Succeeding as an Engineering Lead at Wise Platform
Kostas Stamatoukos, Senior Director of Engineering for Wise Platform in Singapore, shares the key qualities that define effective engineering leadership 🚀
“The best engineers stay curious, asking how we could make something 10× better, not just 10x cleaner.”
Kostas Stamatoukos (He/Him)
Senior Director of Engineering for Wise Platform
Tell us about your role at Wise
I’ve spent over a decade at Wise and I've had the opportunity to build products, grow teams, and learn from some of the best engineering leads I know. Currently, I lead the engineering teams for Wise Platform, which stands as our fastest-growing area in Wise.
To power that growth, we need strong teams and engineering leads play one of the most critical roles in making that happen. Find out more below on what I’ve learned about leading a team ⬇️
About Wise Platform
At Wise Platform, we’re fuelling Wise’s mission to make international money movement instant, convenient, transparent, and eventually free for everyone, everywhere..
We power international payments for some of the world’s largest banks, financial institutions, and online platforms, embedding Wise’s infrastructure directly into their products so they can offer leading international transfers to their customers.
Customer obsession and accountability
Success begins with a deep obsession for the customer and full accountability for the products we build, beyond just the technical aspects. At Wise, it’s essential to care about whether our solutions solve real-world problems for partners and customers, just as much as code quality or system design. Leads don't just follow a roadmap; they're integral in shaping the direction and purpose of their teams. This starts with staying close to customers, understanding their operations, and feeling their pain points to make informed decisions about what to build next.
Stay product-driven, not project-driven
We always aim to remain product-driven, developing capabilities that make sense as part of the broader product, ensuring reusability across various partners. Every integration should strengthen the product, not fragment it.
Be involved in the “why” and “what,” not just the “how”
Engineering leads should go beyond delivery - they need to understand and help to shape the why and what, not just the how. A great test of leadership is whether you could lead effectively without a product manager, maintaining the focus on the right outcomes based on your understanding of the customer and the problems they face.
Stay hands-on and care about your craft
Our leads remain actively involved in building products. It's not just about supporting and leading your team, it’s about ensuring quality, design clarity and product reliability. Being ready to review code, debug, or sketch with the team keeps your judgment sharp and your team inspired.
Empower your team to own problems and solve them
Embracing ownership and accountability is key at Wise. As a lead, your role is to empower your team to take charge of key initiatives. This approach fosters growth, learning, and motivation, building a resilient team capable of delivering complex work.
Ultimately, you’re not just leading projects — you’re empowering the next generation of leads and staff engineers at Wise.
Get it done
We value leads who can get things done - it sounds simple, but it’s rare. You need to combine urgency with a sharp focus and help unlock blockers for your team, make trade-offs and deliver results without waiting for perfect conditions.
Our partners move fast. If we don’t solve their problem, someone else will. The best leads maintain momentum and quality simultaneously.
Influence beyond your team
At Wise Platform, we're leveraging the robust infrastructure we’ve built over the last 14 years. To accelerate our progress, it's essential to influence teams across Wise. By inspiring those who manage core aspects of our product to address partner challenges, we can move ten times faster. Exceptional leads build strong cross-team relationships and align everyone towards a shared goal.
Move fast, but build for the future
We’re building a network for the world’s money.. So, reliability is non-negotiable - we move with urgency, but we also build with the future in mind, designing systems that can handle the next billion transactions.
Stay curious and creative
The best engineers stay curious, asking how we could make something 10× better, not just 10x cleaner.
Innovation often comes from re-examining what everyone else has already accepted as good enough.
Final remarks
Being an Engineering Lead at Wise Platform isn’t about managing projects or reporting metrics. It’s about owning a product end-to-end, leading a team that’s solving real problems for global enterprises, and doing it with craft, urgency, and curiosity.
We’re building the network for the world’s money, and we want to do it in a way that will work for generations to come.
If you’re someone who’s curious, accountable, and ready to build at scale, we’d love to have you on the journey with us.
