and engineering velocity Collaborate with product, risk, compliance, and go-to-market teams as the organization grows Help recruit, onboard, and mentor future engineering hires Design and build fintech systems including payment infrastructure, ledgers, reconciliation, and financial transaction processing Iterate quickly based on user and partner feedback Requirements 2–7 years of software engineering experience with strong backend development focus Experience with Node.js, TypeScript, and modern backend architectures Familiarity with Next.js or React is a plus Experience launching or scaling fintech or payments products Understanding of high-throughput financial systems and auditable infrastructure Strong systems thinking, including distributed architectures and data modeling Comfortable working in early-stage startup environments with evolving priorities Ability to collaborate with stakeholders and manage external technical partners Nice to Have Experience with fintech platforms or payment infrastructure such as Stripe, Modern Treasury, Ramp, Visa, or similar systems Exposure to Rust or high-performance financial infrastructure technologies Whats Offered Competitive base salary with equity participation Fully remote working environment Opportunity to become a foundational engineering leader in a growing fintech startup High-impact role with significant ownership and long-term growth potential