Software Engineer (Hybrid)

Software Engineer — Early Hire - Reposted

AI-native regtech · Junior–mid · Christchurch (hybrid)

How to apply - email to ***email_hidden*** and do NOT use Easy Apply

Tell us a bit about yourself and share links to your GitHub, portfolio, side projects, or anything you've built that demonstrates how you think and work. If you've used AI development tools to build something interesting — and can explain how it works — we'd love to hear from you.

Submit your application by sending your cover letter and resume to ***email_hidden***. If you have questions about the role, feel free to reach out to us.

About

We are an early-stage Christchurch regtech building software that helps regulated businesses — law firms, accountants and others — meet their AML/CFT obligations: verifying clients, assessing risk, and keeping audit-ready records. New Zealand’s AML rules are tightening in 2026, and demand is moving with them.

We're a small team, two founders, so you'd join early and work directly with the founder, with real scope to shape both the product and how we build.

The role

We're hiring our next engineer to help turn product ideas into reliable, shipped software.

You won't be expected to define the architecture, security model, or compliance methodology. Instead, you'll focus on building high-quality features, making effective use of AI tooling, and contributing to a strong engineering culture from day one.

You’ll own

• Building features from well-defined specifications, including APIs, document processing, integrations, data workflows and user interfaces.
• AI orchestration — we use AI coding tools heavily. You’ll drive them, then read, test and understand the output before it ships.
• End-to-end quality ownership, including testing, debugging, and identifying edge cases before code reaches production.
• Bugs, tests, and well-bounded features — high-leverage work with a clear definition of done.

How we work

• One thing at a time. Before a change: what, why, which files — then go. No big-bang refactors.
• AI is leverage, not a black box. Use it heavily — but you own and understand every line you ship. “It works, not sure why” doesn’t fly here, especially in a regulated domain.
• Intellectual honesty. “I don’t know yet, let me check” beats a confident guess. A wrong call in compliance has real consequences, so flag uncertainty early.
• Reuse before you reinvent. Lean on existing patterns; propose new dependencies before adding them.

You might be a great fit if you

• Have ~3–5 years of experience (or strong equivalent project / self-taught work) and can read an unfamiliar codebase and find your way around it.
• Use AI coding tools well — and can explain what the generated code actually does.
• Ask sharp clarifying questions when a spec is ambiguous, instead of guessing or waiting to be spoon-fed.
• Are comfortable in TypeScript / JavaScript and a modern web stack (or can get there fast).
• Can say “I don’t know” without flinching.
• Hold NZ work rights

Bonus points

• Genuine curiosity about fintech, regtech, or compliance — it’s where real ownership comes from, and the part we can’t teach.
• Experience with TypeScript web apps, serverless back ends, relational databases, or document / data pipelines.

Our stack

Modern TypeScript — Next.js on the front end, a serverless back end, a Postgres database, and AI / LLM tooling throughout.

What we offer

• NZD $110,000–$130,000 — a strong package for the level in Christchurch.
• A genuine ground-floor seat: shape the product and the engineering culture, working directly with the founder.
• A regulatory tailwind in 2026 — demand created by law, not waited for.
• Christchurch-based, hybrid.

Hiring process

1. Introductory chat with our recruiter
2. Practical technical assessment— a small, real, self-contained piece of work so we both see how we work together.
3. Technical discussion with the CTO
4. Informal coffee chat with the founders