Manager, Engineering (Backend Development)

At Sonatus, we’re driving the transformation to AI-enabled software-defined vehicles. Traditional automotive software methods can’t keep pace with consumer expectations shaped by the mobile industry—where features evolve rapidly, update seamlessly, and improve continuously. That’s why leading OEMs trust Sonatus to accelerate this shift. Our technology is already in production across more than 6 million vehicles on the road today and rapidly expanding.

Headquartered in Sunnyvale, CA, with 250+ employees worldwide, Sonatus combines the agility of a fast-growing company with the scale and impact of an established partner. Backed by strong funding and proven by global deployment, we’re solving some of the most interesting and complex challenges in the industry. Join us and help redefine what’s possible as we shape the future of mobility.

We are seeking a highly technical, execution-focused Cloud Backend Engineering Manager to serve as the technical lead for our core cloud engineering pod. In this role, you will drive technical excellence through active, hands-on implementation and maintain deep module-level ownership of core system components.

You will participate in the technical roadmap definition, own the end-to-end execution of major platform components, and lead a talented team designing the server-side backend architectures that power next-generation software-defined vehicle platforms. You will be responsible for building the scalable, high-throughput cloud networks that interface directly with physical edge hardware, processing complex vehicle datasets from distributed fleets globally.

Role and Responsibilities:

• Hands-on Implementation & Module Ownership: Actively write core, high-performance Go/cloud infrastructure code while maintaining direct ownership over the architecture, quality, and technical health of critical backend modules.
• Logger & Ingestion Pipeline Ownership: Design and optimise highly resilient, distributed cloud-native ingestion services capable of parsing, sorting, and processing massive binary or structured data payloads streaming from vehicle edge data loggers.
• Remote Fleet Command & Control: Architect the configuration and orchestration APIs used to safely push configuration scripts, remote triggers, and firmware updates downward to vehicle loggers under constrained or intermittent cellular network conditions.
• Team Evolution & AI Growth: Scale, recruit, mentor, and grow a highly technical AI backend engineering team responsible for core AI development, automation loops, and platform integrations. 
• Database & Storage Strategy: Implement storage-tiering architectures (SQL, NoSQL, and OLAP databases) designed to transition data pipelines from real-time streaming alerts into cold-storage data lakes efficiently and cost-effectively.
• Technical Mentorship & Code Governance: Drive technical excellence across the pod by establishing rigorous code reviews, automated CI/CD pipelines, and robust service testing guardrails.
• Cross-Functional Alignment & Execution: Deliver major platform components on schedule, acting as a definitive technical authority for your backend pod who translates system requirements into concrete deliverables for product managers, front-end developers, and international engineering hubs.

Requirements:

• Education: Bachelor’s or Master’s degree in Computer Science, Software Engineering, or a related field.
• Experience: 9+ years of backend software development experience, with a proven track record of leading technical engineering squads as a Tech Lead, Component Owner, or Engineering Manager.
• Logger System Domain Familiarity: Strong experience interacting with or building the cloud/server-side components of hardware data logger ecosystems (e.g., Intrepid Control Systems’ Wireless neoVI, neoVI Plasma, Vector data logging servers, or equivalent industrial IoT/automotive edge-to-cloud architectures).
• Telemetry Data Handling: Conceptual or practical understanding of processing vehicle bus protocols (CAN, LIN, Automotive Ethernet) and their associated log file representations (e.g., BLF, MDF4, PCAP) at the cloud ingestion layer.
• AI Implementation: Proven track record of successful development of an AI/ML feature, intelligent workflow, or model pipeline delivered into a production distributed cloud environment. 
• Cloud & Infrastructure Stack: Proficiency with public cloud platforms, utilizing microservices, serverless solutions, containerization (Docker), and orchestrators (Kubernetes).
• Programming Languages: Advanced proficiency in Go (strongly preferred) or other low-latency systems-level back-end languages (e.g., Rust, Java, C++).
• Distributed Processing: Experience scaling real-time distributed message fabrics and streaming compute engines (e.g., Kafka, RabbitMQ, Spark Pipelines).
• Decisive Delivery: Exceptional communication and problem-solving skills; a technical leader who can drive the engineering execution of complex modules while collaborating across global time zones.

Ireland Office Benefits & Perks Offered:

• Time off (national holidays and statutory annual leave provisions apply)
• Private Medical and Dental Insurance (for you and your dependents)
• Income protection and Life insurance benefits
• Occupational Pension Plan - Sonatus match up to 5% of your contribution
• Wellness benefit allowance
• Phone & internet reimbursement
• Computer Accessory Allowance
• Daily Deliveroo Lunch Credit
• Hybrid office work-arrangement