Engineering Manager, Inbound

The RealReal; Bellflower (CA); On-site; USD 194,499 - 216,109; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Employee Stock Purchase Plan

401K with Company Match

Medical, Dental & Vision Insurance

Paid Parental Leave

Flexible Time Off

9 Paid Company Holidays

Job summary

The RealReal in Bellflower, California, is seeking a Lead Engineer to manage teams responsible for automated item identification systems. You will collaborate with Product and AI teams and drive operational excellence by integrating robotics and software solutions.

The ideal candidate has over 3 years of engineering management experience and a strong background in distributed systems and cloud-native architectures. This role offers competitive salary and comprehensive benefits.

Qualifications

• 3+ years of direct engineering management experience leading distributed software development teams.
• Proven track record architecting and operating distributed cloud-native systems.
• Hands-on experience with Data Science or Machine Learning teams.

Responsibilities

• Lead and mentor a high-performing team of software engineers.
• Partner with cross-functional teams to build internal computer vision systems.
• Own the scalability and performance of backend services.

Skills

Engineering management

Distributed systems

Cloud-native systems

AI/ML collaboration

Relational databases

Education

Bachelor's degree in Computer Science or Engineering

Tools

MySQL

PostgreSQL

Ruby on Rails

Elixir

Job description

In this role, you will lead the engineering team responsible for the foundational engine of The RealReal’s marketplace: our automated item identification, intake, and authentication systems. Your squad sits at the critical interface of physical floor logistics and high‑scale digital architectures, building tools that ingest millions of luxury items into our universal Item Master with impeccable quality and accuracy. You will partner deeply with Product and AI/ML teams to integrate state‑of‑the‑art computer vision, automated tagging, and robotics conveyance systems directly into our warehouse execution workflows. This position is ideal for an engineering leader who thrives on scaling distributed systems and loves seeing their code drive real‑world, physical operational excellence.

What You Get To Do Every Day

• Lead and mentor a high‑performing team of software engineers, fostering a culture of technical excellence, continuous learning, and clear accountability.
• Partner cross‑functionally with Product Management, Data Science, and AI/ML teams to build, deploy, and iterate on internal computer vision and automated item classification systems.
• Own the architectural scalability and performance of backend services (Ruby on Rails, Elixir, cloud‑native apps) powering our intake flow and global Item Master database.
• Drive operational excellence by collaborating with hardware and vendor integration partners to orchestrate robotics and conveyance automation inside our execution facilities.
• Manage agile delivery cycles using structured ceremonies, keeping the engineering backlog prioritized and closely aligned with quarterly operational OKRs.
• Translate complex physical workflows into clean, reliable, and highly observable distributed software capabilities that reduce operational friction for our luxury experts.

What You Bring To The Role

Minimum Requirements

• 3+ years of direct engineering management experience leading distributed software development teams in fast‑paced environments.
• Proven track record architecting, scaling, and operating distributed, public cloud‑native systems and APIs.
• Hands‑on experience collaborating with Data Science or Machine Learning teams, explicitly deploying software that interacts with AI models (e.g., automated tagging, classification, or image processing).
• Strong expertise in relational database systems (MySQL or PostgreSQL) optimized for complex data structures like product catalogs or item masters.
• Excellent communication skills with a demonstrated ability to translate highly technical concepts to non‑technical operational stakeholders and floor leaders.

Preferred Requirements

• Experience in supply chain tech, logistics software, Warehouse Management Systems (WMS), or building high‑throughput item ingestion platforms.
• Familiarity with hardware/IoT integrations, vendor conveyance APIs, or robotics workflows.
• Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science, Engineering, or a related technical field.

Compensation, Benefits, + Perks

• Employee Stock Purchase Plan
• 401K with Company Match
• Medical, Dental & Vision Insurance
• Paid Parental Leave
• 9 Paid Company Holidays
• Flexible Time Off (With Manager Approval)

The expected salary range for this role is $194,499.00-$216,109.00. To determine starting pay we carefully consider a variety of factors, including primary work location and an evaluation of a candidate’s skills, experience, market demands, and internal parity. Additionally, salary is just one component of TRR’s total rewards package. Depending on role, employees may also be eligible for a bonus program, incentive pay and benefits.

The RealReal is committed to providing an equal employment opportunity regardless of race, color, ancestry, religion, sex, national origin, sexual orientation, age, citizenship, marital status, disability, gender identity or expression, or Veteran status. We will consider qualified applicants for a position regardless of arrest or conviction records. At TRR, People Come First. That’s why diversity and inclusion are vital to our priorities as an equal opportunity employer. You can read about our Diversity Equity and Inclusion program here.

Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions. The employee is regularly required to sit; use hands to finger, handle, or feel and talk or hear. The employee is occasionally required to stand; walk; reach with hands and arms; climb or balance; stoop, kneel, crouch, or crawl; and taste or smell. The employee must occasionally lift and/or move up to 10 pounds. Specific vision abilities required by this job include close vision. The physical demands described here are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this job.