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Software Engineering Manager

Rosslyn, VA

Shift5 is redefining the future of onboard operational technology (OT). As a fast-growing scale-up, we specialize in cutting-edge cybersecurity, predictive maintenance, and compliance for OT systems across defense, aerospace, and rail. We are a team of passionate, innovative professionals who thrive in a collaborative environment, driven by a shared mission to revolutionize how fleets operate. By unlocking and democratizing the vast potential of onboard OT data, we help our customers’ fleets run smarter, safer, and more efficiently. Ready to be part of the next frontier in transportation and critical infrastructure? Come join us.

Our Values:

  • Mission First Mindset: We exist to protect the service members who defend our nation and secure the critical systems that keep our economy moving.
  • Relentless Innovation: We are motivated by the challenge of solving the toughest problems facing transportation and defense industries. 
  • Data Driven Decisions: We make decisions rooted in data. Giving our team and stakeholders a more informed perspective possible when lives and missions are on the line.

We are looking for a full-time Manager, Software Engineering to oversee the "Off-Vehicle" engineering portfolio. This role specifically leads the teams responsible for the systems and services that run outside of embedded platforms, powering the data processing, user interfaces, APIs, and backend components of the Shift5 ecosystem.

Reporting directly to the CTO, you will operate in a high-velocity startup environment, leading backend, frontend, UI, data engineering, and QA for your team. You will drive technical excellence and urgency, ensuring we ship products that literally save lives.

In this role you will be expected to:

  1. Team Leadership & Management
  • Lead By Example - Articulate strong opinions (loosely held) on how to solve technical problems formed from hands-on iteration with and in the code itself.
  • Manage Multidisciplinary Teams: Manage and develop the UI, backend, software QA, and data engineering teams.
  • Foster Growth: Provide coaching, career guidance, and performance evaluations. Invest deeply in 1:1 time with each team member to ensure they understand their requirements and goals.
  • Culture Building: Create a supportive, empowering environment where engineers feel unblocked, informed, and confident. Foster a culture of clarity, empathy, transparency, and mutual accountability.
  • Resource Management: Ensure engineers have the uninterrupted time necessary to complete tasks, supporting sustainable productivity rather than reactive churn.

      2. Technical Direction & Quality Assurance

  • Architecture & Design: Deliver high-level architectural direction—producing abstract, technology-agnostic designs—and ensure teams translate those into correct, high-quality implementations.
  • Hands-on Mentorship: Provide strong technical mentorship in GoLang, Rust, Python, HTTP/S service development, JavaScript, TypeScript, and CSS. Champion continuous learning where architectural direction flows from you, but innovation flows from the team.
  • QA & Compliance: Work with QA and engineering operations to ensure software releases are thoroughly tested throughout development and ahead of delivery.
  • Government Standards: Ensure adherence to US Government doctrine such as the NIST Secure Software Development Framework (SSDF). Oversee processes for Interim Authorization to Test (IATT) and Authorization to Operate (ATO) under the NIST Risk Management Framework (RMF).

      3. Execution, Collaboration & Strategy

  • Cross-Functional Collaboration: Work cross-functionally to identify dependencies, communicate timelines, and ensure cohesive delivery of best-in-class solutions.
  • Forward Deployed Engineering (FDE) Partnership: Collaborate closely with the Forward Deployed Engineering team to ensure the products and software produced meet and exceed the unique needs of the customer and field operations.
  • Product Delivery: Work closely with product management to build timelines, estimates, and designs for upcoming work. Assign engineers to features, decompose features into tasks, and maintain a prioritized backlog in Jira.
  • Urgency & Excellence: Maintain a high bar of velocity, urgency, and quality for all deliverables, instilling technical excellence and SDLC best practices across teams.

Required:

  • U.S. Citizenship is required.
  • Ability to obtain and maintain a U.S. Government Security Clearance.
  • Experience: 8+ Years of experience in software engineering.
  • Leadership: 5+ years of engineering leadership experience, including people management; startup and remote team management preferred.
  • Technical Proficiency: Strong hands-on experience with GoLang, Rust, Python, HTTP/S services, JavaScript, TypeScript, and CSS, with the ability to coach and mentor others in these technologies.
  • Full Stack Knowledge: Strong understanding of full-stack web development including deployment to both on-premise and cloud environments.
  • SDLC Mastery: Solid understanding of software development best practices across the SDLC.
  • Soft Skills: Excellent communication and leadership skills with a demonstrated ability to work through ambiguity and occasional changes in direction.

Preferred:

  • Active U.S. Government Security Clearance (Secret or higher).
  • Education: BS or MS in Computer Science, Computer Engineering, or equivalent.
  • Protocol Experience: Prior experience with CANbus, MIL-STD-1553, SAE J1939, ASCB, or ARINC 429.

Compensation & Benefits: 

  • Base Salary: $200,000 - $250,000
  • Bonus program and equity in a fast-growing startup
  • Competitive medical, dental, and vision coverage for employees and their families
  • Health Savings Account with annual employer contributions
  • Employer-paid Life and Disability Insurance 
  • Uncapped paid time off policy 
  • Flexible work & remote work policy 
  • Tax-deferred public transit benefits with Metro SmartBenefits (DC/MD/VA)  

We are committed to building an inclusive culture of belonging that embraces the diversity of our people and represents the communities in which we work and the customers we serve. We know the happiest and highest performing teams include people with diverse perspectives and ways of solving problems. We strive to attract and retain talent from all backgrounds and create workplaces where everyone feels empowered to bring their full, authentic selves to work.   

Shift5 is an Equal Opportunity Employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sexual orientation, gender identify, national origin, disability, age, marital status, ancestry, projected veteran status, or any other protected group or class.  

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