Manager, Software Engineering

About the Role

We’re looking for a Manager, Software Engineering to lead our mobile app & hardware team. You will manage a team of 5-8 talented software engineers and partner closely with a dedicated product manager to build, scale, and refine critical components of our backend systems. This role balances technical leadership, delivery execution, and people management.

On this team, you'll be building the tools that put payment processing directly in merchants' hands. We create the mobile applications, Smart Terminal experiences, and point-of-sale interfaces that merchants use every day to run their businesses. From tablet-based checkout to handheld card readers, our work spans native iOS and Android apps, EMV terminal integrations, and the APIs that power real-time transactions. The stakes are high- when a merchant swipes a card or taps a terminal, our code is what makes the sale happen. We focus on reliability, speed, and intuitive design because every second counts at the point of sale.

This is a hybrid position based in our Calgary office. We believe that in-person collaboration a few days a week strengthens communication and team cohesion.

People Leader

• You have at least 3 years of experience managing mobile software engineers, with a proven ability to coach, develop, and retain top talent.
• You previously spent at least 5 years as a hands-on native or hybrid mobile software developer, with strong experience in Kotlin, Swift, and Kotlin Multiplatform (KMP), giving you the technical depth needed to support and guide your team.
• You’re committed to building inclusive, high-performing teams and fostering psychological safety.
• You set clear goals and expectations, conduct regular 1:1s, and provide thoughtful feedback and career guidance.
• You’re proactive in identifying and addressing performance issues constructively.
• You’re proactive in identifying and growing future leaders in the organization.

Culture Champion

• You model resilience, transparency, and accountability in a startup environment.
• You cultivate curiosity and a growth mindset by encouraging experimentation and learning from failures.
• You promote ownership and empower your team to deeply engage in solving problems, not just executing tasks.

Cross-Functional Partner

• You collaborate closely with Product, Design, and DevOps.
• You ensure engineers understand the “why” behind their work and feel connected to the customer impact.
• You represent your team effectively to leadership and contribute to broader engineering initiatives.

✨ Not checking every box? Please apply anyway! We know that candidates have different experiences that may make them a great fit for this position and for Helcim. We believe that diversity and having an inclusive culture is not only the right thing, but key to our long-term success. Diversity brings more experience, view-points, knowledge and insight about our future. We also want to provide an accessible interview process, so if there’s any accommodations that would make your experience more comfortable, please let us know.

Technical Leadership & Execution

• Build and deliver mobile apps (Android/iOS/Desktop) and hardware integrations.
• Drive technical direction and decision-making with support from senior engineers.
• Oversee design reviews, implementation plans, and ensure technical alignment across projects and other engineering teams.
• Evaluate and integrate AI/ML tools to enhance the Software Development Life Cycle (SDLC), improving code quality, automating testing, and accelerating delivery.
• Champion best practices in CI/CD, observability, automated testing, and system architecture.
• Ensure that all code is robust, testable, and scalable.
• Manage the operational health of your systems, including SLAs, incident response, and on-call improvements.

Roadmap Ownership

• Translate business and product goals into clear technical plans and execution milestones.
• Balance feature delivery with platform investments and technical debt management.
• Collaborate with Product, Design, DevOps, and security teams to drive alignment and ensure delivery success.

Quality, Performance & Security

• Promote a culture of engineering excellence and secure development.
• Continuously improve system performance and address technical vulnerabilities proactively.

About Helcim

Helcim was founded with a mission at heart: to be the world’s most loved payment system. From the very start, we knew that we wanted to be different from every payment processor out there. We want the merchants we serve to feel supported and see us as a trusted partner rather than simply just another “cost of doing business.” We are relentless in our pursuit to provide a radically transparent and honest payments solution that flat out saves business owners money, all while treating them like human beings.

At Helcim, we build a team of engaged, caring and intelligent people. In return we provide an environment where you can be excited to come to work each day and tackle these challenges with an amazing team. Learn more in our culture book; The Way of the Helcim.

The Helcim Culture: How We Work

• We Are Builders: We don't wait for solutions; we create them.
• The Harder Path: We choose what’s difficult because it’s more rewarding.
• Creating Trust: We earn it every day by being our best selves.
• Company of Many: We’re a collective force. Great teams do great things.

The Perks: Why You’ll Love It Here 🎁

• Ownership: Every single team member gets Stock Options. You own a piece of what you build! 📈
• Health First: Comprehensive benefits + a Health Spending Account (HSA) starting on Day 1. 🦷
• Flexibility: Hybrid life! We’re in-office Mon/Wed/Fri and remote Tue/Thu. 🏠
• Family Support: Top-ups for maternity leave and "bonding breaks." 👶
• Rest & Recharge: Paid vacation + a full company break in December. ❄️
• Growth: $500 annual training budget to keep your skills sharp. 📚