Staff Software Engineering Manager

This position is listed on behalf of a partner company, who manages all applications and next steps. Our partner is looking for a Staff Software Engineering Manager based in United States.

This role is a hybrid technical leadership position combining hands-on backend engineering with people management and engineering strategy. You will lead a small, high-performing team while actively contributing to system design and implementation of scalable backend services that power consumer-facing digital experiences. The position plays a critical role in defining and maintaining engineering excellence, including architecture, code quality, testing standards, and system reliability. You will act as a “player-coach,” setting a high technical bar while mentoring engineers and guiding their career growth. A key aspect of the role is driving the evolution of modern engineering practices, including shift-left testing and AI-assisted development workflows. This is a highly collaborative environment where you will work closely with product, UX, and engineering leadership to deliver impactful, high-quality software at scale.

Lead a software engineering team while contributing directly to backend system design and development, ensuring high standards of scalability, reliability, and engineering quality across all deliverables.

• Lead, mentor, and develop a team of software engineers through coaching, performance management, hiring, and career development.
• Design and implement scalable backend systems, APIs, and services using Java, Spring Boot, and SQL.
• Own system architecture and technical design decisions, setting engineering standards across the team.
• Ensure delivery quality, performance, and reliability through strong testing practices and developer accountability.
• Drive adoption of shift-left testing practices and developer-owned quality through automated testing and CI/CD workflows.
• Integrate AI-assisted development tools into engineering workflows and coach engineers on effective usage.
• Improve engineering productivity by evaluating and adopting modern development tools and practices.
• Collaborate with product, UX, and engineering leaders to define requirements and deliver aligned solutions.
• Participate in Agile planning, prioritization, and delivery execution to ensure predictable outcomes.
• Contribute to cross-team architectural alignment and continuous improvement of engineering practices.

Requirements:

The ideal candidate is an experienced backend-focused engineering leader who combines strong technical depth with proven people management skills and a passion for modern software development practices.

• 8+ years of professional software engineering experience building production-grade systems.
• Proven experience in a Senior or Staff-level engineering role with ownership of architecture and system design.
• Strong expertise in Java, Spring Boot, and SQL, including building scalable backend services and APIs.
• Experience with distributed systems, RESTful API design, and scalable software architectures.
• Demonstrated people management experience, including mentoring, performance management, and team leadership.
• Strong understanding of software engineering best practices, including testing, CI/CD, and code quality standards.
• Experience driving or contributing to shift-left testing and developer-owned quality models.
• Familiarity with debugging, production support, and system reliability practices.
• Hands-on experience using AI-assisted development tools and promoting their adoption within engineering teams.
• Strong communication skills with the ability to align technical and non-technical stakeholders.
• Experience participating in technical hiring and evaluating engineering talent.
• Bonus: exposure to modern frontend technologies (React, JavaScript/TypeScript) and full-stack environments.

Benefits:

• Compensation: $190,000 – $225,000 base salary + up to 10% performance bonus
• Fully remote role across the continental United States
• Comprehensive medical, dental, and vision insurance for employees and eligible dependents
• 401(k) with employer match
• Up to 15 weeks of paid parental leave
• Flexible work arrangements with core collaboration hours
• HSA/FSA options, life insurance, and short- and long-term disability coverage
• Opportunities for performance-based bonuses and annual merit increases
• Access to modern engineering tools and AI-driven development practices