Lead Support Engineer - TSE Coaching & SQL/DataDog

Motive; United States; Remote; USD 125,000 - 180,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Competitive base salary + equity

Health insurance

Flexible work environments

Job summary

Motive is seeking a Lead Support Engineer to elevate the technical authority of our Global Technical Support team. You will coach engineers, drive root-cause analysis, and deliver high-quality escalations to Backline Engineering. You will translate gaps into reusable diagnostics, SQL queries, and Datadog guides.

Ideal candidates bring 2+ years in technical leadership, deep B2B SaaS/IoT experience, and strong English communication. This is a permanent role in a fast-growing tech leader.

Qualifications

• 2+ years as Technical Lead, Senior Technical Support Specialist, or Tier 3 Support Engineer.
• Deep domain experience with B2B SaaS, IoT hardware, telematics, fleet management, or asset-management platforms.
• Advanced diagnostic and log-investigation using SQL, REST APIs, Datadog, log parsers, configurations, and scripting.

Responsibilities

• Provide technical coaching and guidance to TSEs on complex product issues.
• Improve investigation quality and ensure complete, actionable escalations to Backline Engineering.
• Create and maintain troubleshooting guides, diagnostic checklists, and reusable queries/scripts.

Skills

Technical leadership

Troubleshooting depth

Coaching peers

English communication

Education

B.S. in CS/Software Eng

Tools

SQL

REST APIs

Datadog

Job description

Motive builds cutting-edge technology utilizing AI and computer vision to improve the safety, productivity, and profitability of physical operations. Over one million drivers and 100,000 businesses across logistics, construction, field services, and agriculture trust Motive’s integrated platform to manage vehicles, equipment, and fleet spend.

As a Lead Support Engineer (TL) in the Global Technical Support organization, you will serve as the hands-on technical enablement expert and coach for our Technical Support Engineers (TSEs). This internal-facing role is designed to elevate the technical caliber, investigation discipline, and troubleshooting judgment of TSEs—helping them resolve complex SaaS and hardware issues independently and write complete, high-quality escalations to Backline Engineering. You will convert technical gaps into reusable SQL queries, diagnostic checklists, Datadog troubleshooting guides, and knowledge-base articles without owning direct customer communication.

Key Responsibilities

• Technical Coaching & Guidance: Assist TSEs with complex or unfamiliar product issues, guiding them through hypothesis formation, evidence gathering, and root-cause analysis rather than taking over the ticket.
• Investigation Discipline & Quality: Review incomplete TSE investigations to identify missing evidence, teaching engineers how to distinguish between configuration, workflow, firmware, data, hardware, or actual software defect issues.
• Backline Escalation Standards: Elevate the quality and technical rigor of TSE escalations sent to Backline Engineering, ensuring clear reproduction steps, diagnostic logs, scope, impact, and actionable tasks are included.
• Knowledge-Base & Tooling Creation: Create and maintain product-specific troubleshooting guides, technical FAQs, diagnostic checklists, and reusable SQL queries, API scripts, or Datadog log queries.
• Gap Identification & Enablement: Identify recurring TSE investigation mistakes and product knowledge gaps; design targeted coaching sessions, practice cases, and validation exercises.
• Cross-Regional Calibration: Partner with fellow Technical Leads and Senior TLs to calibrate coaching frameworks, align regional guidance, and measure sustained TSE performance improvements.

Requirements

Technical Support Leadership & Investigation Depth

• 2+ years of experience operating as a Technical Lead, Senior Technical Support Specialist, or Tier 3 Support Engineer, with a proven track record of solving complex technical issues and mentoring peers.
• Deep domain experience supporting complex B2B SaaS, IoT hardware, telematics, fleet management, logistics, compliance, or asset-management platforms.
• Advanced diagnostic and log-investigation skills using SQL, REST APIs, Datadog, log parsers, system configurations, and scripting.
• Proven experience troubleshooting multi-layered systems involving web workflows, data pipelines, hardware devices, firmware updates, integrations, and third-party APIs.
• Deep understanding of what constitutes a complete, actionable, and technically credible escalation to Backline or Tier 3/4 Engineering.
• Demonstrated ability to coach technical professionals, explaining complex software architectures and failure modes in a practical, clear manner.

Logistics & Background

• Technical background in Computer Science, Software Engineering, or equivalent practical industry experience.
• Exceptional written and spoken English communication skills for documentation, internal coaching, and engineering alignment.
• Permanent employment status with no active warnings or Performance Improvement Plans (PIPs).

Preferred Qualifications

• Prior experience within Motive’s ecosystem or direct exposure to vehicle telematics, ELD compliance, video safety, or IoT fleet hardware.
• Experience writing automated scripts (Python, Bash) or building internal developer/support tooling.
• Background in creating structured learning materials, knowledge-base architectures, or engineering onboarding programs.

Total Rewards & Benefits

• Compensation & Equity: Competitive base salary + equity stock options in a Forbes Cloud 100 company.
• Healthcare & Wellness: Comprehensive medical, dental, and vision insurance coverage options.
• Career Growth & Culture: High-impact internal technical leadership path, flexible work environments, and continuous learning opportunities within a high-growth tech leader.