Harness serves as the missing link between how we spend and what we believe in. Our financial technology platform connects consumers with nonprofits, financial institutions, and brands, helping consumers’ everyday spending to be a true representation of who they are—an ongoing vote for the world they want to live in.

Want to be part of our mission?

About the Role & Opportunity

As the VP of Engineering at Harness, you'll lead our engineering organization through a transformative period of growth and platform evolution. You'll be responsible for building and scaling a world-class engineering team while executing our strategic platform consolidation initiative. This role offers the unique opportunity to architect a comprehensive engineering organization, establish the technical foundation for AI-driven features, and create a culture of innovation and operational excellence that will drive Harness' long-term success.

You'll oversee our multi-disciplinary team of engineers, manage the engineering budget, and play a key role in shaping Harness' technical strategy. This position is ideal for an experienced engineering leader who thrives in high-growth environments and wants to make a significant impact on a platform that connects people to causes they care about.

What You'll Do

Strategic Leadership

• Define and execute the overall engineering strategy aligned with Harness' business objectives and product vision
• Lead the platform consolidation initiative, merging our legacy Non-Profit platform with our modern AWS-based architecture
• Partner with product leadership to translate business requirements into technical roadmaps and delivery plans
• Establish technical vision for AI/ML capabilities and data-driven product features
• Drive architectural decisions that ensure scalability, security, and performance across all platforms

Team Building & Management

• Build, lead, and scale a diverse engineering organization
• Recruit and hire top engineering talent, including senior technical leaders and specialized roles
• Develop career progression frameworks and mentorship programs to retain and grow engineering talent
• Foster a culture of innovation, continuous learning, and technical excellence
• Manage engineering performance, career development, and compensation planning

Operational Excellence

• Establish engineering best practices, metrics, and processes to improve code quality, security, and development velocity
• Implement operational frameworks for incident management, security, and system reliability
• Oversee platform architecture decisions and technical debt management
• Ensure compliance with financial services regulations and security requirements
• Drive continuous improvement in engineering productivity and delivery predictability

Cross-Functional Partnership

• Collaborate closely with Product and other departments to align technical priorities with business needs
• Partner with the VP of Product on resource allocation, budget planning, and strategic initiatives
• Communicate engineering progress, challenges, and needs to executive leadership and board members
• Represent engineering in company-wide strategic planning and decision-making processes

Technical Oversight

• Provide technical guidance on complex architectural decisions and platform evolution
• Ensure proper implementation of security best practices and regulatory compliance
• Oversee integration of AI/ML capabilities into the product platform
• Drive adoption of modern development practices, tools, and technologies

Qualifications

Required Experience

• 12+ years of software engineering experience, with at least 6+ years in senior engineering leadership roles
• Proven track record of building and scaling engineering teams
• Experience managing engineering budgets of $2M+ and making strategic resource allocation decisions
• Strong background in platform consolidation, legacy system migrations, and architectural transformations
• Deep understanding of modern cloud architectures, preferably AWS, and distributed systems

Leadership & Management Skills

• Demonstrated ability to recruit, develop, and retain top engineering talent
• Experience establishing engineering culture, processes, and best practices in growing organizations
• Strong track record of improving engineering productivity, quality, and delivery predictability
• Ability to balance technical vision with business objectives and resource constraints
• Experience leading technical teams through significant organizational and architectural changes

Technical Expertise

• Deep understanding of web application development, microservices architecture, and API design
• Knowledge of payment processing systems, financial transaction platforms, and card network integrations
• Experience with database design, data architecture, and analytics platforms
• Understanding of AI/ML infrastructure and data science platform requirements
• Strong knowledge of DevOps practices, CI/CD, security, and operational excellence

Communication & Strategy

• Excellent communication skills with ability to present technical concepts to diverse audiences including executives and board members
• Strategic thinking capabilities with experience translating business goals into technical strategies
• Proven ability to work effectively with cross-functional teams and stakeholders
• Experience with vendor management and partnership decisions

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience in financial services, fintech, or payments industry with knowledge of regulatory requirements
• Experience with both direct hire and offshore/nearshore team models
• Background in nonprofit technology or charitable giving platforms
• Experience with Visa and Mastercard network partnerships
• Knowledge of data governance, analytics, and AI/ML product development
• Experience with SOC 2, PCI compliance, and financial services security requirements
• MBA or advanced degree in Computer Science or related field
• Track record of successful IPO or acquisition experiences in technology companies

Location

This position is based in our Tampa, FL office. While we offer flexible work arrangements, this role requires significant in-office presence to effectively lead the engineering organization and collaborate with cross-functional teams. 

Ready to Lead Engineering at Harness?

Join us in building the future of personalized giving and financial engagement technology. If you're passionate about leading high-performing engineering teams and want to make a meaningful impact on how organizations connect people to causes they care about, we'd love to hear from you.