Engineering Lead, Front-End Focused
Kin is redesigning insurance to be smarter, faster, and centered on the customer. We use intelligent pricing, offer seamless bundling, and make every step (from purchasing, servicing to claims) simple and friction-free, especially in the places traditional insurers often ignore.
We empower people to protect what matters most, starting with their homes and expanding to all they value, in a world where climate risks, rising costs, and outdated systems leave too many behind. Our approach has fostered amazing growth, attracted marquee investors, and earned us accolades, including being named to:
Built In Chicago's Best Places to Work, Midsize Companies (2021-2025).
Forbes' America's Best Startup Employers (2021- 2024, Ranked #37 in 2024).
Inc. 5000 Fastest-Growing Private Companies.
Forbes’ Fintech 50.
Simply put, our people are what make us great – we need forward-thinking, inspired game-changers like you to join us in our mission.
So, what’s the role?
We are looking for a passionate, entrepreneurial & hands-on engineering lead to lead one of our engineering teams. You should be comfortable working with geographically distributed teams and understand the nuances of being a team player. In this role, you will be responsible for leading a team of software engineers across both front-end and back-end to drive innovation in full-stack product development, while relentlessly improving performance, scalability, and maintainability.
A day in the life could include:
Serve as a hands-on engineering leader and a technical expert
Nurture and mentor a small team of top engineering talent
Work with product management to develop and maintain a roadmap for your team
Drive your team to innovate and deliver roadmap features with agility and high quality
Writing clean, maintainable, and efficient code in Javascript/Typescript and familiarity with JS frameworks/libraries (Angular, React or Vue)
Experience with backend development (Ruby/Rails, Node.js, or similar) and a strong understanding of full-stack architecture, APIs, and data flow between frontend and backend systems
Leading pair programming sessions and providing mentorship to more junior team members
Driving and fostering design or architectural tasks
Participating in daily stands and weekly retros
Collaborating with cross-functional team members, including Product and PMO
Execute consistently, rapidly, and effectively to take ideas from concept to production and scale
Maintain high availability of products and quick response to any production incidents
Represent your team and product line in cross-functional discussions
I’ve got the skills… but do I have the necessary ones?
Leadership experience in software development & strong computer science fundamentals
Serves as the go-to person for key projects, proactively identifying and mitigating risks to ensure successful delivery.
Experience leading a small team of engineers in a player coach role.
Strong design and architecture exposure in building large scale software solutions using cloud technologies
Experience in designing, implementing and maintaining high performance, high availability (24x7), large-scale web based software applications using modern programming languages
Experience with Ruby and Rails is nice to have
Experience designing accessible web applications with CSS and semantic HTML
Experience with Relational and No-SQL databases, message queues/brokers
Exposure to BI & big data technologies including Looker, BigTable is nice to have
Strong communication skills and ability to grasp and convey complex product requirements or technical concepts
Ability to work in a fast paced, iterative development environment
Excellent command of software development life cycle activities including analysis, design, development, unit and system testing, production deployment and post-production support
Knowledge of the Insurance Industry & Products is a big plus
Oh, and don’t worry, we’ve got you covered!
We offer a comprehensive benefits program, allowing you to choose the
benefits that are best for you and your family including: Medical, Dental, Vision, Life Insurance, Short and Long Term Disability Insurance options, Employee Assistance Program, as well as elective voluntary benefits such as accident insurance, hospital indemnity, critical illness, legal assistance and pet insurance. Kinfolk become eligible for benefits on the first day of the month following their start date.
In addition to these benefits, we also are excited to offer the following:
Competitive salary and company equity through Restricted Stock Units (RSUs), granted as part of our standard compensation package and based on role and level.
401K with company match of up to 4% of eligible earnings
Flexible PTO for exempt employees (employees typically take 15-20 days annually), along with 8 company-observed holidays
A paid parental leave program that provides 100% salary continuation of up to 14 weeks for birthing parents and 8 weeks for non birthing parents
Continuing education and professional development opportunities
Kin will accept applications for this role until December 31
For Sales Agents and Customer Service Agents: These roles sit in any of the following 30 states: AL, AZ, CO, FL, ID, IL, IN, KS, KY, MA, MD, ME, MI, MO, MT, NC, NE, NM, NV, NY, OH, OK, PA, SC, TN, TX, UT, VT, VA, WA, and WI.
For remote technical positions located in Canada, we are only able to hire individuals who reside in Ontario. Applicants must be able to live and work full-time in Ontario to be considered.
For all other positions, these roles can sit in any of the following 40 states: AL, AR, AZ, CA (exempt only), CO, CT, FL, GA, ID, IL, IN, IA, KS, KY, MA, ME, MD, MI, MN, MO, MT, NC, NE, NJ, NM, NV, NY, OH, OK, OR, PA, SC, SD, TN, TX, UT, VT, VA, WA, and WI. Please only apply if you are able to live and work full-time in one of the states listed above.
State locations and specifics are subject to change as our hiring requirements shift.
About Kin
Kin is the only pure-play, direct-to-consumer digital insurer focused on the growing home insurance market. We make policies convenient and affordable through a technology platform that delivers a seamless user experience, customized options for coverage, and fast, high-quality claims service. Kin is a fully licensed carrier that offers coverage through its reciprocal exchanges which are owned by its policyholders. To learn more, visit www.kin.com.
EEOC Statement
Kin is proud to be an Equal Employment Opportunity and Affirmative Action Employer. We don't just accept difference – we honor it, nurture it, and celebrate it. We don’t discriminate based on race, religion, color, national origin, gender (including pregnancy, childbirth, or related medical conditions), sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, age, status as a protected veteran, status as an individual with a disability, or other applicable legally protected characteristics. Kin welcomes and encourages applications from people with disabilities. Accommodations are available on request for candidates taking part in all aspects of the selection process. If you require accommodation, please contact us by sending an email to careers@kin.com