Engineering Manager I

Job Description

The Engineering Manager I (EM I) is the "Single Point of Truth" for their assigned 1–3 cross-functional teams, managing 6–12 direct reports including Software Engineers, Quality Assurance Engineers, and Product Designers. Within their respective department, the EM I acts as a people leader and team facilitator, streamlining processes to eliminate functional silos and ensure the fast flow of software delivery. The EM I’s primary mission is to foster a "Team-First" culture, minimize unnecessary coordination, and empower the team to fully own the delivery of product features from ideation to production. This is a full-time position with remote, on-site, and hybrid opportunities available.

Responsibilities

Team Foundation and Interaction Model

• Defining and maintaining the team’s core mission, goals, and operating values ensuring every team member has a clear sense of purpose and alignment with company objectives

• Establishing and documenting a clear interaction model for the team. Clarifying how external stakeholders and other teams engage with them, providing visibility into technical boundaries, communication protocols, and roadmap priorities

• Using the team’s interaction model to reduce friction and cognitive load for both their own team and external partners, ensuring that cross-team engagements are intentional and efficient

Team Facilitation and Workflow Management

• Holding ultimate accountability for the execution of Scrum Master best practices within the team, either fulfilling the role personally or delegating responsibilities to team members while ensuring the successful execution of key rhythms like daily syncs, planning sessions, reviews, and retrospectives to ensure alignment and momentum

• Guiding the team in adopting and refining Agile methodologies that best suit their workflow, focusing on continuous improvement, efficiency, and the department’s delivery goals

• Proactively identifying and removing blockers (whether technical, social, or organizational) to maintain team velocity and focus.

• Partnering with Product Management to ensure the backlog is healthy and refined; monitoring work-in-progress (WIP) to prevent bottlenecks and managing the team's "Cognitive Load"

Team Leadership and Accountability

• Acting as the manager accountable for all assigned team(s) output, quality, and morale

• Protecting the team from external interruptions and noise safeguarding deep-work cycles and commitment targets

• Facilitating internal team communication to reduce the need for constant manager-to-manager or team-to-team syncing, driving a decentralized decision-making model

• Monitoring team pace to prevent burnout while maintaining a high standard of excellence and urgency

Engineering Operations and Process

• Owning and overseeing implementation plans and milestone planning with significant input from the technical team

• Ensuring technical accountability by overseeing ticket work, documentation updates, and technical debt management

• Advising the team on quality principles and testing toolsets ensuring that "Quality" is built-in, not treated as a separate phase

• Leveraging the "Inverse Conway Maneuver" by ensuring the team's internal communication and structure mirror the desired modular software architecture

People Development and Mentorship

• Building strong, trusting relationships with direct reports through regular 1:1s, prioritizing psychological safety and career growth

• Conducting performance reviews, consulting with specialized Chapter Leads to ensure technical or design-specific growth

• Managing onboarding for new team members to ensure they are quickly integrated into the team’s culture and technical stack

• Setting clear expectations and managing performance discipline in coordination with Human Resources when necessary

Strategic Product Stewardship

• Collaborating with Product Management and Department Leadership to align the team’s work with the broader roadmap

• Maintaining a deep understanding of the product domain to effectively convey priorities and the reasoning behind the work to the team

Requirements

• Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science, related field or comparable experience

• A minimum of 8 years in Software Engineering in a Developer or Quality Assurance role, with at least 2 years in a formal technical leadership or management role

• Proven ability to act as the single manager accountable for the end to end delivery, quality, and morale of a cross-functional team

• Demonstrated success in bridging the functional identities of Development, Quality Assurance, and Design into a unified, high-performing team culture

• Deep experience in facilitating agile rhythms and removing technical or organizational blockers to maintain team velocity and fast flow

• Acts as a steward for team health by establishing high-trust environments where psychological safety is prioritized and experimentation is treated as a learning tool

• Skilled in guiding teams toward architectural alignment and ensuring that quality principles are built into the development process rather than treated as a separate phase

• Experienced in conducting holistic performance reviews and providing high-quality career coaching to direct reports in coordination with Chapter Leads

Skills

• Expert knowledge of agile methodologies and the ability to optimize work-in-progress (WIP) to manage team cognitive load and prevent burnout

• Maintains a strong level of proficiency in the SDLC, Java or TypeScript, and Quality Assurance automation frameworks to effectively govern team standards and technical success

• Exceptional soft skills for resolving internal team conflicts and facilitating decentralized communication to reduce coordination tax

• Highly proficient in detailed milestone planning, ticket management, and overseeing the execution of team implementation plans

• Able to maintain a deep understanding of the team’s product domain to effectively convey priorities and the reasoning behind technical decisions

• Skilled in collaborating with Product Management and management leadership to ensure team output is perfectly aligned with the broader roadmap

About Us

Who are we?

Champions for industrial automation innovation and driven by a mission statement to empower our customers to swiftly turn great ideas into reality by removing all technological and economic obstacles, we create and deliver solutions that relieve pain points, bring efficiency to operations and optimize integration.

Why Choose Inductive Automation?

Our passion goes beyond customers. We celebrate your personal and professional milestones, and we support our teams with meaningful work in a collaborative environment.

We find that great work-life balance inspires teams to do their best work and empowers people to live their best lives. That's why diversity, fun, and flexibility are ingrained into our work culture.

The Inductive Automation team understands the importance of personal growth and social connection. So things like time for professional development, or company and team activities are baked right into the schedule to keep us all engaged, connected, and prospering.

Benefits and Perks

• 100% Employee Covered Health Care: Don’t pay a dime for your medical, dental, and vision insurance

• Paid Time Off: Receive paid holidays, vacation, and sick time

• 401k with Match: Save for the future with our company-matching 401k program

• World-Class Headquarters: While on-site, enjoy complimentary snacks and beverages, then challenge a friend to a game of pool, table tennis, shuffleboard, or foosball

• Adjacent Nature Reserve: On-site employees enjoy breathtaking views and adventures that energize and inspire

Additional Information

At this time, we are unable to offer employment for individuals located outside of the United States and/or those who require sponsorship for employment visa status (e.g., H-1B visa status). We know you've got a lot of options when seeking an employer where your skills and talents will shine, so we really appreciate that you considered us.

Inductive Automation, LLC is an equal opportunity employer, and all qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, religion, color, national origin, sex, age, sexual orientation, gender identity, and status as a protected veteran or individual with a disability. Verification of US employment eligibility required.