Senior Manager/Director, Engineering

📋 Description

• • Are you a seasoned engineering leader with a passion for fostering growth, driving technical excellence, and navigating the evolving landscape of AI in software development? Brightline Interactive Inc. is seeking a visionary Senior Manager/Director, Engineering to spearhead the expansion of our talented, senior engineering team. This is a unique opportunity to shape the future of a multi-pod organization while remaining deeply connected to the craft of coding, especially in an era where Artificial Intelligence is fundamentally transforming how engineers work.
• • At Brightline, we pride ourselves on cultivating a team environment that champions ownership and autonomy. Our engineers are highly experienced professionals who take pride in owning their work from conception to deployment. Your primary role will be to provide strategic direction, ensuring clarity on what truly matters, rather than micromanaging the day-to-day execution. We believe in empowering our team members to excel by giving them the context, clarity, feedback, and unwavering support they need to do their best work.
• • Our technology stack is intentionally kept lean and focused, primarily leveraging Ruby on Rails. This deliberate choice allows us to prioritize speed of delivery and cultivate a fun, collaborative work environment. Instead of chasing the latest technological fads, we champion straightforward, robust solutions and establish clear standards. This commitment ensures our codebase and ecosystem remain a joy to work with, fostering efficiency and maintainability.
• • As a leader, your responsibilities will span across making the team successful, designing how the team operates, building and nurturing the team, and staying technically relevant. You will manage and coach senior engineers who are strategically organized around critical business domains: acquisition, care, and billing/infrastructure. Your leadership will be instrumental in running meaningful one-on-one meetings, focusing on professional growth and proactively removing obstacles, rather than simply tracking progress.
• • A significant aspect of this role involves architecting the team's operational framework. We are transitioning from a single team to a structure of three domain-aligned pods. You will be pivotal in defining how this new structure functions, including establishing effective coordination patterns, shared rituals, and seamless information flow. Furthermore, you will play a crucial role in evolving our team practices to adapt to the transformative impact of AI tools on engineering workflows. This is a frontier where there is no established playbook; you will be instrumental in building it collaboratively with the team. Your objective will be to create just enough structure to maintain alignment without impeding velocity or innovation.
• • Building and scaling the team is another core responsibility. You will be a key driver in our hiring efforts for open engineering roles, ensuring we attract and recruit senior talent that consistently raises the bar. You will also help shape the overall team structure as we grow from one team to three distinct pods, ensuring a cohesive and effective organizational design. Your leadership will be critical in maintaining a high standard of talent acquisition.
• • Staying technically engaged is paramount, and for good reason. You will dedicate meaningful time to writing code. This hands-on involvement is crucial for several reasons: AI tools are rapidly changing the engineering landscape, and we are all learning and adapting together; sometimes, the most effective way to unblock the team is to dive into the code yourself. Your practical, hands-on experience will be the bedrock of your credibility as a coach. By understanding the intricacies of the challenges, the nature of breakthroughs, and the common points of friction, you can effectively guide the team through this significant technological shift, fostering an environment of shared learning and problem-solving rather than dictating solutions.
• • This role offers a unique chance to lead a high-performing team, influence technical strategy, and contribute to a mission-driven company that is making a tangible difference in the lives of children and families. If you are a leader who thrives on empowering others, embraces innovation, and is excited by the prospect of shaping the future of engineering, we encourage you to apply.