Technical Lead (Smart Contract)

What do we do

As a pioneer for digital transformation GFT develops sustainable solutions across new technologies – from cloud engineering and artificial intelligence to blockchain/DLT. With its deep technological expertise, strong partnerships, and comprehensive market know-how GFT offers advice to the financial and insurance sectors, as well as in the manufacturing industry. Through the intelligent use of IT solutions GFT increases productivity and creates added value for clients. Companies gain easy and safe access to scalable IT-applications and innovative business models.

Who are we

Having started in Germany in 1987, GFT Technologies has grown to become a trusted Software Engineering and Consulting specialist for the international financial industry, counting many of the world’s largest and best-known Banks as our clients. We are an organization that empowers you to not only explore but raise your potential and seek out opportunities that add value. At GFT, diversity, equality, and inclusion are at the core of who we are. Ensuring a diverse and inclusive working environment for all communities is one of the main pillars of our diversity strategy, based on our core values and culture. We have been certified for 2022/23 as a ‘Great place to work’ in the APAC region. So, if you want to have the opportunity to work with an outstanding and progressive organization this position could be right for you.

Role Summary

We are looking for a Technical Lead – Smart Contract to join our digital banking practice. In this role, you will be responsible for designing, developing, and leading the implementation of smart contracts for Thought Machine Vault Core. You will act as the technical owner for smart contract solutions, mentoring developers, collaborating with stakeholders, and driving high-quality delivery in complex environments.

Required Skills & Experience 

• Lead end-to-end smart contract architecture, development, testing, and deployment
• Translate business requirements into scalable and maintainable smart contract designs
• Collaborate with business analysts, product owners, and clients to define workflows and financial product logic
• Review and approve designs, code, and testing strategies to ensure reliability and compliance with industry best practices
• Manage CI/CD pipelines and DevOps processes for smart contract deployments
• Troubleshoot and resolve issues in development, staging, and production environments (e.g., posting failures, schedule conflicts, interest miscalculations)
• Mentor and guide a team of smart contract developers, conducting code reviews and setting quality standards
• Own and manage technical delivery timelines, sprint planning, and risk mitigation across multiple client engagements
• Coordinate closely with Thought Machine and Vault Core product roadmap teams to align on best practices and technical updates
• Drive innovation and thought leadership in digital banking, smart contract frameworks, and integrations

Required Education & Experience

• 10+ years of backend development experience, with 3+ years in Python (strong core Python expertise required)

• 2+ years hands-on experience developing smart contracts with Thought Machine Vault Core or similar core banking platforms

• Deep knowledge of Vault smart contract architecture, hooks, posting instructions, and version upgrades

• Experience in designing and implementing complex financial products such as savings accounts, loans, credit cards, and schedules

• Solid understanding of CI/CD pipelines, unit/integration/e2e testing, Git branching strategies (Git Flow, Trunk, GitHub Flow)

• Proven experience leading agile teams, sprint planning, and backlog grooming

• Familiarity with DevOps tools like GitHub, CircleCI, SonarQube, Artifactory, and monitoring/debugging tools

• Knowledge of CQRS pattern and scalable microservices architecture

• Ability to lead client-facing technical discussions, workshops, and requirement-gathering sessions

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience in retail banking or financial institutions, especially around accounting principles (e.g., double-entry bookkeeping)

• Exposure to Vault workflows, Vault UI, or product lifecycle of core banking systems

• Thought Machine certification(s) or experience with Vault development environments

What We Offer

You will be working with some of the brightest people in business and technology on challenging and rewarding projects in a team of like-minded individuals. GFT prides itself on its international environment that promotes professional and cultural exchange and encourages further individual development.

(Due to the high volume of applications we receive, we are unable to respond to every candidate individually. If you have not received a response from GFT regarding your application within 10 workdays, please consider that we have decided to proceed with other candidates. We truly appreciate your interest in GFT and thank you for your understanding.)