Engineering Manager

Antithesis Operations LLC; Vienna (VA); On-site; USD 120,000 - 160,000; Full time

Job summary

A technology company in Northern Virginia seeks an Engineering Manager to lead a core engineering team. This role focuses on coding, architecture, and project execution, requiring strong proficiency in programming languages like C++, Python, Java, or Go. Candidates should have experience in leading teams, possess excellent communication skills, and be comfortable in a dynamic environment. The position demands in-person work at the office five days a week.

Qualifications

• Strong engineering skills, particularly with C++, Python, Java, or Go.
• Experience with test infrastructure or developer tooling.
• Deep experience in distributed systems and databases.
• Proven record in leading engineering teams and mentoring talent.
• Strong technical judgment with clear communication skills.
• Ability to operate effectively in an ambiguous environment.

Responsibilities

• Lead and mentor a team of engineers focusing on high-quality work.
• Drive execution on complex projects while maintaining standards.
• Write and review code, contribute to architectural discussions.
• Align team goals with broader company objectives.
• Raise standards of engineering practices and build a collaborative culture.

Skills

C++

Python

Java

Go

Test infrastructure

Distributed systems

Large-scale architectures

Excellent communication

Job description

About Antithesis

We’ve been quietly reinventing how the world thinks about software reliability, and we’re just getting started! At Antithesis, we start at the foundations – we run entire software systems inside a deterministic simulation and break them in every way imaginable. Every issue then comes with a perfect reproduction, so you can identify root causes fast instead of spending days trying to recreate what went wrong.

The rise of AI‑generated code has made this work more urgent than ever. Agents can write code faster than any human, but speed doesn’t matter much when the output is buggy, stuck in review, or slipping through undetected. The verification bottleneck is real, it’s growing, and solving it is one of the most consequential problems in software right now. That’s what you’ll be working on.

We’re well‑funded and deeply technical, the kind of place where the hardest problems get the most attention and the best ideas win regardless of who has them. If you want to do work that actually moves the needle on how reliable software can be, keep reading.

About This Role

We’re looking for Engineering Managers for our growing core engineering team. This isn’t a “manage the roadmap and attend standups” kind of role — you’ll be in the code, shaping architecture, and doing hard technical work alongside your team. You’ll set direction, grow engineers, drive execution, and keep the bar high. We’re looking for first‑line managers who are ready to lead from the front.

The team you’ll lead depends on fit. Each area is different in flavor, but the expectations for the EM role are consistent: technical depth, strong people instincts, and the ability to move fast without breaking the things that matter.

• User Experience — The team behind our web and SaaS pieces that the customers interact directly with. Tech stack: TypeScript, React, C/C++, Rust, and Nix/NixOS.

• Platform — This team owns internal and external developer experience, monitoring, reliability, and infrastructure‑as‑code, and they build and maintain Pangolin, our internal database. Tech Stack: C/C++, Rust, Nix, and Terraform.

• Autonomous Search — This team does deep research and systems development, owning the Fuzzer and Determinator. Tech Stack: C/C++ and Rust.

What You’ll Do

• Lead, mentor, and develop a team of engineers who genuinely care about what they build and how they build it.

• Drive execution on complex, high‑priority projects — keeping things moving without cutting corners that matter.

• Get your hands dirty — write and review code, weigh in on architecture, debug the hard stuff.

• Partner with technical leaders across the company to align your team’s direction with broader product and engineering goals.

• Raise the bar on engineering practices: quality, reliability, and correctness. (We really mean it about correctness.)

• Build a culture of ownership, collaboration, and continuous learning.

What We’re Looking For

• Strong engineering chops — comfortable in C++, Python, Java, Go, or similar. You don’t need to know every language we use, but you do need to be genuinely good at programming.

• Experience with test infrastructure, or developer tooling is a major plus.

• Deep experience with distributed systems, databases, and large‑scale architectures — ideally with some scars to prove it.

• Proven track record of leading engineering teams — recruiting, mentoring, and growing talent, ideally in a startup or high‑growth environment.

• Strong technical judgment. You can make the right call on hard architectural questions and explain why clearly.

• Excellent communicator. You can align engineers, PMs, and executives around a shared direction without losing anyone along the way.

• Comfortable operating with ambiguity. We’re early. Things change. You adapt.

About Our Team

Our team has backgrounds spanning traditional CS degrees, philosophy, mathematics, and everything in between — or nothing formal at all. What everyone shares is a high bar for engineering quality. Managers here are expected to meet that same bar: this isn’t a role where you stop coding when you get the title. We also genuinely believe in in‑person work. It’s how we build trust, share knowledge, and figure out hard problems together. That’s why this role is 5 days a week in our Northern Virginia office.