Job Description

About Us:

Propel (TSX: PRL) is the fintech company building a new world of financial opportunity by facilitating access to credit for consumers underserved by traditional financial institutions. Through its AI-driven platform, Propel evaluates customers in a more comprehensive way than traditional credit scores can. Our revolutionary fintech platform has already helped consumers access over one million loans and lines of credit and over one billion dollars in credit.

To build a new world of opportunity we bring together the brightest talent to help us build opportunities. We are entrepreneurs and believe in measuring success through results and growing within; talent and hard work never goes unnoticed. At Propel, we are here to change the way employees, customers and shareholders succeed together.

We are a team of passionate entrepreneurs, who foster curiosity and growth in our employees. Our culture is why we’ve been so successful and why our employees choose Propel to build their careers. It’s also why we’re one of North America’s fastest growing companies and a Best Place to Work.

Join us as we change the way employees, customers and shareholders succeed together.

About You:

As a fast-growing fintech, we stay true to our startup roots. You picture yourself within a vibrant and entrepreneurial organization where your ideas will be heard, and you have an opportunity to showcase your talent. You are motivated by goals, a self-starter and like to wear multiple hats.

We are seeking an experienced, hands-on, and people-centered Software Development Manager to lead our Infrastructure Platform team as we transition from a traditional DevOps model into a modern Infrastructure Platform Engineering function. This role combines deep technical expertise, strong software engineering fundamentals, AI-assisted tooling fluency, and empathetic leadership. You will guide both architecture and execution, setting strategy while also being capable of diving into technical details to support and mentor the team.

Responsibilities

Leadership & Strategy

• Define and execute the strategic roadmap for evolving from DevOps to Infrastructure Platform Engineering
• Align team objectives with organizational goals for cloud infrastructure, security, CI/CD automation, and platform reliability
• Mentor, coach, and develop the team, supporting both technical skill development and career progression
• Lead with empathy, transparency, and consistency, modeling the behaviors of a healthy engineering culture

Hands-On Technical Leadership

• Collaborate closely with engineers to evaluate trade-offs, improve system design, solve complex problems and raise engineering quality
• Provide hands-on guidance with tools and technologies including Terraform, Kubernetes (EKS), Helm, GitHub Actions/Jenkins, and cloud-native patterns
• Leverage AI tools and automation to improve code quality, reduce toil, and enhance developer experience
• Ensure engineering best practices - including testing, security, documentation, and maintainability - are consistently applied

Platform Engineering

• Design and deliver internal developer platforms that streamline deployments, reduce cognitive load and support self-service
• Drive adoption of Infrastructure-as-Code (IaC) and modern automation practices using tools like  Terraform and Ansible
• Champion containerization and orchestration strategies using Kubernetes (EKS) and Helm charts
• Embed Shift-Left principles by integrating security, compliance, observability, and quality early in the lifecycle

Operational Excellence

• Oversee standardization and automation of CI/CD pipelines across teams and environments
• Ensure robust observability and incident response frameworks using tools like Datadog, Pager Duty and Rootly
• Implement security hardening and compliance measures across infrastructure layers by following CIS, PCI standards
• Support internal and external audits by ensuring platform compliance, preparing documentation, and facilitating timely responses to audit inquiries

Collaboration

• Partner with application teams to enable intuitive, safe, and highly usable self-service experiences
• Work closely with Risk, QA, and Data teams to support evolving business needs
• Provide clear, accessible updates to senior leadership - highlighting progress, risks, and strategy
• Advocate for platform engineering value and help shape organizational understanding of infrastructure maturity

Requirements

• Bachelor’s degree in computer science, engineering, or a related field - or equivalent experience
• 6+ years as a software or infrastructure engineer delivering cloud, infrastructure or platform engineering solutions
• 2+ years leading technical teams or equivalent leadership experience
• Strong software engineering background, with hands-on ability to engage in architecture, debugging, and technical design
• Deep experience with cloud infrastructure ( AWS preferred), networking, systems design, and security best practices
• Expertise in CI/CD tools ( GitHub Actions, Jenkins) and IaC frameworks ( Terraform, Ansible).
• Mandatory: Hands-on experience with  Kubernetes (EKS) and  Helm for orchestration and deployment
• Knowledge of cost optimization, site reliability engineering, disaster recovery, and high availability design
• Familiarity with shift-left practices and integrating automation, security, and testing early in pipelines
• Fluency with AI-assisted development or operational tooling (e.g. code generation, infrastructure automation, observability insights)
• Experience using generative AI tools (e.g., ChatGPT, Claude, Copilot) is an asset
• Ability to integrate or adopt AI tools in day-to-day tasks
• Excellent project management skills with Agile delivery experience
• Ability to influence organizational change and lead cross-functional initiatives
• Excellent communication and stakeholder management skills with a focus on clarity, and alignment

Benefits to Joining Propel

• Growth and opportunity – we pride ourselves on promoting from within
• Incredible company culture
• Competitive salary and health benefits
• Comprehensive vacation package
• Group health and dental benefits
• Group RRSP program
• Support for new parents
• Diverse and inclusive workplace

Salary Range

$125,000 – $155,000

Final compensation is determined by market conditions, location, and the candidate’s experience, skills, and education. This role may also be eligible for performance-based incentive programs and total compensation may include variable incentives, such as bonuses and commissions.

This posting is for an existing vacancy within our organization.

Our Culture

Propel brings together the brightest talent to build opportunities. We are entrepreneurs who measure success through results and growth from within; talent and hard work never go unnoticed. Our team fosters curiosity and growth, making Propel one of North America’s fastest-growing companies and a Best Place to Work.

Commitment to Diversity & Inclusion

Propel welcomes and encourages applications from all groups, including Indigenous peoples, women, visible minorities, persons with disabilities, people from gender and sexually diverse communities, and those with intersectional identities. Should you require accommodation throughout any stage of the recruitment and selection process, please specify your requirements when submitting your application and we will work with you to meet your needs.

AI Disclosure

We use AI to assist in reviewing applications and assessing candidates. These tools support our recruitment team, however, all hiring decisions are made by our trained hiring managers and recruitment professionals, not AI.