SoFi Career Growth & Development

What makes your role now a dream job? What do you get to do that you didn’t at other companies? 

As the engineering director of mobile at SoFi, my current role is truly a dream job. It offers a significant opportunity to lead a large consumer application at a rapidly expanding public company. Unlike my previous company, which had a massive mobile team and codebase that was slower to work on, SoFi’s smaller size allows for the rapid implementation of new ideas, similar to a startup environment. Simultaneously, we have a large, and growing user base and hundreds of new features being built which presents exciting opportunities to work on scaling our products. 

I have found that leadership and engineers are more than willing to adopt new technologies and best practices, so coming from a bigger company, I’ve been able to apply my knowledge and teach people new skills.

What do you think helped you land the job? Were you able to bring any special expertise or project experience that SoFi found valuable?

SoFi is in a rapid growth phase, as we recently went public and have been building many “zero-to-one” features from the ground up. Looking forward, we are going to have exciting challenges scaling the company to millions of new customers and hundreds of new features. Our codebase and systems will need to scale quickly to accommodate this exponential growth. 

I was fortunate enough to be with Uber for 10 years from the early startup days to what it is today. I learned a lot about scaling large consumer mobile apps, having led mobile platforms teams for both the Uber Rides and Uber Eats, which definitely helped me land the job.

What do you think helps engineers move up quickly or be the top pick for a competitive employer? What should engineers seek out if they hope to move up or be hired by their “dream” company?

Engineers who are growing in their careers should first and foremost focus on mastery of their craft. They should focus on learning from the best, reading all the books, watching tech talks, and diving into open-source projects. Keeping up the date on where the industry is going and using your spare time to learn new technologies and platforms will keep you in the loop.

As engineers move up in seniority, they should look to take on as much responsibility as they can and stretch themselves beyond their comfort zones. As AI starts to write more and more of the code, leadership skills will become a differentiator. Learn how to lead others and get projects completed consistently and efficiently.

And lastly, communication skills are critical, especially in more senior roles. Learn how to write well and express ideas concisely and clearly. Being able to present well to peers and leaders to persuade people of your ideas will lead to more of your ideas being heard and adopted. In a nutshell, invest in your soft skills.

SoFi empowers employees to continuously learn, solve complex problems and develop their skills through hands-on experience. Engineers are encouraged to experiment, iterate and take ownership of their work while leveraging the tools and support they need to grow professionally and deliver impactful solutions.

“As a software engineer, I’m regularly challenged to learn and iterate toward the right solution, and empowered by the tools I have to get the job done.”

SoFi encourages employees to continuously grow by exploring new challenges, expanding their responsibilities and pursuing new career opportunities. Employees are supported by leaders who invest in their development and empowered to learn from talented colleagues across the organization.

“My favorite thing about working in EPD is that the people we work with are excellent in their own right. Plus, searching for new challenges (projects, new roles, etc.) is encouraged and supported by leadership.”

SoFi provides employees with opportunities to grow alongside the company, expand their skills and take on meaningful challenges that accelerate their professional development. Employees are encouraged to build expertise in their craft while contributing to work that has a tangible impact on members and the business.

“I feel privileged to come to work each and every day—not only to contribute to building the SoFi brand as a designer, but to help our members get their money right! I’m thrilled about the company and my personal growth.”

SoFi is committed to helping employees grow by providing strong support from teammates and leaders, along with opportunities to continuously learn and develop new skills. Employees describe an environment where professional development is encouraged and personal growth is valued just as much as career advancement.

“I love the amount of support I continue to receive from my teammates and the leaders at SoFi. They have supported my learning and development so much, which has provided me with personal and professional growth.”

SoFi is committed to helping employees build long-term careers by creating opportunities for internal mobility, professional development and career advancement. Leaders are encouraged to support employees as they explore new roles and challenges, helping individuals grow their skills, expand their impact and reach their full potential within the organization.

“Ultimately, we want to cultivate a culture of internal mobility where open roles are shared, leaders are recognized for encouraging internal movement and we are prioritizing internal talent. We want SoFi to be a long-term career destination where our employees can do their best work, develop professionally and reach their full potential.”