Tech Lead, Security and Identity Platform (Backend NodeJS)

As Tech Lead for Security and Identity Platform at Reap, you own the technical direction, architecture, and delivery of the shared security and identity foundations that every engineering team at Reap builds on. You remain hands-on with the code with no people management required, building authentication and identity, fraud and account protection, access governance, data residency, and notifications infrastructure as one connected platform that enables growth in regulated, global fintech.

What you'll do

• Architect, build, and operate the shared identity layer across Reap's products, including login, session management, and multi-factor authentication, designing secure and reusable APIs that other engineering teams can adopt confidently.
• Build platform capabilities that detect and prevent unauthorised access and account takeover, partnering with product and risk stakeholders to translate threats into practical controls that protect clients without unnecessary friction.
• Develop consistent authorisation and access controls with reliable audit trails that support access reviews, incident investigation, and regulatory, partner, and client security requirements.
• Design secure data and traffic routing that supports jurisdiction-specific requirements as Reap enters new markets, working with stakeholders to turn those requirements into reusable platform capabilities.
• Build reliable, correctly targeted infrastructure for security, risk, and transaction alerts with the delivery speed and visibility needed when something goes wrong.
• Build and operate services on AWS using CI/CD and infrastructure-as-code, embedding threat modelling, security testing, monitoring, logging, and alerting into delivery; investigate incidents and address root causes to prevent recurrence.
• Own architecture and design reviews, set engineering standards, and mentor engineers while remaining hands-on; partner with product and other engineering teams to prioritise work that reduces risk, unlocks markets, and removes duplicated effort.
• Use AI tools responsibly for coding, debugging, tests, and documentation, with appropriate review and safeguards for sensitive data and security-critical code.

What you bring

• 8 to 10+ years in backend or platform engineering, including hands-on ownership of security-critical services or shared identity and access infrastructure in production.
• At least 2+ years in a technical leadership role such as Tech Lead or Engineering Manager, with a track record of owning architecture decisions, mentoring engineers, and delivering complex projects end to end.
• Strong understanding of authentication, authorisation, session security, MFA, and access control, with experience implementing identity standards such as OAuth 2.0 and OpenID Connect, and applying secure-by-design practices, threat modelling, and least privilege.
• Backend expertise, preferably in Node.js and TypeScript, with strong experience building APIs and event-driven or serverless systems; open to strong backend engineers using other languages such as Go, Java, or Python who can ramp up quickly.
• Strong AWS experience, including securing and operating production services, with solid CI/CD and infrastructure-as-code practices.
• Hands-on experience with relational databases such as AWS Aurora, PostgreSQL, or MySQL, schema design, and ORM frameworks such as TypeORM; able to design for sensitive data protection, traceability, and reliable audit trails.
• Ability to reason about threats, failure modes, and dependencies across services; debug complex issues; and balance security, reliability, developer experience, and delivery speed.
• Comfort using AI coding tools such as Cursor, GitHub Copilot, Claude Code, or Codex, with sound judgement about data handling and validation of generated code.

Nice to have

• Experience with fraud prevention, account takeover protection, data residency, or security platforms in fintech, payments, crypto, or other regulated environments.
• Relevant cybersecurity certifications.

What we offer

• A high-impact role in a rapidly growing fintech startup
• Flexible remote work environment with a global, collaborative team
• Use of AI tools at work and the space to learn, experiment, and grow with them
• A culture of innovation, inclusion, and continuous learning

About Reap

Reap is a global financial technology company headquartered in Hong Kong, enabling financial connectivity and access for businesses worldwide by combining traditional finance with stablecoins for efficient money movement. Through stablecoin-powered corporate cards, payments, and expense management tools, Reap streamlines financial operations; the company is backed by leading investors including Acorn Pacific, Index Ventures, and HashKey Capital.