Tech Lead - Aftersales Engineering

Tech Lead - Aftersales Engineering Watu · Technology Organisation · Reports to Head of Engineering | Reports to | Head of Engineering | | --- | --- | | Squad size | 4–6 engineers including the Tech Lead | | --- | --- | | Peers | Product Owner (squad) | | --- | --- | | Location | Flexible, Europe or Nairobi | | --- | --- | ## About Watu Watu is a fintech company operating across Africa and Latin America, providing device financing and financial services to customers historically excluded from the formal financial system. We finance motorcycles, smartphones and other productive assets through a technology-first, data-driven approach - enabling customers to own income-generating assets and build credit histories. Our platform supports millions of customer journeys across Kenya, Uganda, Tanzania and beyond, with continued expansion into LATAM. ## The Tech Lead Role at Watu Tech Lead is one of the most important individual roles in the engineering organisation. You are the technical authority for your squad - you own the architecture, set the quality bar, govern external partners when applicable, and are the primary escalation point for every engineering decision in your domain. This role carries light people management alongside deep technical ownership. You will have 3-5 direct reports (Backend Engineers, Frontend/Mobile Engineer, QA Engineer). You are responsible for their day-to-day unblocking, their technical growth, and honest feedback on their work. Formal performance reviews and hiring decisions sit with the Head of Engineering - but in practice, your view of each engineer in your squad is the most important input into those decisions. Do not let the word "light" mislead you: if an engineer in your squad is struggling, that is your problem to solve. You are a peer of the Product Owner, not a subordinate. Product owns What. You own How and When. Sprint commitments are signed off by both of you together. If the roadmap is technically unrealistic, your job is to say so early and clearly. ## Squad: Aftersales Engineering Quick facts for this squad - Governance: No external partner governance - internal only. - Primary tech focus: Java · Python · React.js · Post-sale workflows · Aftersales data · Integration patterns & APIs Domain responsibilities - Own the technical implementation of all aftersales flows: device swap, repair, insurance claims, return, and end-of-loan processing. - Own the aftersales data layer - the technical structures that capture post-sale events, device state changes, and aftersales outcomes for reporting and operational use. - Own the integration with Device Management Engineering - aftersales processes frequently trigger device lifecycle events; the integration contract between the two squads is your responsibility to maintain. - Design for operational configurability - aftersales processes vary by market and change frequently; the system should support that flexibility without engineering changes for every variant. - Build visibility into aftersales operations - dashboards and reporting support for the aftersales operational team. Domain-specific requirements (in addition to base JD) - Experience building post-sale or after-market workflow systems - warranty, repair, insurance, or returns platforms. - Strong integration engineering skills - you have owned service-to-service contracts in a microservices environment and kept them stable across independent deployments. - Understanding of operational workflow design: state machines, task queues, human-in-the-loop steps. - Comfort working in a domain where the business processes are still maturing - this squad will co-design the aftersales operational model alongside engineering. ## What You Will Own Architecture & technical direction - Own the technical architecture for your squad's domain - system design, API contracts, data models, integration patterns, and the Architectural Decision Records that document why. - Enforce the Watu engineering standards with…