Manager, Software Engineering - Search & Recommendations
Figma · United States
- Hybrid
- Full-time
- $376,000 / year
- United States
Tailored resume — keyword-matched to this role.
Hiring manager — we find who's hiring.
Intro email — drafted to reach them directly.
Job highlights
- Lead search and recommendations engineering team.
- Develop AI features and search infrastructure.
- Manage technical strategy and roadmap.
- Mentor and grow a diverse engineering team.
- Collaborate across product and data science.
About the role
About Figma
Figma is growing our team of passionate creatives and builders on a mission to make design accessible to all. Figma’s platform helps teams bring ideas to life—whether you're brainstorming, creating a prototype, translating designs into code, or iterating with AI. From idea to product, Figma empowers teams to streamline workflows, move faster, and work together in real time from anywhere in the world. If you're excited to shape the future of design and collaboration, join us!About the Search & Recommendations Team
The Search & Recommendations team builds the search platforms and infrastructure used across Figma. Our team is responsible for providing Figma AI agents with the most relevant context from across the Figma ecosystem—from design system assets to code—in order to complete tasks with high quality and low latency. And, our team maintains features critical to every designer’s workflow, including visual, asset, and file search. We’re an inter-disciplinary team that works across the stack, from training reranking models to managing our feature store platform to keeping our search infrastructure reliable as we scale.About the Role
We’re looking for a seasoned engineering leader to support & grow our team, define & execute on our technical strategy, and collaborate with teams across engineering to build cutting-edge AI features. This is a full time role that can be held from one of our US hubs or remotely in the United States.What you'll do at Figma:
- Support a team of engineers with skillsets ranging from infrastructure to model development, including hiring and career development.
- Partner with our product engineering, infrastructure, data science, and product management teams to deliver cutting-edge Figma AI features.
- Own the team’s technical strategy, roadmap, and goals.
- Roll up your sleeves as needed to get involved with the technical details and improve execution efficiency.
- Grow your career within an engaged and creative engineering community.
- Build an inclusive, diverse team and culture through hiring, community events, and programs in partnership with teams across Figma.
We’d love to hear from you if you have:
- 4+ years of engineering management experience leading high-performing, fast-moving teams, ideally in the AI space.
- 8+ years of total engineering experience, ideally reaching a staff engineering level as an individual contributor.
- Prior experience building search, recommendation, or AI systems as an engineering manager or individual contributor.
- A proven track record of motivating, mentoring, and guiding experienced AI engineering leads.
It’s an added plus if you also have:
- Expertise in building and maintaining systems built on top of OpenSearch or ElasticSearch.
- Experience working with LLMs at production scale.
Grow as you go
At Figma, one of our values is Grow as you go. We believe in hiring smart, curious people who are excited to learn and develop their skills. If you’re excited about this role but your past experience doesn’t align perfectly with the points outlined in the job description, we encourage you to apply anyways. You may be just the right candidate for this or other roles.Pay Transparency Disclosure
If based in Figma’s San Francisco or New York hub offices, this role has the annual base salary range stated below. Job level and actual compensation will be decided based on factors including, but not limited to, individual qualifications objectively assessed during the interview process (including skills and prior relevant experience, potential impact, and scope of role), market demands, and specific work location. The listed range is a guideline, and the range for this role may be modified. For roles that are available to be filled remotely, the pay range is localized according to employee work location by a factor of between 80% and 100% of range. Please discuss your specific work location with your recruiter for more information.Compensation and Benefits
Figma offers equity to employees, as well a competitive package of additional benefits, including health, dental & vision, retirement with company contribution, parental leave & reproductive or family planning support, mental health & wellness benefits, generous PTO, company recharge days, a learning & development stipend, a work from home stipend, and cell phone reimbursement. Figma also offers sales incentive pay for most sales roles and an annual bonus plan for eligible non-sales roles. Figma’s compensation and benefits are subject to change and may be modified in the future.Annual Base Salary Range:
$258,000—$376,000 USDEqual Opportunity
