Agent Engineering Manager

Tolan; San Francisco (CA); On-site; USD 120,000 - 160,000; Full time

Job summary

A technology company focused on AI seeks a software engineering professional with over 5 years of experience for a role in agent orchestration systems. The candidate will design and operate systems that enhance human-agent collaboration and contribute to real product features, working directly with technology that promotes accessibility in AI. This role emphasizes autonomy and ownership in a hybrid work environment located in San Francisco.

Qualifications

• 5+ years of software engineering experience.
• Experience in engineering management or tech lead roles.
• Hands-on experience with AI coding assistants.

Responsibilities

• Design and operate complex agent orchestration systems.
• Review agent work critically and make course corrections.
• Ship real product features through agent-assisted development.

Skills

Software engineering experience

Engineering management skills

AI coding assistants

Delegation skills

Problem-solving in ambiguity

Job description

A note on this role

Tolan is an Embodied Companion — a cute AI alien you talk with naturally, like a friend. Tolans have their own personality and preferences, and over time form memories about you, your life, and your shared friendship.

We're an experienced team that previously founded Even, acquired for $300M in 2022. Tolan is backed by the designers and founders behind Instagram, Retro, Behance, Vimeo, and Notion.

Our team works hard, with an emphasis on autonomy and ownership. We’re building together in-person in downtown SF.

The role

This isn't a management position—you won't have direct reports. But you'll need every skill that made you a great engineering manager. You'll break down ambiguous problems, delegate to agents, review their work critically, and course-correct when things go sideways. You'll design and operate complex agent orchestration systems, develop patterns for human-agent collaboration, and ship real product features primarily through agent-assisted development.

You might be a fit if you:

• Have 5+ years of software engineering experience, with meaningful time spent in engineering management or tech lead roles

• Know how to delegate, scope work, and give feedback that actually improves output—skills you've honed managing people

• Have hands-on experience with AI coding assistants and agent orchestration

• Have strong opinions on when to use agents vs. when to do it yourself

• Thrive in ambiguity and have a knack for turning fuzzy goals into concrete, well-scoped tasks

• Genuinely enjoy the "managing agents" workflow

Bonus points if you:

• Have built or contributed to agent orchestration tooling

• Have written publicly about AI-assisted development workflows

• Have experience with long-running, multi-step agent systems

• Left management because you missed building, but still miss the parts of management that were about clarity and leverage

Why Tolan

If you're an AI maximalist, you probably want to work directly on AI—not just use it as a tool. At Tolan, that's exactly what you'll do. We're building AI that's accessible and legible to everyone, in the form of a trusted and healthy best friend.