Engineering Manager

smartstate; New Jersey; On-site; USD 260,000 - 280,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Competitive salary

Comprehensive benefits package

Generous PTO policy

Breakfasts and lunches partially paid by the company

Opportunities for professional development

Job summary

Smart State in Fort Lee, New Jersey is seeking an Engineering Manager to lead backend engineering teams and drive technical excellence. The role involves shaping team structure and the engineering culture while ensuring the successful delivery of high-quality products.

The ideal candidate has 8+ years in backend development and strong leadership skills, along with experience in cloud-based infrastructures and Kubernetes. The position offers a comprehensive benefits package and competitive salary.

Qualifications

• 8+ years of backend development experience, and at least 2+ years managing engineering leads.
• Strong background in microservices architecture and secure development practices.
• Hands-on experience with Agile methodologies, ideally Scrum.

Responsibilities

• Oversee backend technologies ensuring scalability, reliability, and execution.
• Lead recruitment and team development.
• Identify technical debt and lead improvements in system design.

Skills

Backend Development

Leadership

Kubernetes

Agile Methodologies

Cloud-based Infrastructure

Education

Bachelor’s or higher in Computer Engineering, Computer Science or related field

Tools

SQL and NoSQL Databases

RESTful APIs

CI/CD

Job description

Are you an Engineering Manager who loves building high-performing teams, scaling backend platforms, and driving technical excellence across complex products?

Smart State is a rapidly growing technology company, bringing together expertise in software engineering, analytics, and product management to deliver reliable and innovative digital solutions. Smart State is a place where talents from different niches can make real changes across the industry. We create an environment to let smart ideas act boldly.

Location: Fort Lee, New Jersey (100% On-site)
Work Mode: Full-time, office-based (Remote or hybrid work arrangements are not available)

The Role

As an Engineering Manager, you won’t just be overseeing code—you’ll be shaping the technical direction, team structure, and engineering culture behind a mission‑critical platform. You will lead multiple backend engineering teams and own the core technologies powering our platform, ensuring the delivery of high‑quality, high‑value, and timely releases while continuously improving systems, standards, and team performance.

What You’ll Do

• Direct and control the backend technologies of a platform/product, ensuring scalability, reliability, and strong technical execution.
• Lead recruitment, hiring, onboarding, and team development, including making difficult personnel decisions when necessary.
• Manage backend team leads and senior engineers through regular 1:1s, feedback sessions, performance evaluations, and individual development plans.
• Participate in and lead Agile ceremonies such as Scrum and Kanban rituals, ensuring teams follow agreed processes and delivery standards.
• Drive platform and product development from a strategic perspective without needing to be deeply involved in daily coding or code reviews.
• Identify technical debt, recurring issues, and architectural weaknesses, then lead improvements in system design, engineering processes, and platform quality.
• Manage team capacity and resource allocation, balancing workloads and rotating people as needed to support delivery and growth.
  Introduce new technologies and engineering innovations that help the company build stronger, more modern digital products.
• Create new engineering guidelines, improve existing standards, and ensure critical domain knowledge is well documented across teams.
• Contribute to engineering initiatives beyond your direct teams, helping elevate the broader organization.

What We’re Looking For

• 8+ years of backend development experience and at least 2+ years of experience managing engineers or engineering leads.
• Bachelor’s, Master’s, or higher degree in Computer Engineering, Computer Science, Applied Mathematics, or a related field.
• Strong experience with Kubernetes, containers, cloud‑based infrastructure, system design, and microservices architecture.
• Solid background in SQL and NoSQL databases, RESTful APIs, message brokers, third‑party integrations, CI/CD, and secure development practices.
• Strong understanding of data structures, algorithms, coding patterns, peer reviews, information security, and test‑driven development.
• Hands‑on experience with Agile methodologies, ideally Scrum.
• Excellent leadership, communication, analytical thinking, presentation, and constructive feedback skills.

Nice to Have

• Experience leading multiple backend teams in a fast‑paced product environment.
• Track record of driving architectural improvements and engineering process maturity.
• Experience building documentation standards and improving engineering knowledge sharing across teams.

Why Join Smart State Inc.

• Competitive salary and comprehensive benefits package including medical, dental and vision insurance, 401K plan, and more.
• Generous PTO policy.
• A dynamic and collaborative international work environment.
• Breakfasts and lunches in the office (partially paid by the company).
• Birthdays, milestones and employee anniversaries celebrations.
• Opportunities for professional development and growth.

Smart State Inc. is an Equal Opportunity Employer. We believe that different perspectives make us stronger and provide equal employment opportunities to all applicants regardless of race, color identity, religion, or any other protected status. If you have the drive and the skills, we want to hear from you.

Salary range: $260,000 – $280,000 USD