Job Description:

Engineering Lead (Fintech - Paygate UK)

Reports to: Chief Technology Officer

ABOUT US

Jonas Fintech is a growing, profitable SaaS business at the heart of the UK payments market. We operate two established brands, Paygate and London & Zurich, delivering mission-critical Direct Debit and Bacs payment solutions that help businesses collect and manage recurring revenue at scale. Between them they serve a broad and loyal customer base built over more than 20 years of operating in this market.

The business has been commercially strong. We know how to sell, how to retain, and how to grow revenue. What we are now doing is matching that commercial engine with the product and technology capability it deserves. We are investing deliberately in modernisation, moving toward a product-driven model, and embedding AI across how we build, operate, and compete. This is the foundation for increasing the pace of the business's growth.

Jonas Fintech sits within Vesta Software Group, part of Jonas Software and Constellation Software Inc. This means we operate with the speed and focus of a standalone business, while having access to the capital, M&A pipeline, peer network, and long-term orientation of a global group operating across 17 countries. Vesta is a buy-and-hold acquirer of vertical market software businesses, in it for the long term, and Jonas Fintech is part of that family.

A full senior leadership team spanning commercial, product, technology, operations, and compliance is in place. The commercial infrastructure is established. The product investment cycle has started.

THE OPPORTUNITY

This is a hands-on technical management role, reporting directly to the CTO. The right person will be equally comfortable running 1:1s and owning delivery rhythm, and writing tests, writing code as and where needed, and reviewing PRs with genuine technical depth.

You will lead on ways of working, AI adoption, QA automation and code review culture across the engineering function, working closely with technical team leads on technology choices and delivery.

WHAT YOU'LL BE DOING

Ways of Working and Delivery

• Lead on team practices, notably implementing lean/kanban across all teams, and help migrate those teams not currently in lean/kanban mode
• Work with technical team leads on language, database and tooling decisions
• Manage the day to day: 1:1s, blockers and delivery rhythm
• Ensure all team leads are delivering against learning objectives, and run Show and Tells
• Monitor delivery velocity across all squads and report to the CTO

Quality, Testing and AI Adoption

• Build and maintain automated test coverage, and set QA standards across the team
• Provide SDET-level input into test architecture and automation frameworks
• Own code review culture: standards, consistency and feedback quality
• Work in tandem with the CTO to identify, pilot and roll out AI developer tooling across the team

THE CANDIDATE PROFILE

Hard Requirements

• SDET background or equivalent, having built automated testing frameworks, not just overseen them
• Hands-on QA automation experience: Selenium, Playwright, Cypress or comparable tooling
• Engineering management experience, having managed engineers, run 1:1s and been accountable for team delivery

Strong Preferences

• AI adoption experience: has introduced AI developer tooling (Claude, Codex or equivalent frontier model) in a team context, not just personal use
• Experience in fintech, payments, SaaS or a similarly regulated, delivery-focused environment
• Familiarity with some of the languages and databases in use at JFT (C#.NET, VB.NET, Vue.js, MongoDB, Node.js, PHP/Laravel, Postgres, MSSQL, MySQL), with the willingness and ability to ramp quickly on the rest
• Has introduced or improved code review culture in a previous role, with a vision of achieving software craftsmanship as a standard
• Comfortable reporting directly to a CTO and delivering against the engineering vision with limited management overhead

This is a remote contract. Please note that as with all of our colleagues across all of our business, there is an expectation to meet in person, around four to five times a year, at all-company town hall events and/or Vesta Group events. Travel expenses for these are covered by the company.

THE VESTA AND JONAS ADVANTAGE

For the right candidate, the group context is a genuine differentiator, not a footnote.

• Access to capital and M&A pipeline: Vesta Software Group actively acquires and builds businesses within vertical software and payments markets.
• Peer network: you will operate alongside leaders across the Vesta and Jonas portfolio, with access to shared insight, leadership forums, and genuine peer to peer learning across the group.
• Long-term orientation: Constellation Software operates a permanent ownership model. Decisions are made with a time horizon that most private equity-backed businesses never experience.
• AI-first investment: the group is making deliberate, funded investment in AI capability across its portfolio. Jonas Fintech is part of that programme, not waiting for it.
• Leadership development: access to Vesta and Jonas global leadership events, cross-portfolio development programmes, and a network of operators who have navigated exactly the challenges this role will face.

WHAT WE OFFER

• A competitive package structured to reflect the seniority of the role and reward the commercial outcomes we expect
• 25 days annual leave plus a day for your birthday or significant celebration
• Private Health Insurance
• Life Assurance at 4x base salary
• Enhanced company pension contribution
• Personal Travel Insurance
• Access to Benefiz benefits platform and a range of opt-in benefits
• Electric/Hybrid Vehicle scheme and Cycle to Work scheme
• 10-day rolling sick plan including extended illness pay
• EAP and Mental Health First Aider support

OUR COMMITMENT

We believe that diverse teams build better businesses. Jonas Fintech is committed to an environment where everyone feels valued, heard, and empowered to do their best work. We actively encourage applications from candidates of all backgrounds, including those from underrepresented groups, and are committed to an accessible and inclusive hiring process throughout.

We are open to flexible working arrangements and will consider both full-time and part-time candidates. Please talk to us about what works for you.

Interested candidates should apply in confidence.

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Company Site:

www.paygate.uk

More About Jonas Software:

Jonas Software is a leading provider of enterprise management software solutions, serving a wide range of vertical markets including hospitality, healthcare, construction, education, personal care, fitness, leisure, moving and legal services, to name a few. Within these markets, Jonas is comprised of over 65 distinct brands, each a respected leader in its domain.

Jonas’ vision is to be the branded global leader across these verticals and to be recognized by customers and industry stakeholders as the trusted provider of “Software for Life.” We are committed to technology, product innovation, quality, and exceptional customer service.

Jonas Software supports over 60,000 customers in more than 30 countries. We employ over 6,000 skilled professionals, including industry experts and technology specialists. Across our broader network, we support a global workforce of more than 30,000 employees.

Headquartered in Canada, Jonas Software has a global footprint with offices around the world. We’re a 100% owned subsidiary of Constellation Software Inc., based in Toronto, publicly listed on the TSX (CSU.TO), and a member of the S&P/TSX 60 Index.

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