Founding Engineering Manager Full Time, EMEA Remote

Chainloop, Inc.; Mission (KS); Remote; USD 120,000 - 160,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Competitive Salary

Equity

Benefits

Remote Work Flexibility

Job summary

A cutting-edge technology company in Kansas seeks a Founding Engineering Manager to lead their remote-first engineering team. In this hands-on role, you'll develop talent and ensure efficient delivery of software, guiding engineers while managing key projects. The ideal candidate has a strong technical background in Go and Kubernetes, along with extensive management experience. This position offers flexible work arrangements and the chance to make a foundational impact at an early-stage company.

Qualifications

• Proven track record of shipping complex systems.
• 5+ years managing engineers, focusing on 1:1s and performance.
• Must lead by example with hands-on work.

Responsibilities

• Lead and grow the engineering team as a ‘player-coach’.
• Define and refine engineering roadmap with the CTO.
• Ensure team health and delivery while managing career growth.

Skills

Senior-level Engineering Background

Management Experience

Hands-On Technical Expertise

Talent Acquisition Leadership

High-Level Organization & Pragmatism

Async-First Leader

Startup Experience

Tools

Go

Kubernetes

CI/CD

Cloud-native concepts

Job description

We are looking for a Founding Engineering Manager to lead and grow our high‑performing, remote‑first engineering team of 5 engineers, which is comprised of Core Backend, Frontend, and Forward Deployed Engineers. This is a “player‑coach” role for a deeply technical, hands‑on leader.

This is not a “process‑only” management role. We expect you to have a senior‑level engineering background and lead by example. This role provides the opportunity to get hands‑on with some of the technical work to unblock the team, automate processes, and earn their technical respect.

Your primary mission is to be a force multiplier for the entire team. You will be responsible for their health, delivery, and career growth. You will be the “glue” that connects our Core, Frontend, and Forward Deployed functions, ensuring we operate as one cohesive unit. Given our global team and customer base, this role requires occasional flexibility with your schedule.

You will report directly to the CTO, taking full ownership of the day‑to‑day execution of the engineering roadmap. You will be a key partner in helping to define and refine that roadmap, as well as forecasting and planning future resource needs to meet our goals.

What We’re Looking For

• Senior‑level Engineering Background: You must have a strong technical background and a proven track record of shipping complex systems.
• Management Experience: You have 5+ years of experience managing a team of engineers, with a focus on 1:1s, career development, and performance management.
• Hands‑On Technical Expertise: A strong technical background in Go, Kubernetes, CI/CD, and cloud‑native concepts is essential. You must be able to lead by example by getting hands‑on with technical work to unblock the team and maintain credibility.
• Talent Acquisition Leadership: You take ownership of building exceptional teams, sourcing talent through your network and partnering with our recruiting and HR teams.
• High‑Level Organization & Pragmatism: You are highly organized, systematic, and pragmatic. You know how to build a process that serves the team, not the other way around.
• Async‑First Leader: You are a world‑class written communicator and have experience managing a remote, async‑first team.
• Startup Experience: You have thrived in a fast‑paced, ambiguous, early‑stage startup environment.

Dos (The Actions We Expect)

• DO be a Player‑Coach. Earn technical respect. Lead by example, getting hands‑on with technical work to unblock your team and guide high‑level discussions.
• DO own the team’s health and delivery. Run a lightweight, organized, and pragmatic async‑first process to ensure we ship high‑quality code at a rapid, predictable pace while managing career growth.
• DO be a Forward‑Planner & Hiring Manager. Partner with the CTO to define the roadmap and resource needs, serving as the primary owner for attracting and closing exceptional talent.
• DO be a “Distraction Shield.” Protect your team’s focus. Absorb external chaos and translate it into clear, calm, actionable priorities.
• DO be the “Glue.” You are responsible for ensuring the FDE’s feedback, the Frontend’s needs, and the Core team’s work are all perfectly aligned.
• DO champion productivity. Drive the team’s adoption of AI and automation to multiply their throughput.

Success Key Attributes

To succeed in this role, you should embody the following traits:

• Technical Player‑Coach: You lead by example with technical credibility, getting hands‑on to unblock the team while empowering them to own the solution.
• Extreme Ownership & Force Multiplier: You take full ownership of the team’s outcomes, measuring your success by their growth and delivery. You proactively solve problems and unblock the team.
• Systematic & Pragmatic Leader: You build clear, lightweight systems that help the team deliver, prioritizing pragmatism over rigid process.
• Bar‑Raiser & Talent Magnet: You are obsessed with excellence, owning the hiring pipeline to raise talent density. You set high performance standards, coach engineers to meet them, and when necessary, make tough decisions about fit.
• Disciplined, Async‑First Leader: You are a master of remote communication, running a high‑performing team without relying on synchronous meetings.
• Clarity from Chaos: You translate ambiguous goals into clear, actionable engineering plans, forecasting needs and shielding the team from noise.

Success Metrics

In the first month, you’ll:

• Get up to speed on our technical stack and product
• Meet with each engineer to understand their strengths and working styles
• Meet with founders, product, and sales to understand company priorities and customer needs
• Run your first 2 iterations end to end
• Ship something hands‑on with the team to earn technical credibility
• Identify and implement quick wins to improve engineering processes
• Establish regular 1:1s with the team

Within the first 3 months, you’ll:

• Ship your first big feature alongside the team and learn what worked (and what didn’t)
• Take full ownership of day‑to‑day engineering execution and delivery
• Build a sustainable delivery rhythm: ship high‑quality code predictably and rapidly
• Establish regular collaboration rhythms with product and sales teams
• Define a healthy team framework that reflects company values
• Assess team gaps and create individual growth plans
• Successfully hire and onboard 2 exceptional team members (engineers, FDEs, frontend, or UX) who raise the bar
• Have built trust with your team and credibility across the company through consistent delivery and leadership

Within the first 6 months, you’ll:

• Be the “glue” connecting Core, Frontend, and Forward Deployed functions
• Partner with founders and product on strategic roadmap planning
• Champion productivity improvements through AI, automation, and tooling
• Guide architectural decisions and raise technical standards across the team
• Have hired and onboarded 5 exceptional team members across engineering, FDE, frontend, and UX functions

Why You’ll Love Working With Us

• Foundational Impact: Be one of the very first managers, directly shaping the product, technology, and culture of an early‑stage company. Your work will be critical to our success.
• Mission‑Driven Work: Contribute directly to our mission: helping companies build and ship trusted software faster.
• Cutting‑Edge Technology: Work with modern technologies like Go, Kubernetes, cloud‑native tools, and explore applications of AI. You’ll be at the forefront of innovation in the DevSecOps space.
• Remote‑First: We are a distributed team, offering you the flexibility to work from anywhere.
• Competitive Salary, Equity, and Benefits: We offer a competitive compensation package, including meaningful equity.

Ready for the challenge? Then let’s talk!

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