Hands-On Software Engineering Manager — AI, Architecture, Remote

Guaranteed Rate, Inc.; Chicago (IL); On-site; USD 180,000 - 240,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

401(k)

Vacation benefits

Medical, dental, vision benefits

Flexible benefits

Life insurance and death benefits

Commuter benefits

Pet insurance

Time off and leave benefits

Well-being benefits

Job summary

Rate is seeking a Hands-On Software Engineering Manager to lead a talented team of engineers while contributing to architecture, design, and development of core systems. You will scale the team, ensure technical excellence, and drive product innovation from concept to deployment, collaborating with Product, Design, and Engineering to deliver high-impact features.

Remote-friendly role with competitive comp and bonus structure.

Qualifications

• 10+ years of software development experience, with strong full-stack or backend development skills.
• 4+ years in an engineering leadership or team lead role with direct reports.
• Experience with microservices, event-driven architecture, or containerization (Docker, Kubernetes).
• Experience designing scalable systems and working with cloud infrastructure (AWS, GCP, Azure).
• AI driven development experience.
• Strong communication and people skills; you can inspire and align both technical and non-technical stakeholders.
• Startup or high-growth company experience is a plus.

Responsibilities

• Lead by example — Write, review, and ship production-quality code regularly (30-50% of time).
• Collaborate closely with Product, Design, and Engineering teams to deliver features that drive business outcomes.
• Mentor, coach, and grow engineers through regular 1:1s, career planning, and technical feedback.
• Drive the team to use AI methods to increase the overall development productivity.
• Own team execution and delivery: set priorities, remove blockers, and keep projects on track.
• Define and drive engineering best practices including testing, CI/CD, system design, and code quality.
• Participate in architecture reviews and help shape long-term technical direction.
• Recruit and onboard top engineering talent.

Skills

Java

React

Node.js

Python

Microservices

Event-driven

Containerization

Docker

Kubernetes

Cloud (AWS/GCP/Azure)

AI driven development

Leadership

Communication

Job description

Rate is seeking a Hands-On Software Engineering Manager to lead a talented team of engineers while contributing to architecture, design, and development of core systems. You will scale the team, ensure technical excellence, and drive product innovation from concept to deployment, collaborating with Product, Design, and Engineering to deliver high-impact features.

Remote-friendly role with competitive comp and bonus structure.