Engineering Manager (Back Office & Integration)

Alex Staff Agency; Rotterdam; Hybrid; EUR 78,000 - 89,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Hybrid work from Rotterdam office

Municipality parking card

Work-life balance policy

Growth opportunities

Job summary

Alex Staff Agency is seeking an Engineering Manager to lead the Back Office & Integration squad in Rotterdam. You will balance 60% people management with 40% hands-on engineering, owning delivery and architecture decisions for 4–8 engineers using .NET stack.

Hybrid role with relocation to the Netherlands after 4–6 months, full visa sponsorship provided. You’ll drive performance, hire and develop talent, and ensure quality across enterprise‑grade travel software.

Qualifications

• Recent people management experience in the last 3 years.
• Proven experience managing mid-to-senior engineers (7+ years).
• Strong commercial experience with C#, .NET, PostgreSQL, and SQL in the last 5 years.
• Willingness to relocate to the Netherlands after 4 to 6 months; remote initially; full visa sponsorship and relocation support.

Responsibilities

• Line management of 4–8 engineers (7+ years).
• Lead performance reviews and career development.
• Own delivery and accountability for team culture and outcomes.
• Conduct code reviews and drive architecture decisions.
• Balance ~60% people management with ~40% hands-on technical work using modern .NET tech.

Skills

People management

Team leadership

C# / .NET

PostgreSQL

SQL

Job description

About the Role

The company is looking for an Engineering Manager to lead the Back Office & Integration squad. This is a dedicated people-management and hands‑on technical leadership role — it is not a Tech Lead or Senior Software Engineer position. You will have direct line-management responsibility for a team of 4 to 8 engineers, taking full ownership of their performance, professional growth, and delivery.

The company develops a fast‑growing travel management platform tailored specifically for the maritime, aviation, and energy sectors. Headquartered in Rotterdam with a team of ~100 people, the company builds mission‑critical software that keeps complex global industries moving.

In this role, you will balance approximately 60% people management and delivery with 40% hands‑on technical work, tackling complex architectural tasks and conducting code reviews.

Key Responsibilities & People Management

• Line Management. Directly manage a team of 4–8 intermediate to senior engineers (7+ years of experience).
• Performance & Growth. Conduct regular 1-on-1s, lead performance reviews, and foster career development within your team.
• Hiring & Firing. Hold active input and decision‑making responsibility for recruitment, team expansion, and offboarding.
• Accountability. Take full ownership of your team's delivery and culture, standing by your team when challenges or mistakes arise.
• Technical Contribution (~40%). Solve complex engineering problems, lead code reviews, and drive architecture decisions using modern .NET technologies.

Must-haves

• Recent People Management Experience. Active experience in a direct line-manager role within the last 3 years. Note: Mentorship, code reviews, or acting as a Tech Lead without direct people management do not qualify.
• Proven experience managing mid-to-senior engineers (7+ years of domain experience).
• Strong, active commercial experience with C#, .NET, PostgreSQL, and SQL within the last 5 years.
• Ability to work remotely initially with a mandatory agreement to relocate to the Netherlands after 4 to 6 months (Full visa sponsorship and relocation support provided), willingness to start on a fixed‑term contract during the initial trial period.

Technical Evaluation & AI Expectations

During the technical selection process, candidate AI usage will be evaluated. While AI is welcomed as a productivity tool, using AI merely as a basic search engine/shortcut for fundamental engineering problems is considered a reject signal.

Self-Rejection Criteria (Please do not apply if):

• You are primarily looking for an Individual Contributor (IC), Tech Lead, or purely advisory role without direct line management responsibilities.
• You are looking for a permanent contract from Day 1 without an initial fixed‑term/trial period.
• You are unwilling or unable to relocate to the Netherlands within 4 to 6 months.
• You have not actively used C# / .NET as your primary tech stack within the last 5 years.

Conditions

• Salary:€7,000 – €8,000 gross/month (remote salary budget of €5,500 – €6,000 gross/month)
• Contract:Full-time, permanent employment
• Work format:Hybrid.
• Benefits:
• Hybrid work from the Rotterdam office
• Work-life balance policy
• Growth at the intersection of travel, finance, and engineering
• Municipality parking card (for office employees)
• High autonomy, direct impact on enterprise‑grade software, and supportive leadership.

Selection Process

Stages:

1. Recruiter screening
2. Short Candidate Survey (management & expectations alignment)
3. Combined HR & Technical Interview (45–60 min)
4. Final Leadership Interview

Interview language:English