Who is an engineer in Fintech?
Engineers are in charge of creating, developing, testing and maintaining software, as well as generating software ideas and communicating with necessary stakeholders to understand their requirements. The pay scale for these roles is between $69,169- $132,290 per annum. Qualifications for Fintech software engineers are undergraduate degree or professional experience in software engineering. To learn more on the how to thrive as an engineer in Fintech, read more at the Fintech Job Report.
What are the top skills to be an engineer in 2022
Engineering roles in Fintech require one to be equipped in:
- Hard skills such as Programming languages: JavaScript, Python, Ruby, PHP, HTML and CSS are the most common, Node.js, Databases and infrastructures, Cloud platforms (AWS, GCP), APIs
- Soft skills such as Collaboration (within a team and cross-functionally), effective communication, teamwork and mentoring (more senior positions).
- Mindset such as problem solver, innovative, proactive and takes ownership, self learner, customer and user empathy.
- Industry knowledge such as prior software engineering experience is commonly required, professional and/or project experience, computer science degree: undergraduate level is usually sufficient, Fintech acumen, and knowledge of AI and Machine Learning.
Is work experience needed to be an engineer?
Work experience is vital in getting software engineer positions in Fintech. There are, however, rare internship opportunities in Fintech. Individuals with 2-3 year work experience easily get into the Fintech industry so long as they have the required soft skills and mindsets. Working in other industries then switching to Fintech is a lot easier for software engineers. Senior positions are more common as startups can benefit from vast experience in such a position.
How to become an engineer?
Certifications: Software engineers may be required to have either an undergraduate degree, masters or other certifications to show theoretical knowledge.
Experience: Additionally, showing practical knowledge in different programming languages by building a portfolio that shows expertise in the creation, development, testing and maintenance of software, as well as generating software ideas is advantageous especially for those with no work experience.
Skills: The right soft skills and mindsets play a role in securing positions at Fintechs but also building your career as a software engineer.
Top engineering roles in Fintech.
Engineering – Front end
This is typically not an entry level position and generally requires some experience with JavaScript and other modern Front End frameworks, as well as a degree in Computer Science.
Engineering- Back end
These engineers are proficient in Back End coding platforms such as PHP, Python, Ruby, Java, JavaScript. They also need a basic understanding of Front End technologies to work closely with Front End developers.
Engineering – Full stack
Full Stack Engineer works both with the server side of the product (Backend) and the client side (Front End). Due to this, the full stack roles are rarely entry level roles.
Platform Engineer
A Platform Engineer closes the gap between software and hardware, enabling developers to deploy software in a safer, easier and quicker way. This is rarely an entry level role as typical tasks include automation of deployment processes, writing documentation for application developers, building platforms and APIs, unifying cloud and data-center observability or general feature enhancements.
Machine learning engineer
Machine Learning Engineers apply Machine Learning (ML) tools to help Fintech companies in areas such as fraud detection, personalisation of user experience, profiling, interest rate optimisation, assessment of creditworthiness, improvement of the flow of money transactions and much more. Individuals who take up these roles have MSc or PhD degrees.
Solutions Engineer
A Solutions Engineer works between clients and developers by translating customers’ requests into product related features and functionality. These are roles for individuals with a considerable amount of years in IT or Engineering roles and usually hold a Computer Science degree.
Data Engineer
Data Engineers are responsible for a broad range of tasks such as analysis of trends in data sets, management of dashboards, data warehousing and development of frameworks for data quality measurement. Data Engineers have a background in Computer Science, Engineering, or Applied Mathematics given that this role relies heavily on coding abilities.
Security engineer
Security Engineers supervise the infrastructure that allows Fintech companies to keep personal information confidential, and more broadly to identify and mitigate risks for clients and stakeholders. A degree in computer science or STEM is important. Security engineers are equipped with coding experience, forensic practices, communication skills and cloud platforms knowledge.
Conclusion
All these engineering roles may fit in one organisation or be scattered across industries. However, the people thriving in these roles need to understand the nuance approaches different companies hire, different skills applicants have that fit into the roles and the importance of each role in the Fintech industry. Read more at Fintech Job report.
