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
236000 - 264000 PHP Monthly
Location
Manila
Team
Risk and Compliance
Locations
Manila
Description
We are seeking a proactive and detail-oriented Senior Compliance Specialist to assist the Compliance Office in PH. This role will provide critical support in filing reports to the BSP, regulatory hori
Reference
9d43550a-b207-45c6-b82a-14fb081f3acb
Expiry Date
01/01/0001
Salary
5100 - 6350 EUR Monthly
Location
Tallinn
Team
Operations
Locations
Tallinn
Description
Wise has already pioneered new ways for people to transfer money across borders and currencies. Our customers can also manage their hard-earned money with the world’s first platform to offer true mult
Reference
68b3709d-c94e-4691-ac11-463ab6edf75f
Expiry Date
01/01/0001
Salary
5600- 5600 SGD Monthly
Location
Singapore
Team
Analytics
Locations
Singapore
Description
How you’ll contribute to our team of product analysts: As a Product Analytics Intern (6 month fixed term) part of the Spend Squad, you'll join our team of passionate product analysts, product managers
Reference
7365919c-a4ed-49d2-9e7e-fd360c89d59c
Expiry Date
01/01/0001
Salary
Monthly MYR 7,500 + RSUs
Location
Kuala Lumpur
Team
Operations
Locations
Kuala Lumpur
Description
To successfully apply for this role, please provide answers to the questions below in PDF format.Instructions: Please answer the following questions as part of your application. Note that this is a te
Reference
e56e7dd8-4e0c-4567-92d9-12f3112e9413
Expiry Date
01/01/0001
Salary
Starting at 13k SGD monthly
Location
Singapore
Team
Product
Locations
Singapore
Description
We’re looking for a Regulatory Senior Product Compliance Manager to work alongside our APAC Product teams to help launch new products and services, as well as maintain and upgrade our existing offerin
Reference
7e5b1ea3-7fd7-4c3e-9277-4889290735ab
Expiry Date
01/01/0001
Salary
4750 - 5650 SGD Monthly
Location
Singapore
Team
People
Locations
Singapore
Description
We are seeking a highly organised and proactive Workplace Operations Coordinator to join our team in Singapore. This role is essential in ensuring the smooth and efficient day-to-day operations of our
Reference
93781756-3290-4a59-9f22-bfb55cf3aa87
Expiry Date
01/01/0001
Salary
170000 - 215000 USD Annual
Location
Austin
Team
Go To Market
Locations
Austin
Description
Job DescriptionWe are looking for a Senior Implementation Manager to join our team in Austin and play a crucial role in growing Wise Platform by delivering our highest impact partner integrations. You
Reference
e45f136f-13dc-4300-a358-ebd9099c0d04
Expiry Date
01/01/0001
Salary
8000 - 11300 BRL Monthly
Location
São Paulo
Team
Operations
Locations
São Paulo
Description
As a FinCrime Operations Investigator, you will play a critical role in safeguarding Wise and its customers from financial crime. You will be responsible for investigating and analyzing customer accou
Reference
97a5c914-bc74-4604-a07c-6466bb3deae1
Expiry Date
01/01/0001
Salary
930000 - 930000 HUF Monthly
Location
Budapest
Team
Technology
Locations
Budapest
Description
Role/Programme: As a Graduate Software Engineer, you’ll join our Engineering team in September 2026. This full-time role offers a chance to make a meaningful impact and kickstart your career. You’ll
Reference
583fdf7b-9b05-44af-913b-7961da759fe8
Expiry Date
01/01/0001
Salary
-
Location
São Paulo
Team
Product
Locations
São Paulo
Description
Wise is pioneering a new era of cross-border finance. As we expand our footprint in Brazil, we are looking for a FinCrime Product Compliance Manager to join our team.In this role, you will be the brid
Reference
bfda1dee-cdd9-4c31-b0b2-b5949f690df2
Expiry Date
01/01/0001
Articles you might like
Teaser
People profileContent Type
BlogPublish date
02/03/2026
Summary
“At Wise, you're empowered to act. The level of trust is incredibly assuring, as it means your impact is direct and visible.” June Yuan (She/Her) Business Product Lead in North Ame
by
Sapphire Birmingham
Teaser
People profileContent Type
BlogPublish date
01/28/2026
Summary
“As an engineer here, you aren't siloed in a technical world. You’re expected to reach out across teams, understand why deals do or don't go through, and solve problems with urgency.” Swa
by
Verona Hasani
Teaser
Diversity Equity & InclusionContent Type
BlogPublish date
01/13/2026
Summary
“I was hired for my vision, but I’m supported here as a whole person, and that kind of community is exactly what turns a job into a career." Davon Daniels (He/Him) Customer Support A
by
Sapphire Birmingham
Teaser
People profileContent Type
BlogPublish date
12/12/2025
Summary
"I wanted to be a part of a company that was making areal difference, and I realised that’s exactly the impact Wise was having on my own life." Pablo Suarez (He/Him) Product Lead (
by
Sapphire Birmingham
Teaser
People profileContent Type
BlogPublish date
12/03/2025
Summary
"Living with a disability requires you to be constantly adaptable and creative in navigating the world." Paulo Faustino (He/Him) Customer Support Associate
by
Verona Hasani
Teaser
People profileContent Type
BlogPublish date
11/18/2025
Summary
We believe in building lasting relationships with talented students, supporting them from their academic years and helping them transition into meaningful careers. Our scholarship program isn’
by
Sapphire Birmingham
Teaser
People profileContent Type
BlogPublish date
11/13/2025
Summary
Yann De Rudder, Group Product Compliance Lead in our Brussels office shares his insights in working in Product Compliance at Wise. "In Product Compliance, you’re not just interpreti
by
Verona Hasani
Teaser
Our workContent Type
BlogPublish date
11/12/2025
Summary
Go behind the scenes with Jessica Rivera, our Talent Development Senior Specialist in Austin, as she shares how we set every new Wiser up for success from their very first day 🚀 "Our
by
Verona Hasani
Teaser
People profileContent Type
BlogPublish date
11/12/2025
Summary
Andrea Macchiavello, Legal Counsel in our Austin office, is challenging the stereotype. She shares her journey from tech sales to being part of a scaling legal department, and how soft skills, t
by
DNU-Amani Albertsen
Teaser
Early careersContent Type
BlogPublish date
11/09/2025
Summary
In a recent article, Peter Yeomans, Lead for Early Careers in Design at Wise, shares his insights on how to thrive as a designer in the age of AI. He explains that we are heavily invested in o
by
Holly Sellers