At Figma we celebrate and support our differences. We know employing a team rich in diverse thoughts, experiences, and opinions allows our employees, our product and our community to flourish. Figma is an equal opportunity workplace - we are dedicated to equal employment opportunities regardless of race, color, ancestry, religion, sex, national origin, sexual orientation, age, citizenship, marital status, disability, gender identity/expression, veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by law. We also consider qualified applicants regardless of criminal histories, consistent with legal requirements.Accommodation
We will work to ensure individuals with disabilities are provided reasonable accommodation to apply for a role, participate in the interview process, perform essential job functions, and receive other benefits and privileges of employment. If you require accommodation, please reach out to accommodations-ext@figma.com. These modifications enable an individual with a disability to have an equal opportunity not only to get a job, but successfully perform their job tasks to the same extent as people without disabilities. Examples of accommodations include but are not limited to: Holding interviews in an accessible location, Enabling closed captioning on video conferencing, Ensuring all written communication be compatible with screen readers, Changing the mode or format of interviews.Interview Process
To ensure the integrity of our hiring process and facilitate a more personal connection, we require all candidates keep their cameras on during video interviews. Additionally, if hired you will be required to attend in person onboarding.Candidate Privacy
By applying for this job, the candidate acknowledges and agrees that any personal data contained in their application or supporting materials will be processed in accordance with Figma's Candidate Privacy Notice.Key skills/competency
- Software Engineering Management
- Search & Recommendations Systems
- AI and Machine Learning
- Infrastructure Management
- Team Leadership
- Hiring and Career Development
- Technical Strategy
- Product Engineering Collaboration
- LLM at Production Scale
- OpenSearch/ElasticSearch Expertise
Skills & topics
- Software Engineering Manager
- AI
- Machine Learning
- Search
- Recommendations
- Infrastructure
- Team Leadership
- Hiring
- Career Development
- Technical Strategy
- Product Engineering
- Data Science
- OpenSearch
- ElasticSearch
- LLM
- Remote
- United States
How to get hired
- Tailor your resume: Highlight your AI, search, and management experience.
- Showcase leadership: Emphasize your track record in mentoring engineers.
- Prepare for technical discussions: Be ready to discuss AI, search systems, and scaling.
- Research Figma's values: Understand their culture and 'Grow as you go' philosophy.
- Network and inquire: Reach out to current employees or hiring managers for insights.
Technical preparation
Review search and recommendation system architectures.,Study AI/ML concepts and LLM applications.,Prepare to discuss system design and scaling.,Familiarize with OpenSearch or ElasticSearch.
Behavioral questions
Describe a time you mentored an engineering lead.,How do you foster an inclusive team culture?,Share an example of defining technical strategy.,Discuss challenges in scaling search infrastructure.
Frequently asked questions
- What is the salary range for the Software Engineering Manager role at Figma?
- The annual base salary range for this role is $258,000 to $376,000 USD. Actual compensation depends on qualifications, experience, location, and other factors. Figma also offers equity and a comprehensive benefits package.
- Is the Software Engineering Manager position at Figma remote or on-site?
- This role can be held from one of Figma's US hub offices or remotely within the United States. Remote compensation will be localized based on the employee's work location.
- What are the key responsibilities for the Software Engineering Manager, Search & Recommendations at Figma?
- The Manager will support and grow the engineering team, define and execute technical strategy for search and recommendations systems, collaborate with cross-functional teams to build AI features, and mentor engineers.
- What experience is required for the Software Engineering Manager, Search & Recommendations role?
- You need at least 4 years of engineering management experience (ideally in AI) and 8+ years of total engineering experience. Prior experience with search, recommendation, or AI systems is essential, as is a track record of mentoring AI engineering leads.
- What are the preferred qualifications for this management role at Figma?
- It's a plus if you have expertise in building systems with OpenSearch or ElasticSearch, and experience working with Large Language Models (LLMs) at a production scale.
- How does Figma approach diversity and inclusion in hiring for this role?
- Figma is committed to building an inclusive and diverse team. They are an equal opportunity workplace and encourage applications from candidates of all backgrounds. They also provide reasonable accommodations for individuals with disabilities.
- What is Figma's policy on video interviews for the Software Engineering Manager position?
- Figma requires all candidates to keep their cameras on during video interviews to ensure the integrity of the hiring process and foster a more personal connection.
- Does Figma offer professional development for the Software Engineering Manager role?
- Yes, Figma offers a learning and development stipend and fosters a community where you can grow your career. They value a 'Grow as you go' philosophy.