Product Engineer

About Wave Mobile Money

Wave Mobile Money is on a mission to make Africa the first cashless continent. Over half of Sub-Saharan Africa's population lacked bank accounts in 2017 due to high fees, distant branches, and lack of card acceptance. Wave addresses this by developing accessible financial services with no account fees, instant availability, and universal acceptance, even in regions with challenging infrastructure. Since launching a mobile app for financial transactions in Senegal in 2017, Wave has expanded to millions of users across nine countries, rapidly growing its impact.

Role Overview

As a Product Engineer at Wave, you will work independently to build and enhance payment solutions for users. Your responsibilities will span the entire product cycle—from problem analysis and coding to deployment and assisting customer support. You will collaborate within an autonomous, cross-functional team guided by product and engineering leadership, managing features or improvements end-to-end.

Recent Projects

• Enabling in-store payments through the Wave app.
• Integrating utility companies to facilitate electricity bill payments.
• Creating an app for businesses to pay employee salaries.
• Facilitating transportation payments on taxis, trains, and buses.

Technology Stack

• Backend: Python 3 with type hinting (mypy)
• API: GraphQL
• Mobile Frontend: Kotlin/Jetpack (Android), Swift/SwiftUI (iOS)
• Web Frontend: TypeScript with React
• Database: Postgres and CockroachDB
• Infrastructure: Google Cloud Platform (GCP), Terraform
• Orchestration: Kubernetes

Engineers are expected to work across the entire stack, including mobile platforms. Prior experience with these technologies is beneficial but not mandatory.

Working Conditions and Benefits

• This position is fully remote; candidates must reside in specified talent hubs or operating African countries: UK, Spain, Kenya, Ghana, Senegal, Côte d'Ivoire, or Burkina Faso.
• The company offers a $1,200 annual stipend to support coworking meetups.
• Remote employees are expected to travel annually to operational markets for at least six consecutive days to better understand users and products.
• Competitive salaries up to $185,800 USD per year depending on level and location, plus generous equity options.
• Additional benefits include subsidized health insurance and retirement plans (varying by country), six months of paid parental leave, subsidized fertility assistance, flexible vacation (typically 21–30 days plus statutory holidays), and a $10,000 yearly charitable donation matching program.

Candidate Requirements

• A minimum of five years of professional experience as a product engineer.
• Fluent English proficiency, with bilingual French skills highly desirable.
• Willingness to travel at least once per year for six days or more to an operational location.

Ideal Candidate Attributes

• A commitment to writing code that prioritizes user satisfaction.
• A strong desire to learn and solve challenging problems, seeking assistance when needed.
• Enthusiasm for understanding complex systems.
• Effective communication across diverse teams with varying languages and perspectives.
• A mindset focused on simplifying future maintenance and teamwork.
• A continuous drive to improve both technical and interpersonal skills.
• Curiosity about the underlying mechanics of the tools and technology utilized.

Engineering Culture

Wave values engineers who focus on problem-solving and outcomes rather than merely completing tasks. Employees are encouraged to address issues proactively, work collaboratively, and adopt efficient work practices such as small pull requests and minimum viable products, while exercising caution with sensitive financial operations.

Preferred technologies are stable, well-known, and easy to debug to maintain focus on meaningful problem-solving instead of complex infrastructure challenges. Adoption of new tools is judged carefully based on tangible benefits.

Simplicity guides Wave's engineering approach to concentrate efforts on delivering exceptional user experiences.

Team and Company Highlights

• A growing presence in several African countries and a globally distributed remote workforce.
• Deep commitment to providing affordable financial solutions to underserved populations.
• Strong autonomy in project ownership from conceptualization to production monitoring.
• Backed by prominent investors and recognized as a top revenue-generating company by Y Combinator.

How to Apply

Interested candidates should submit a resume in English along with a cover letter that outlines their interest in Wave and this role. Applications are reviewed regularly, and applicants are encouraged to select the role best aligned with their expertise and career objectives.

Wave is an equal-opportunity employer dedicated to fostering diversity and inclusion.