Director, Software Development

Paxful is the world’s largest people-powered marketplace, connecting over 14 million users across 140+ countries to move, save, and store money - even without a bank account. Founded in 2015 and based in the United States, Paxful offers safe, fast, and reliable access to the global economy through cryptocurrencies bought and sold on a borderless peer-to-peer payment network. With over 500 payment methods for accessing Bitcoin, USDT, and other popular digital and local currencies, Paxful is building a financial system allowing all users to participate in the digital economy.

Paxful is seeking a seasoned Director of Software Development to lead and oversee multiple engineering teams in delivering high-quality, scalable, and secure solutions. This role requires a strong technical leader with a proven ability to manage cross-functional teams, implement efficient development processes, and deliver results in fast-paced environments.

As Director,  you will collaborate with engineering leads, product managers, and stakeholders to ensure that Paxful’s platform remains reliable, innovative, and customer-focused. You’ll play a key role in optimizing engineering processes, driving technical excellence, and building a culture of accountability and innovation across the organization.

This position is ideal for someone with experience in building complex systems, especially those involving blockchain, distributed architectures, or high-security environments.

What will you do:

• Lead and manage multiple development teams (Backend, Frontend, Mobile, Blockchain) to deliver innovative and user-friendly solutions.
• Collaborate with engineering leads to align development efforts with the product roadmap and company objectives.
• Oversee development projects requiring secure and scalable architectures, with a focus on user experience and reliability.
• Ensure adherence to Paxful’s software development lifecycle (SDLC), including agile methodologies, Jira-based workflows, and CI/CD pipelines.
• Drive technical excellence by promoting best practices in architecture, coding, testing, and deployment.
• Work closely with DevOps to ensure infrastructure stability, scalability, and security across AWS, Kubernetes (EKS), and Terraform-managed environments.
• Foster a high-performing team by providing mentorship and building a culture of collaboration, accountability, and innovation.
• Monitor emerging technologies and trends to identify opportunities for enhancing Paxful’s platform and services.

Who you are:

• Expertise in managing distributed systems, microservices, and scalable software architectures.
• Strong technical knowledge in blockchain-based systems, including wallet integrations and secure transaction processing.
• Proficiency in designing secure, high-performance systems that prioritize user safety.
• Exceptional leadership and communication skills, with the ability to inspire and manage diverse, distributed teams.
• Demonstrated ability to deliver projects on time while balancing quality and security.
• Strategic thinking and problem-solving skills, with a focus on achieving long-term goals.
• Experience with fraud detection, transaction monitoring, or risk management systems.
• Knowledge of compliance requirements in the cryptocurrency industry, such as AML/KYC standards.
• Hands-on experience with blockchain frameworks and libraries (e.g., Solana’s Anchor, Ethereum’s Web3.js).
• Familiarity with DeFi protocols or self-custody wallet designs, even if indirectly.
• Strong understanding of monitoring and logging tools (e.g., Prometheus, Grafana, Elastic Stack).
• Contributions to technical communities, open-source projects, or thought leadership in blockchain or fintech.

Interpersonal and Leadership skills:

• Effective communication skills, both written and verbal, for collaborating with cross-functional teams and explaining technical concepts to non-technical stakeholders.
• Leadership experience, including the ability to guide, mentor, and motivate junior developers.
• Strong problem-solving and critical-thinking skills to tackle complex issues and provide guidance to the team.
• Experience working in Agile development environments, participating in sprint planning, daily stand-ups, and retrospectives.
• Time management and organizational skills to prioritize tasks and manage multiple projects simultaneously.
• Adaptability and a continuous learning mindset to stay up-to-date with the latest industry trends, tools, and technologies.
• Ability to provide constructive feedback during code reviews and promote best practices and coding standards within the team.
• Empathy and patience to understand th