Member of Technical Staff - Management

Favorited; Santa Monica (CA); On-site; USD 165,000 - 185,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Unlimited PTO

Health insurance

401(k) plan

Paid holidays

Job summary

favorited is seeking a senior engineering leader to steer the engineering organization, align product and technology priorities, and drive delivery of consumer experiences.

You will manage teams across mobile, backend, and infrastructure, partner with execs, shape architecture, and balance speed with long-term health in a fast-paced startup environment.

This on-site Santa Monica role offers impact, equity, and a culture that values ownership and high performance.

Qualifications

• 8+ years of software engineering experience with leadership or management
• Experience at startup or high-growth tech company
• Proven track record shipping consumer-focused products globally

Responsibilities

• Lead and mentor engineering teams across mobile, backend, and infrastructure.
• Partner with executive and cross-functional leaders to set priorities and milestones.
• Own engineering planning and execution to align with commitments.
• Lead technical architecture and system design across the organization.
• Translate product and business goals into technical strategies and execution plans.
• Collaborate with Product and Design to support exceptional consumer experiences.
• Build high-performing teams through hiring, mentorship, and development.
• Establish strong engineering practices around planning, code quality, reliability and delivery.
• Identify risks and blockers before milestones impact delivery.
• Invest in technical infrastructure and engineering capabilities as the company scales.
• Provide technical leadership across complex projects while empowering engineers.

Skills

Engineering leadership

Startup experience

Consumer products

Mobile development

Full-stack engineering

Backend engineering

Infrastructure engineering

Team management

System architecture

Product strategy

Executive collaboration

Communication

Autonomy

Job description

Job Title: Member of Technical Staff - Management
Location: Santa Monica, CA (On-site)
Employment Type: Full-time
Level: Senior / Leadership
Company: favorited

About favorited

At favorited, we believe that digital communities should be more than just spaces to watch content. Our platform is a place to connect, engage, and play, and empowers creators by enhancing audience participation and fostering deeper connections.

Our work culture is intense and isn’t for everyone. But, if you’re a self-starter eager to shape the future of social interaction with a team that holds itself to the highest standards, this is the place for you. We value open, yet respectful communication and real-time feedback to help each other grow quickly. If you’re passionate about gaming and have a knack for gamifying everyday life, you’ll thrive in our fast-moving, collaborative environment.

About the Role

We’re looking for a Member of Technical Staff - Management to serve as a senior leader within our engineering organization. This role combines engineering leadership, people management, technical strategy, and execution, with responsibility for helping the team deliver the products and infrastructure that power favorited.

You’ll manage and develop engineering teams while working closely with executive and cross-functional leaders across product, design, operations, and marketing. You’ll help translate company priorities into technical plans, lead architectural and planning efforts, and ensure the organization consistently delivers against key milestones.

This is a role for an experienced engineering leader who has built and scaled consumer products in startup environments and knows how to balance technical excellence with speed, product impact, and business priorities.

Responsibilities

• Lead and manage engineering teams across areas such as mobile, backend, and infrastructure.

• Partner closely with executive and cross-functional leaders to establish priorities, roadmaps, and key milestones.

• Own engineering planning and execution, ensuring teams are aligned and consistently delivering against commitments.

• Lead technical architecture and system design decisions across the organization.

• Translate product and business goals into clear technical strategies and execution plans.

• Work closely with Product and Design to ensure engineering decisions support an exceptional consumer experience.

• Build and maintain a high-performing engineering organization through hiring, mentorship, performance management, and team development.

• Establish strong engineering practices around planning, prioritization, code quality, reliability, and delivery.

• Identify technical risks, dependencies, and organizational blockers before they impact key milestones.

• Help determine where to invest in technical infrastructure, architecture, and engineering capabilities as the company scales.

• Provide technical leadership across complex projects while empowering engineers to own implementation.

• Balance short-term delivery with the long-term scalability and health of the engineering organization.

• Foster a culture of high ownership, open and respectful communication, accountability, and continuous improvement.

What We’re Looking For

• 8+ years of experience in software engineering, with meaningful experience in engineering leadership or management.

• Previous experience working at a startup or high-growth technology company.

• Proven experience building and scaling consumer-focused products globally.

• Strong engineering background in one or more of:

  • Native mobile development

  • Full-Stack engineering

  • Backend engineering

  • Infrastructure / platform engineering

• Experience managing and developing high-performing engineering teams.

• Strong understanding of software architecture, system design, and engineering planning.

• Proven ability to lead teams through 0 → 1 product development and 1 → 10+ scale.

• Strong track record of shipping products used by significant numbers of consumers.

• Ability to work effectively with executive leadership and cross-functional teams.

• Strong product instincts and an understanding of how technical decisions impact the user experience and business.

• Excellent communication skills with the ability to communicate effectively with both technical and non-technical audiences.

• Ability to operate with a high degree of autonomy, urgency, and ownership in a fast-paced environment.

What Stands Out

• Experience scaling a consumer product to millions of users globally.

• Experience leading engineering organizations through periods of rapid growth.

• Background in gaming, livestreaming, social, or other highly interactive consumer products.

• Experience building mobile applications and/or real-time consumer experiences.

• Strong technical depth that allows you to engage meaningfully in architectural and engineering discussions.

• Experience building teams and engineering processes from the ground up.

• A passion for creating products that bring together gaming, social interaction, livestreaming, and creators.

• Someone who can move comfortably between technical architecture, product strategy, and people leadership.

Salary & Benefits

Compensation: $165k - $185k base salary + equity

Benefits Include:

• Unlimited PTO to prioritize work-life balance.

• 401(k) plan to invest in your future.

• Comprehensive health insurance to support your well-being.

• Paid company holidays to recharge.

• Competitive salary that values your expertise and contributions.

Where You’ll Work: This is a full-time, on-site position in Santa Monica.

EEOC Statement

We are an equal opportunity employer and all qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability status, protected veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by law.