Engineering Manager - Music

Spotify; United States; Remote; USD 164,000 - 235,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Health insurance

Parental leave (6 months)

401(k) retirement plan

Monthly meal allowance

23 paid days off

13 paid flexible holidays

Job summary

Spotify is seeking an experienced Engineering Manager for Bonfire Squad in North America. You will lead a senior full-stack team delivering a high-impact artist promotion tool’s campaign management system and new features for customers.

You’ll coach engineers, shape roadmaps with product and design, and own delivery quality while fostering an inclusive, high-performing environment. You’ll balance hands-on technical work with strategic leadership, manage dependencies, and advocate for AI-enabled

Qualifications

• Proven track record in managing software engineers and technical ICs.
• Strong people management skills with feedback and conflict resolution.
• Background in backend or full-stack engineering with architectural involvement.
• Ability to balance leadership with hands-on technical problem solving.
• Experience partnering with Product and Design to shape scope and direction.
• Comfort with managing dependencies across partner teams.

Responsibilities

• Foster strong working relationships among engineers and cross-functional leads.
• Lead, coach, and develop a senior engineering team with clear expectations and growth.
• Encourage constructive technical debate, challenging architecture and implementation decisions.
• Partner with Product and Design to shape priorities and product direction, bringing an engineering perspective.
• Be accountable for healthy delivery, prioritization, capacity management, and reliable execution of complex initiatives.
• Build relationships with partner teams, aligning across boundaries and dependencies.
• Stay close to engineering craft and contribute hands-on when useful.
• Help the team leverage AI to improve engineering workflows and product operations.
• Hire and onboard engineers to maintain team resilience over time.

Skills

Leadership

People management

Backend or full-stack

Product thinking

AI in engineering

Cross-functional collaboration

Technical mentorship

Hands-on contribution

Job description

As the EM for Bonfire Squad you’ll lead a passionate full stack team of senior engineers building a high-impact artist promotion tool’s campaign management system and new features for our customers.

Bonfire needs a people leader who will leverage the talent and opinions of a senior-heavy squad to build great products and systems effectively together. A great manager for this team will have the technical depth and product thinking to make and explain decisions around the roadmap, project staffing, and cross-functional partnerships. You’ll build trust with your team and cross functional partners by being transparent about what you’ll do and following through. This is a role for someone who enjoys being close to both the people and the work: coaching experienced engineers, creating clarity, and engaging credibly in technical and product discussions. We encourage applicants from all backgrounds, including those who may not meet every requirement listed

What You’ll Do

• Foster strong working relationships among engineers, between engineers and cross-functional team leads, and between Bonfire and partner teams.

• Lead, coach, and develop a team of experienced engineers, encouraging product thinking, creating clear expectations, growth opportunities, and a healthy, high-performing team environment.

• Encourage constructive technical debate, engaging deeply enough with architecture and implementation to challenge assumptions and identify risks.

• Partner closely with Product and Design to shape priorities, scope, and product direction, bringing an engineering perspective to customer and UX decisions.

• Be accountable for healthy delivery, including prioritization, capacity management, operational health, and reliable execution of complex initiatives.

• Build strong relationships with partner teams, proactively managing dependencies and driving alignment across team boundaries.

• Stay close to the engineering craft and act as a player-coach when useful, including contributing hands‑on to technical problem solving and engineering work.

• Help the team use AI effectively in engineering workflows and identify opportunities for AI to improve how we build and operate our products.

• Hire and onboard engineers as the team evolves, building the capabilities and knowledge distribution needed for the team to remain resilient over time.

Who You Are

• Good experience managing software engineers and a demonstrated track record of developing, and managing experienced technical ICs.

• People management is at the core of your craft. You are comfortable giving clear feedback, navigating disagreement, setting expectations, and addressing team dynamics directly and constructively. You view yourself as your team’s advocate.

• You have a strong background in backend or full-stack engineering, and can engage credibly in architecture and technical design discussions.

• You leverage your product mindset to challenge assumptions embedded in product requirements and find engineering solutions that keep the engineering ecosystem healthy.

• You can balance empowering experienced engineers with providing leadership when the team needs direction or alignment.

• You can manage substantial technical and product dependencies with partner teams.

• You are a player-coach manager – willing and able to contribute hands‑on when appropriate while recognizing that your primary responsibility is enabling the team to succeed.

• You are comfortable using AI tools and have a point of view on how AI can improve engineering effectiveness.

• You value healthy disagreement, clear ownership, accountability, and an inclusive environment where people can do their best work.

Where You’ll Be

• We offer you the flexibility to work where you work best! For this role, it can be within the North America region in which we have a work location.

• This team collaborates across the Eastern time zone

The United States base range for this position is 164,448 - 234,926 plus equity. The benefits available for this position include health insurance, six month paid parental leave, 401(k) retirement plan, monthly meal allowance, 23 paid days off, 13 paid flexible holidays. This range encompasses multiple levels. Leveling is determined during the interview process. Placement in a level depends on relevant work history and interview performance. These ranges may be modified in the future.

Spotify is an equal opportunity employer. You are welcome at Spotify for who you are, no matter where you come from, what you look like, or what’s playing in your headphones. Our platform is for everyone, and so is our workplace. The more voices we have represented and amplified in our business, the more we will all thrive, contribute, and be forward-thinking! So bring us your personal experience, your perspectives, and your background. It’s in our differences that we will find the power to keep revolutionizing the way the world listens.

At Spotify, we are passionate about inclusivity and making sure our entire recruitment process is accessible to everyone. We have ways to request reasonable accommodations during the interview process and help assist in what you need. If you need accommodations at any stage of the application or interview process, please let us know - we’re here to support you in any way we can.