Platform Operations and Engineering Manager

Description:

LendKey is a pioneer in digital network lending, empowering more than 400 credit unions and community banks nationwide. With over $8 billion in originated loans and $3.4 billion in serviced assets, we provide an integrated platform combining technology, operations, compliance, and capital markets access to help financial institutions compete in the digital age.

We are seeking an experienced Platform Operations and Engineering Manager to help lead the performance, reliability, and evolution of our technology platform. This role is ideal for a leader with a strong background in technology operations, platform management, and engineering collaboration who thrives in fast-moving environments and enjoys building scalable, high-impact systems.

The preferred candidate will be based in Cincinnati, Ohio, working closely with our cross-functional teams. We are looking for someone who brings a diverse set of technical skills, operational experience, and leadership capabilities to help strengthen and scale our platform as we continue to grow.

What You'll Do:

• Platform Strategy: Define and implement the strategic vision for LendKey’s technology platform, ensuring alignment with business goals.
• Project Management: Oversee the development, deployment, and management of platform enhancements, coordinating cross-functional teams to ensure timely and successful delivery.
• System Optimization: Continuously assess and improve platform performance, reliability, and scalability to meet and exceed a 99.9% SLA — with a focus on reducing infrastructure complexity and eliminating bottlenecks that slow development velocity.
• Security and Compliance: Develop and maintain robust security protocols and compliance measures, ensuring data protection and regulatory adherence.
• Stakeholder Collaboration: Act as the primary liaison between technical teams and business stakeholders, translating business requirements into technical specifications.
• Innovation and Automation: Drive innovation by implementing advanced automation tools and CI/CD processes, with a goal of minimizing platform-related blockers so engineering teams can ship features to production faster and with greater confidence.
• Developer Experience: Serve as an advocate for the developer experience by identifying and reducing friction in the development-to-production pipeline, streamlining tooling, workflows, and platform interfaces to improve deployment speed and reliability.
• Infrastructure Simplification: Proactively identify opportunities to rationalize and simplify the overall infrastructure footprint, reducing unnecessary complexity while maintaining security, compliance, and performance standards.
• Technical Leadership: Provide technical guidance and mentorship to the engineering team, fostering a culture of excellence and continuous improvement.
• Team Management: Lead and manage the platform team, including hiring, training, and performance evaluation, to ensure high levels of productivity and engagement.
• On-Call Support: Lead a rotational on-call schedule to monitor and manage our production environments, ensuring prompt resolution of any issues.

What We're Looking For:

• Professional Experience: At least 3 years of experience in platform management, with a total of 10+ years in the technology field.
• Project Management: Proven track record in managing large-scale technology projects, from conception to completion.
• Developer Enablement: Demonstrated experience improving developer workflows and reducing time-to-production through platform investments, self-service tooling, or internal developer platform (IDP) initiatives.
• Cloud Services Expertise: Demonstrated experience with key AWS services, including ECS, EC2, EBS, EKS, and S3, showcasing the ability to leverage cloud solutions for scalable infrastructure.
• Kubernetes Management: Experience in managing and scaling Kubernetes clusters in a production environment, ensuring high availability and optimal performance of containerized applications.
• Infrastructure as Code: Proficiency in building scalable infrastructure on AWS using Terraform.
• System Monitoring: Experience in monitoring production systems to ensure their reliability and performance.
• Automation and Best Practices: A strong foundation in leveraging Automation and DevOps principles, with familiarity in using operational tools (such as Ansible or Chef) and applying best practices for efficient infrastructure and software deployment.
• Documentation Skills: Strong capabilities in creating and maintaining comprehensive written documentation, reflecting an in-depth understanding of system configurations, processes, and protocols.

Leadership Profile:

• A strategic thinker with a passion for leveraging technology to drive business success.
• A leader who thrives in collaborative environments but can also independently lead projects to completion.
• Someone with a platform simplification mindset — someone who measures success not just by uptime and performance, but by how quickly and confidently developers can get new features into production.
• Someone who is adaptable, eager to learn, and stays updated with the latest industry trends and best practices.
• A professional who prioritizes security, reliability, and scalability in their approach to work.

Culture & Values:

Success at LendKey requires a strong alignment with our core values:

• Truthful – act with honesty and integrity
• Helpful – support teammates, clients, and customers
• Present – engaged, accountable, and committed
• Driven – motivated to make a meaningful impact
• Diligent – thoughtful, detail-oriented, and reliable

Why Join LendKey:

• Welcoming Environment: Work from our modern Blue Ash office, just steps from Summit Park.
• Growth & Opportunity: Be part of a company that values professional development and encourages new ideas.
• Community Impact: Join a team that supports local communities and social responsibility.
• Creative & Transparent Culture: An open, collaborative environment that values innovation and honest communication.
• Comprehensive Benefits: Medical, dental, vision, and additional wellness coverage for your overall well-being.
• Unlimited PTO: Flexible time off to support work-life balance.
• Stock Options: Opportunity to share in the company’s growth and success.

What We Do:

LendKey provides a comprehensive digital platform that enables credit unions and community banks to originate, service, and participate in consumer lending programs – including private student loans, student loan refinancing, and home improvement loans.

Through our network lending model and ALIRO loan trading platform, financial institutions gain access to national borrower demand, capital deployment opportunities, and portfolio diversification – without increasing internal infrastructure.

For financial institutions, LendKey delivers:

• End-to-end loan origination and servicing
• Access to a national lending network
• Risk management and compliance expertise
• Tools to optimize balance sheet strategy and liquidity

For borrowers, we provide:

• Competitive lending products from trusted local institutions
• A seamless, transparent digital experience

LendKey’s integrated network model bridges local financial institutions with national reach – delivering scale, efficiency, and long-term resilience.

LendKey is an equal opportunity employer and values diversity at our company. We do not discriminate on the basis of race, religion, color, national origin, gender, sexual orientation, age, marital status, veteran status, disability status, or any other basis prohibited by applicable state or federal law. LendKey offers reasonable accommodations to candidates with physical or mental disabilities. If you need accommodations to participate in the job application or interview process due to a disability, please let us know at [email protected]. Visit Lendkey.com for more information.