Engineering Manager

About the Role

As an Engineering Manager at vCluster Labs, you are a technical leader as well as a People manager. You won’t just track tasks; you will actively shape the architecture of the world’s leading Kubernetes multi-tenancy platform. In this role, you will serve as a "Player-Coach" for a team of high-agency engineers, capable of diving into the code to unblock complex problems while fostering an environment of fearless innovation.

Responsibilities of an Engineering Manager

• Technical Architecture & Strategy: Act as a technical authority for the team. You will drive architectural decisions in Go and Kubernetes, ensuring our solutions are scalable and resilient. You must be capable of holding your own in technical debates with Staff and Senior Engineers.
• Code Standards & Quality: Actively participate in design reviews and code reviews. You will set the bar for technical excellence, ensuring the team delivers clean, efficient, and maintainable code that solves hard engineering challenges (the kind you can’t find on ChatGPT).
• Team Leadership & Growth: Mentor and manage a team of Senior Software Engineers. You will prioritize "Value over tasks," acting as a "Supportive Elevator" who helps engineers navigate complex technical roadblocks rather than just reporting on them.
• Hiring Excellence: Partner with the People Team to build a world-class engineering organization. You will champion our "Structured and Replicable" interviewing practices to identify "High Agency" talent that meets our rigorous technical bar.
• Operational Rhythm: Build a measurable and predictable operating rhythm. You will own the delivery cadence, ensuring we balance technical debt reduction with the speed required to deliver intuitive experiences for our customers.

What You Bring

• Kubernetes Mastery: You possess deep expertise in Kubernetes internals (networking, storage, architectural patterns). You understand how the scheduler works, not just how to deploy to it.
• Production-Grade Engineering: You have a strong background in software engineering, ideally with Go. You have previously worked as a Senior/Staff Engineer and can still write and review code when necessary.
• Management Experience: You have 3+ years of experience leading high-performing backend teams. You know how to manage "Builder Mindset" engineers who crave autonomy, guiding them without micromanaging.
• Cognitive Flexibility: You view feedback as an upgrade path. You are willing to abandon prior technical assumptions when presented with new evidence and encourage your team to do the same.

Bonus Points

• Open Source Roots: A history of engaging with the community or contributing to open-source projects (Upstream Kubernetes, SIGs, etc.).
• AI Infrastructure: Experience building or managing platforms that support AI/GPU workloads.
• Startup Grit: Experience working in an early-stage environment where you functioned autonomously to build something great.

Key skills/competency

• Kubernetes
• Go Programming
• Technical Leadership
• People Management
• Architectural Design
• Code Review
• Mentoring
• Hiring Strategy
• Operational Excellence
• Multi-tenancy