Senior Platform Engineering Manager - Build Backend

Rippling; Seattle (WA); On-site; USD 207,000 - 345,000; Full time

Job summary

Rippling is hiring a Senior Engineering Manager for the Platform team in Seattle. You will lead a high-performing group building foundational systems and shared platform capabilities.

You’ll set strategy, drive backend design and operation, and collaborate with product leaders to balance long-term platform investments with immediate priorities. The role requires deep backend expertise, 4+ years managing engineers, and a track record of delivering complex cross-team initiatives.

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 technical depth in backend architecture and experience operating highly available systems at scale.
• Strong architectural judgment and the ability to balance long-term investments with near-term business needs.

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 high standards for architecture, reliability and security.
• Hire, mentor, and develop engineers, creating growth opportunities and increasing 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

Backend systems

Distributed

Engineering mgmt

Platform

Job description

Rippling is hiring a Senior Engineering Manager for the Platform team in Seattle. You will lead a high-performing group building foundational systems and shared platform capabilities.

You’ll set strategy, drive backend design and operation, and collaborate with product leaders to balance long-term platform investments with immediate priorities. The role requires deep backend expertise, 4+ years managing engineers, and a track record of delivering complex cross-team initiatives.