Engineering Manager

Posted Feb 12

About Tailscale 

Tailscale builds software that makes it easy to securely interconnect people and their devices, no matter where they are. From hobbyists to multinational corporations, teams of every size use Tailscale each day to protect their networks, share access to internal tools, and more. We're building a future for the Internet that's easy, small and safe, like it used to be. Founded in 2019 and fully distributed, we're backed by Accel, CRV, Insight, Heavybit, and Uncork Capital. 

Description

We’re seeking a talented and motivated full-time Software Engineering Manager to join our growing team. You will work as part of the engineering team to:

  • Provide guidance, mentorship, and career development for a team of software engineers.
  • Contribute toward the success of our Product organization which includes Engineering, Product Management, and Design. We operate in Pods of 2-4 engineers plus a Product Manager and Designer, and each Engineering Manager handles 2-3 such Pods.
  • Pods work across the codebase to implement features, address shortcomings, and answer customer requests. Pods have substantial agency in choosing what to work on.
  • Provide technical direction in projects as needed, as well as growing the technical leadership capabilities of the engineers reporting to you.
  • Help in growing the organization: interviewing and recruiting, guiding the development of the engineering culture, developing processes as we grow.

At our current size, engineering managers join in an individual contributor capacity to come up to speed on the product, team, culture, and codebase. The move into a primarily management role happens over the course of several months. The amount of IC engineering work is expected to drop substantially over time but will always remain a portion of the role’s requirements. We want managers to stay in touch with the reality of the engineering work and be involved in its development.

Because we’re an early-stage and fully remote company, we’re looking for a motivated individual who can help move the product forward. The ability to think on your feet, collaborate with highly technical teams, and comfort working asynchronously are essential.

Responsibilities:

  • Experience as a people manager: we are not yet at a size and level of maturity as an engineering org to provide the training and support for someone new in the management role.
  • Achieve significant business outcomes through cross-functional collaboration with product managers, data scientists, and designers
  • Help your team to improve their performance, the quality of their work; make major design decisions
  • Hire, nurture, and oversee a team of engineers while fostering an atmosphere of psychological well-being, embracing diversity and promoting inclusion. 

Requirements:

  • Experience with authentication/authorization protocols and frameworks such as 0Auth2, OIDC, SSO, SAML, and vendors such as Okta/Auth0
  • Background in one or more of the skillsets used within Tailscale Engineering; management benefits from having the context to understand the work of the team. At this time, expertise in one of the following would be especially relevant:
  1. Networking including L4-L7 connectivity, browser and DNS behaviors, BGP and related protocols
  2. Data Engineering including Snowflake, dbt, Rudderstack, and similar tools
  • Experience developing in Go, used for much of the system. Previous experience in #golang makes ramping up quicker
  • Ability to give and process constructive feedback, as well as work independently
  • Flexibility to adjust to the dynamic nature of a startup

For this position, our target salary range is $190,000-$255,000 USD (paid in your local currency). As a company, we strive to maintain fair and equitable compensation practices within our team across all roles and all levels.

Frequently cited statistics show that people who identify with historically marginalized groups are likely to apply to jobs only if they meet 100% of the qualifications. We encourage you to help us break that statistic!

What We Offer

  • An inclusive, flexible environment where you can be your authentic self. We recognize the impact diverse voices and backgrounds have on the growth of our people, our product, and our company. And that flexibility in how and when you work empowers our team to balance work and life.
  • A competitive total compensation package. This includes base salary and an equity incentive plan.
  • Comprehensive group benefits with no waiting period. Take advantage of coverage for health, vision, dental, and more for you and your family!
  • Remote-first with the opportunity to work from anywhere—enjoy a change of scenery wherever you can get wifi and join our company retreats with fellow Tailscalars!
  • Support for your personal and professional development. Grow your career thoughtfully with $1500 USD annually for professional development, leverage our conference budget to learn from experts in your field, or take advantage of mentorship, coaching, and internal promotion opportunities. 
  • Paid time off and a healthy work-life balance. Our flexible, paid time off program supports you for any situation life throws your way, whether you're moving or travelling the world! We encourage all Tailscalars to take 4-6 weeks of vacation annually. 
  • A build-your-own home office setup. You choose your own company-owned laptop (MAC or PC), receive a monthly home internet reimbursement, and $1000 USD to customize your workstation to make it your own. 
  • Generous parental leave program from your first day. We care about your life outside of work and encourage new parents to take advantage of parental leave top-ups for up to 26 weeks.