Engineering Manager

cascadiaglobalsecurity; Tempe (AZ); On-site; USD 120,000 - 180,000; Full time

Job summary

Deus X Defense in Tempe, AZ is seeking an Engineering Manager to lead a growing engineering team while remaining hands-on with code and product decisions. This player-coach role balances technical leadership with delivery against ambitious roadmap priorities.

You will own end-to-end development of the Deus X platform, hire and mentor engineers, set architecture standards, and collaborate with Product, Drone Operations, and Business Development to align execution with business goals.

Qualifications

• Experience leading cross-functional engineering teams spanning frontend and backend.
• Hands-on coding ability while leading a team.
• Strong architecture and system design judgment across complex platforms.

Responsibilities

• Hire, develop, and lead a high-performing engineering team as the function scales.
• Serve as a player-coach — staying close to the code while guiding and unblocking the team.
• Set engineering standards, drive code quality, and cultivate a strong technical culture.
• Partner with external engineering teams to ensure seamless collaboration and delivery.

Skills

Team leadership

Cross-functional collaboration

Frontend/backend experience

Hands-on coding

Architecture judgment

Job description

LOCATION Tempe, AZ (Onsite)

ABOUT THE COMPANY

Deus X Defense is an emerging leader in autonomous security, deploying drone-based solutions to supplement traditional manned guarding. The company is actively expanding into ground robotics and maritime operations, with a proprietary Command & Control (C2) platform in development that will unify fixed, pivoting, drone, ground robot, and maritime camera feeds into a single integrated operational system. The long-term roadmap includes AI-driven autonomy across all platforms with human-in-the-loop oversight for critical alerts and events.

POSITION OVERVIEW

The Engineering Manager at Deus X Defense leads a team of engineers while staying hands-on in building and shaping the product. This is a player-coach role — balancing coding, design decisions, and technical problem-solving with guiding the team, removing blockers, and driving execution against company priorities. The ideal candidate is technically deep, mission-obsessed, and ready to build something from the ground up.

KEY DELIVERABLES

1. Define key technical gaps and establish a clear plan to address them
2. Own end-to-end development for the Deus X platform
3. Build out a team of internal engineers and partner with external engineering team(s)

RESPONSIBILITIES

Team Leadership & Development

• Hire, develop, and lead a high-performing engineering team as the function scales
• Serve as a player-coach — staying close to the code while guiding and unblocking the team
• Set engineering standards, drive code quality, and cultivate a strong technical culture
• Partner with external engineering teams to ensure seamless collaboration and delivery

Technical Direction & Architecture

• Define key technical gaps and own the plan to address them
• Set architecture and engineering standards across core systems
• Own end-to-end development of the Deus X Command & Control platform
• Ensure delivery of scalable, reliable solutions as the business grows
• Lead technical decisions at the team level, escalating org-level decisions appropriately

Cross-Functional Collaboration

• Partner closely with Product, Drone Operations, and Business Development teams
• Bring engineering expertise into cross-functional discussions and planning
• Align technical execution with company priorities and product roadmap
• Remove blockers and drive execution against key milestones

REQUIRED SKILLS & EXPERIENCE

• Proven experience leading cross-functional engineering teams spanning frontend and backend development
• Demonstrated track record building UX-heavy platforms with real-time data and information
• Experience working with modern interfaces at moderate-to-high security levels
• Hands-on coding ability — comfortable staying technical while leading a team
• Strong architecture and system design judgment across complex, integrated platforms

PREFERRED SKILLS & EXPERIENCE

We're looking for someone who understands the environment we operate in — not just the technology. Prior exposure to any of the following is a strong plus:

• Experience in drone technology, autonomous systems, or AI/ML (stretch)
• Background in real-time operations platforms or command & control systems
• Familiarity with law enforcement, defense, or public safety operating environments
• Ability to quickly operate with context and credibility in mission-critical settings

LEVEL OF OWNERSHIP & DECISION MAKING

An Engineering Manager at DXD owns both the team and the technical direction. They are responsible for hiring and building a high-performing team, setting architecture and engineering standards, and driving execution across core systems. As a senior leader, they operate with a high level of autonomy — making key technical and team decisions, aligning with company priorities, and ensuring the team delivers scalable, reliable solutions as the business grows.