Platform Engineering and Automation Manager - Waltham, Ma

Kelly Services; Waltham (MA); Hybrid; USD 180,000 - 240,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Annual Performance Bonus

Equity Participation Program

Hybrid Work Environment

Medical Insurance

Dental Benefits

Vision Benefits

Paid Time Off (PTO)

401(k)

Job summary

Motion Recruitment Partners is seeking a Platform Engineering & Automation Manager in the US – Waltham, MA (Hybrid) to lead a newly formed team focused on developer productivity, deployment automation, internal platform services, and engineering enablement. The role owns strategy and execution for improving how software is built, tested, deployed, and operated across the company.

You will lead initiatives that streamline delivery and scale platforms enabling engineers.

Qualifications

• 10+ years of software engineering experience.
• 2+ years of engineering management or technical leadership.
• Strong hands-on background in backend software engineering.
• Experience with cloud-native environments.
• Strong understanding of CI/CD pipelines and modern software delivery practices.
• Experience with Kubernetes and containerized applications.
• Knowledge of Infrastructure-as-Code tools and practices.
• Experience leading technical initiatives from planning through production.
• Strong communication, collaboration, and stakeholder management skills.
• Experience improving engineering processes, automation, or developer productivity.

Responsibilities

• Build and lead a Platform Engineering & Automation team.
• Drive improvements across the software development lifecycle.
• Develop internal platforms, tools, and services that improve developer efficiency.
• Improve deployment automation, release processes, and operational reliability.
• Partner with engineering teams to identify friction points and eliminate bottlenecks.
• Establish standards around CI/CD, observability, testing, and infrastructure automation.
• Evaluate and implement AI-powered engineering tools where appropriate.
• Lead major platform initiatives from design through production rollout.
• Mentor engineers and support their technical and professional growth.
• Contribute to long-term engineering platform strategy.

Skills

Backend engineering

Engineering leadership

Cloud-native

CI/CD

Kubernetes

Infrastructure-as-Code

Automation

Developer productivity

Stakeholder management

Tools

Kubernetes

Job description

$170 - $230

Job DescriptionA venture-backed technology company is seeking a Platform Engineering & Automation Manager to lead a newly formed team focused on developer productivity, deployment automation, internal platform services, and engineering enablement.

As the organization continues to scale, engineering leadership is investing heavily in the systems, tooling, and infrastructure that allow teams to move quickly without sacrificing quality, reliability, or security. This role will own the strategy and execution for improving how software is built, tested, deployed, and operated across the company.

The ideal candidate is a technical leader who has a strong backend engineering foundation and enjoys building teams, streamlining software delivery, and creating scalable platforms that empower developers. You'll work closely with engineering stakeholders to identify bottlenecks, implement automation, and drive measurable improvements in engineering efficiency.

Location: Waltham, MA (Hybrid) Required Skills & Experience

• 10+ years of software engineering experience
• 2+ years of engineering management or technical leadership experience
• Strong hands-on background in backend software engineering
• Experience working within cloud-native environments
• Strong understanding of CI/CD pipelines and modern software delivery practices
• Experience with Kubernetes and containerized applications
• Knowledge of Infrastructure-as-Code tools and practices
• Experience leading technical initiatives from planning through production
• Strong communication, collaboration, and stakeholder management skills
• Experience improving engineering processes, automation, or developer productivity

Desired Skills & Experience

• Experience leading Platform Engineering, Developer Productivity, or Developer Enablement teams
• Experience building internal developer platforms and self-service tooling
• Experience managing a mix of backend and infrastructure-focused engineers
• Familiarity with AI-assisted software development tools and workflows
• Experience implementing engineering automation initiatives
• Experience supporting frequent production deployments
• Experience working across distributed engineering organizations
• Startup or high-growth technology company experience

What You Will Be Doing

Daily Responsibilities

• Build and lead a Platform Engineering & Automation team
• Drive improvements across the software development lifecycle
• Develop internal platforms, tools, and services that improve developer efficiency
• Improve deployment automation, release processes, and operational reliability
• Partner with engineering teams to identify friction points and eliminate bottlenecks
• Establish standards around CI/CD, observability, testing, and infrastructure automation
• Evaluate and implement AI-powered engineering tools where appropriate
• Lead major platform initiatives from design through production rollout
• Mentor engineers and support their technical and professional growth
• Contribute to long-term engineering platform strategy

The Offer

• Base Salary: $180,000 - $240,000
• Annual Performance Bonus
• Equity Participation Program
• Hybrid Work Environment
• Opportunity to build and scale a high-impact engineering function
• Significant influence on engineering strategy and platform investments

You will receive the following benefits

• Medical Insurance
• Dental Benefits
• Vision Benefits
• Paid Time Off (PTO)
• 401(k)

Applicants must be currently authorized to work in the US on a full-time basis now and in the future.

Motion Recruitment Partners (MRP) is an Equal Opportunity Employer. All applicants must be currently authorized to work on a full-time basis in the country for which they are applying, and no sponsorship is currently available. Employment is subject to the successful completion of a pre-employment screening. Accommodation will be provided in all parts of the hiring process as required under MRP’s Employment Accommodation policy. Applicants need to make their needs known in advance.