Roles you might be interested in
Salary
MYR 10,600 Monthly + RSUs
Location
Kuala Lumpur
Job Family Group
Customer Compliance
Locations
Kuala Lumpur
Description
We’re looking for an AML Investigations Team Lead to join our team in KL. This role is a unique opportunity to have an impact on Wise’s mission by helping identify suspicious activity and through that
Reference
f3e0ab01-d240-4d4a-b7c6-21c1096a36bb
Expiry Date
01/01/0001
Salary
172,000 - 225,000 AUD Annual Base + RSUs
Location
Sydney
Job Family Group
Product Compliance
Locations
Sydney
Description
The Product Compliance & Risk (PC&R) team sits at the centre of Wise’s product development function, supporting our cross-functional teams to deliver exceptional compliant-by-design products for our c
Reference
4d783443-0387-403e-80c6-098e256ad732
Expiry Date
01/01/0001
Salary
34 - 40.75 USD Hourly
Location
Austin
Job Family Group
Quality
Locations
Austin
Description
Purpose of the RoleAs a Quality Assurance Specialist with a focus on SAR Reporting at Wise, you are responsible for providing expert, objective assurance on the quality and effectiveness of our operat
Reference
27a4bb2e-35ba-4084-b832-c0df6de69323
Expiry Date
01/01/0001
Salary
16500 - 22000 BRL Monthly
Location
São Paulo
Job Family Group
Complaints
Locations
São Paulo
Description
As a Complaints & Ombudsman Team Lead, you will play a critical role in ensuring our customers' concerns are addressed efficiently and effectively. You will manage alongside another Team Lead the loca
Reference
3a2d97db-9f10-4f9d-a5f6-09db5714fb4e
Expiry Date
01/01/0001
Salary
7800 - 9350 BRL Monthly
Location
São Paulo
Job Family Group
Complaints
Locations
São Paulo
Description
As a ECT Consultant (Vulnerable Customer Consultant), your mission is to help implement and enforce Wise’s vulnerability and accessibility strategy through specialising in our team’s focus areas (Prod
Reference
69023ecc-1de1-4a0e-b54e-4245bf4c7927
Expiry Date
01/01/0001
Salary
28100 - 41700 BRL Annual
Location
São Paulo
Job Family Group
Product Management
Locations
São Paulo
Description
As our Principal Product Manager for Brazil, you will be responsible for defining the vision for Wise's Brazil payments flows and strengthening the infrastructure that makes international transfers fe
Reference
c32ce9e7-ca68-44c7-a7fc-dbaeaeb831f7
Expiry Date
01/01/0001
Salary
£90,000 - £110,000
Location
London
Job Family Group
Product Management
Locations
London
Description
Wise is looking for a Product Manager for Customer Behavior & Linking Platform team to join our team in Budapest or London. You'll be responsible for crafting the vision and strategy for a world-class
Reference
ee3fbc1a-2743-4935-8057-b98b579cffac
Expiry Date
01/01/0001
Salary
-
Location
Austin
Job Family Group
Customer Success
Locations
Austin
Description
As a Customer Success Manager, you will own the operational strategy and execution for a portfolio of high-value banking and fintech partners, ensuring their ongoing success and driving continuous imp
Reference
4bd649a8-c8a8-44fc-9c5b-218f789a776c
Expiry Date
01/01/0001
Salary
77000 - 105000 USD Annual
Location
Austin
Job Family Group
Payroll
Locations
Austin
Description
We’re currently hiring for a Senior Payroll Specialist based in Austin to join our global Payroll Team.We’re looking for a payroll superstar, with a keen eye for accuracy, attention to detail and a de
Reference
08bd78c9-4c22-448c-b320-61d0341b4d5e
Expiry Date
01/01/0001
Salary
87500 - 111000 GBP Annual
Location
London
Job Family Group
Engineering
Locations
London
Description
About the role:Join us as a Software Engineer in our critical Scam Prevention team. This is a high-impact engineering role with a strong product focus, dedicated to solving complex, real-world adversa
Reference
1ffc5c05-29ba-4988-a122-9b320e26894b
Expiry Date
01/01/0001
Articles you might like
Teaser
People profileContent Type
BlogPublish date
07/22/2026
Summary
"At Wise, we expect our analysts to have just as much voice and ownership over what we build—and in what order—as the Product Managers. It is a true, cross-functional partnership."Hazal Mu
by
Verona Hasani
Teaser
Our workContent Type
BlogPublish date
07/01/2026
Summary
Every four years, football gets millions of people moving across borders, navigating new cities, and dealing with unfamiliar currencies. Thanks to Visa, we’ve launched the Limited Edition Wise
by
Verona Hasani
Teaser
People profileContent Type
BlogPublish date
06/23/2026
Summary
“The best quality check is the one that never has to happen because we've already designed the problem out of existence.”Sreevishnu Sachidananda (He/Him) Head of Quality CS & Payment Op
by
Verona Hasani
Teaser
People profileContent Type
BlogPublish date
05/13/2026
Summary
“For me, the hallmark of a great Implementation Manager is empowering partners by translating complex technical capabilities into experiences that feel effortless.” Cindy Momodu (She/Her)
by
Verona Hasani
Teaser
People profileContent Type
BlogPublish date
05/07/2026
Summary
"What keeps me here is the sense of ownership and responsibility. Teams are empowered and truly accountable for their domains” Marta Lima (She/Her) Engineering lead
by
Verona Hasani
Teaser
Diversity Equity & InclusionContent Type
BlogPublish date
05/01/2026
Summary
Celebrating Mental Health Awareness Month at WiseWe sat down with two leaders at Wise to understand how they navigate the pressures of leadership and what advice they have for managing mental
by
Sapphire Birmingham
Teaser
People profileContent Type
BlogPublish date
04/15/2026
Summary
"Wise truly sees potential in people; they don’t just look at your current role, they look at what you’re capable of becoming." Islam Muhammad (He/Him) Interim FinCrime Operations Seni
by
Verona Hasani
Teaser
People profileContent Type
BlogPublish date
03/20/2026
Summary
Our team, including Suman Anand, Taneia Bhardwaj, Aditi Jalan, and Kanaka Raju Gullapudi is bridging the gap between time zones to build products that impact 16 million+ customers globally 🌎
by
Verona Hasani
Teaser
People profileContent Type
BlogPublish date
03/02/2026
Summary
"When you join, you’ll see your own growth mirrored by the growth of the company. You won't just be watching change happen; you’ll be a direct part of it." Ataro Shoji (He/Him) Payment
by
Verona Hasani
Teaser
Diversity Equity & InclusionContent Type
BlogPublish date
02/25/2026
Summary
“With a global team of over 8,000 people representing 125 nationalities, crafting spaces that genuinely work for everyone isn't a 'nice-to-have' – it's fundamental to our success.” Li
by
Sapphire Birmingham