Technology careers rarely follow a straight line.
For Matt Phillips, Tech Lead for the Payments Team at SteerBridge, the journey into software engineering began somewhere unexpected: animation.
While studying at Brigham Young University, Matt was drawn to the creative side of digital production and visual storytelling. Over time, he became increasingly curious about the software powering those tools.
How were these systems built?
What made them work?
That curiosity eventually led him to transition his studies into computer science and software engineering. The decision would shape the foundation of his career.
Today, Matt leads the Payments engineering team at SteerBridge and develops secure and scalable systems that support federal programs.
Despite the many industries and technologies he has worked across, one principle has remained constant throughout his career.
Technology should create real value for the people using it.
That principle began to take shape early in Matt’s career.
Early in his career, Matt joined a solar energy company where he helped develop an internal platform used by sales teams and customers to model solar installation outcomes.
The platform allowed users to visualize how solar installations would impact their energy costs and long-term savings.
For Matt, the experience reinforced an important lesson.
Technology is most powerful when it helps people understand and make decisions.
The system he helped build was not simply a technical solution. It was a tool people could actively use to evaluate real-world choices.
That mindset has continued to shape Matt’s work throughout his career.
Whether building analytics platforms, financial systems, or mission-focused software, the goal remains the same. Build technology that people rely on.
As his career progressed, Matt began applying his engineering skills to increasingly complex environments.
Matt first joined the SteerBridge ecosystem through Espire, where he worked on intelligence-focused software designed to analyze social media signals and identify patterns of influence across global regions.
The project introduced him to a different category of technology development. Software designed not just for commercial users but for broader strategic analysis and mission awareness.
The experience sparked a deeper interest in applying engineering skills to complex problems with real-world implications.
Following that work, Matt expanded his experience in financial technology. He helped develop underwriting software used to support lending decisions for small and medium-sized businesses.
In that role he gained deeper experience working with financial systems, large datasets, and scalable software architecture.
Each step broadened his perspective on how technology can support critical decision-making.
Those experiences ultimately led him back to SteerBridge.
In 2023, Matt returned to the SteerBridge ecosystem and joined engineering teams supporting aviation-related systems tied to defense operations.
At the time, the development team was small and tightly integrated.
Engineers worked closely together to build systems capable of supporting operational environments where reliability and accuracy mattered.
The experience reinforced another important lesson.
Engineering teams must design systems that are not only functional but adaptable.
As programs expand, technology must evolve alongside them.
Today, Matt serves as Tech Lead for SteerBridge’s Payments Team. In this role he guides the engineering architecture behind secure payment systems supporting federal programs.
The work requires balancing reliability, security, and scalability within the constraints of government environments.
Since stepping into the Tech Lead role in 2024, Matt has helped grow the engineering team while strengthening the infrastructure that supports expanding program needs.
But for Matt, leadership is not just about architecture diagrams or system performance.
It is about the people building those systems.
Mentorship, collaboration, and clear engineering standards help ensure teams can deliver systems that continue to perform as demands grow.
“Strong engineering teams are built on trust, mentorship, and shared ownership.”
Federal programs depend on technology systems that operate reliably over time.
Engineering decisions made today can shape how those systems perform for years to come.
That is why Matt approaches engineering leadership with a long-term perspective.
Build systems that are secure.
Build systems that are reliable.
Build systems designed to grow.
When systems support real missions, reliability is not optional.
It is the standard engineers must build toward every day.
Interested in learning how SteerBridge supports secure, scalable systems for federal programs?
Connect with the SteerBridge team to learn more about how we build secure, scalable systems for federal programs.