Technical Lead Engineer

Motive; United States; Remote; USD 140,000 - 200,000; Full time

Job summary

Motive is seeking a Technical Lead Engineer to join its Global Technical Support organization as an internal enablement expert for TSEs. The TL will coach TSEs, help them develop product knowledge, and improve investigation quality while working on knowledge-base improvements and reusable diagnostics.

The role emphasizes hands-on technical guidance, structured troubleshooting, and cross-team collaboration across regions.

Qualifications

• Experience coaching technical professionals and explaining complex product behavior clearly.
• Strong investigation skills using logs, SQL, APIs, DataDog, scripting, configuration analysis, and technical documentation.

Responsibilities

• Coach TSEs and guide investigations to productive next steps.
• Review investigations to improve evidence gathering and documentation.
• Develop product-specific troubleshooting guides and knowledge-base content.
• Coordinate with Backline for clarifications and root-cause analysis.
• Create and maintain reusable SQL queries and diagnostic scripts.

Skills

Coaching

Troubleshooting

Documentation

English fluency

Investigation skills

SaaS/Hardware knowledge

Education

Bachelor's degree in Computer Science or Engineering

Tools

SQL

APIs

DataDog

Scripting

Job description

Who we are: Motive empowers the people who run physical operations with tools to make their work safer, more productive, and more profitable. For the first time ever, safety, operations and finance teams can manage their drivers, vehicles, equipment, and fleet related spend in a single system. Combined with industry leading AI, the Motive platform gives you complete visibility and control, and significantly reduces manual workloads by automating and simplifying tasks. Motive serves nearly 100,000 customers – from Fortune 500 enterprises to small businesses – across a wide range of industries, including transportation and logistics, construction, energy, field service, manufacturing, agriculture, food and beverage, retail, and the public sector. Visit gomotive.com to learn more.Who We Are: Motive builds technology using the latest advancements in AI and computer vision to improve the safety and efficiency of businesses with vehicles. Over one million drivers and 100,000 companies across every industry trust Motive’s integrated platform to power their operations, prevent accidents and reduce costs. At Motive, we see our hard work rewarded in tangible ways every day, and we believe that intelligence is most powerful when paired with humility. We’re motivated by the opportunity to save lives on the road while impacting and improving every facet of multiple trillion-dollar industries that keep our physical economy moving. Motive is proud to be a Forbes Cloud 100 company, Forbes Best Startup Employer 2020, and an Inc Magazine Best Place to Work.

About the Role:

Motive is looking for an experienced Technical Lead Engineer to join our Global Technical Support organization as an internal technical enablement expert for TSEs. The TL will help TSEs build the product knowledge, troubleshooting judgment, and investigation discipline needed to resolve issues independently and eliminate direct TSE to Backline when required. This role is the hands-on technical support layer for TSEs: when a TSE is stuck, the TL helps identify the next step, explains the technical reasoning, and ensures the TSE learns from the interaction. The TL will also identify recurring gaps in product knowledge and investigation quality, then turn those gaps into coaching, product documentation, troubleshooting guides, reusable queries, and knowledge-base improvements. The role is internally focused and is not responsible for owning direct customer communication.

What You’ll Do:

• Assist TSEs with complex or unfamiliar issues when they are unable to identify the next troubleshooting step or resolution path.
• Review TSE investigations and provide actionable coaching on issue framing, hypothesis development, evidence gathering, testing, and documentation.
• Build and improve TSE knowledge of Motive products, workflows, system behavior, known limitations, hardware, integrations, and common failure modes.
• Model structured troubleshooting and teach TSEs how to move from symptoms to evidence-based conclusions.
• Help TSEs become self-sufficient by guiding them through investigations instead of taking ownership of every issue.
• Coach TSEs determine whether an issue is caused by configuration, workflow, data, hardware, firmware, integration behavior, expected product behavior, or a potential defect.
• Review and improve the quality of TSE escalations to Backline, ensuring they include clear reproduction steps, scope, impact, evidence, troubleshooting completed, and a specific task.
• Coordinate with Backline when technical clarification is needed and help TSEs understand Backline findings, resolutions, and root causes.
• Create and maintain product-specific troubleshooting guides, known-issue documentation, diagnostic checklists, technical FAQs, and reusable SQL queries or scripts.
• Identify common TSE blockers and recurring investigation mistakes, then deliver targeted coaching, examples, practice cases, and follow-up validation.
• Share recurring patterns and documentation gaps with Sr TLs for inclusion in broader enablement plans and knowledge-base priorities.
• Maintain accurate records of coaching themes and technical gaps so the TL function can measure whether TSE capability is improving.
• Partner with other TLKs to calibrate coaching approaches and maintain consistent technical guidance across teams and regions.

What We’re Looking For:

• At least 2 years of experience operating at a Technical Lead, or equivalent senior technical support level, with a strong record of solving complex technical issues and helping other engineers improve.
• Deep knowledge of Motive products or comparable experience supporting complex SaaS, hardware, fleet, logistics, compliance, safety, or asset-management platforms.
• Demonstrated ability to coach technical professionals and explain complex product behavior in a clear, practical way.
• Strong investigation skills using logs, SQL, APIs, DataDog, scripting, configuration analysis, and technical documentation where appropriate.
• Experience diagnosing issues involving product workflows, data, hardware devices, firmware, integrations, and third-party systems.
• Ability to review an incomplete investigation, identify the missing evidence or reasoning, and guide the TSE toward the next correct step.
• Strong understanding of what makes a Backline escalation complete, actionable, and technically credible.
• Ability to balance immediate assistance with long-term capability building; the goal is to teach TSEs, not create permanent dependency on TLs.
• Strong written and verbal communication skills for internal coaching, documentation, calibration, and technical discussions with Backline.
• A technical background in Computer Science, Engineering, or equivalent practical experience.
• Fluency in spoken and written English.
• Ability to work collaboratively across a global Technical Support organization.
• Permanent employment status with no active warnings or Performance Improvement Plan, consistent with internal eligibility requirements.
• Produce product documentation, troubleshooting guidance, queries, and knowledge-base content that TSEs actively use.
• Demonstrate that coaching results in sustained behavior change, not only one-time
• Creating a diverse and inclusive workplace is one of Motive's core values.

We are an equal opportunity employer and welcome people of different backgrounds, experiences, abilities and perspectives.

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The applicant must be authorized to receive and access those commodities and technologies controlled under U.S. Export Administration Regulations.

Regarding US-based roles, depending on your role and primary work location, Motive Technologies, Inc. (“Employer”) discloses candidates may be required to execute a non-compete covenant with the Employer. This requirement does not apply to lawyers, interns, or employees working in CA, MN, MT, ND, OK, or where otherwise prohibited by law. Non-compete covenant terms in all other jurisdictions will be subject to the applicable statutory requirements, including but not limited to, procedures, industry related prohibitions, or salary and compensation thresholds.

All job postings are for existing vacancies. Please note; some interviews or new-hire training sessions may be held in person at one of our global offices.