Senior Platform Engineering Leader (Backend & Scale)

Rippling (Netherlands); San Francisco (CA); On-site; USD 207,000 - 345,000; Full time

Job summary

Rippling’s Platform organization builds foundational systems powering our products and enables engineering teams to move quickly and reliably. We’re seeking a Senior Engineering Manager to lead a team within Platform, shaping the technical direction of systems used across Rippling.

You’ll partner with engineering and product leaders to identify shared needs, build reusable capabilities, and balance long-term platform investments with immediate business priorities.

Qualifications

• 8+ years of software engineering experience building backend platforms or distributed systems.
• 4+ years of engineering management experience leading high-performing teams.
• Experience building shared platforms, infrastructure, frameworks, or services used by other engineering teams.
• Strong backend architecture depth and experience operating highly available systems at scale.
• Strong architectural judgment balancing long-term investments with near-term business needs.
• Track record of delivering complex initiatives involving multiple teams and stakeholders.
• Experience partnering with internal customers to drive platform adoption and measurable improvements.
• A track record of hiring, developing, and retaining exceptional engineering talent.
• Strong execution skills, including prioritization, planning, and navigating ambiguity.
• Excellent communication skills and the ability to influence technical and nontechnical stakeholders.

Responsibilities

• Lead and grow a high-performing engineering team building foundational systems and shared platform capabilities
• Define your team’s technical strategy and roadmap in partnership with engineering and product stakeholders
• Drive the design, development, and operation of scalable, reliable, and highly performant backend systems
• Partner with teams across Rippling to understand their needs and deliver capabilities that support multiple products
• Lead complex initiatives from technical planning through delivery and adoption
• Maintain a high bar for architecture, code quality, reliability, security, and operational excellence
• Hire, mentor, and develop engineers, creating clear opportunities for growth and increasing technical ownership
• Build a culture of accountability, collaboration, and thoughtful technical decision-making
• Influence architectural decisions across teams and help evolve Rippling’s platform as the business scales

Skills

8+ years backend

4+ yrs management

Shared platforms

Backend architecture

Architectural judgment

Cross-team delivery

Customer collaboration

Hiring & mentoring

Execution & prioritization

Communication

Job description

Rippling’s Platform organization builds foundational systems powering our products and enables engineering teams to move quickly and reliably. We’re seeking a Senior Engineering Manager to lead a team within Platform, shaping the technical direction of systems used across Rippling.

You’ll partner with engineering and product leaders to identify shared needs, build reusable capabilities, and balance long-term platform investments with immediate business priorities.