Engineering Manager (Backend)

About Neo 

AI is the most significant shift in how work gets done since the advent of the Internet — yet most organizations fail to capture its value. Neo is changing that. 

Founded by Bhavin Turakhia — Co-Founder of Zeta, Radix, and Titan — Neo is building an integrated, AI-first suite of products that capture work, centralize context, and make AI a first-class participant in every workflow: 

• Tasket — A radically reimagined, AI-native, work management platform that centralizes context and makes AI delegation seamless for all work. 

• Friday — AI Assistant, co-worker and agent platform, pre-integrated into Tasket, Studio, Drive and 1000+ SaaS platforms. 

• Studio — AI-native suite for co-creating docs, spreadsheets and diagrams collaboratively with humans and agents. 

• Drive — AI-native repository, where humans and agents can co-work on files. 

• Scribe — AI assistant for meetings that goes beyond note-taking and actually does your work while on the call. 

About the role

Manager - Software Development will play a key role in driving the technical direction, fostering innovation, and ensuring the successful delivery of software projects.

Responsibilities

• Leadership and Team Management: Lead and manage a team of software engineers, providing guidance, mentorship, and support. Foster a positive and collaborative team culture. Conduct performance reviews and set career development plans for team members.

• Project Management: Oversee the planning, execution, and delivery of software development projects. Define project scope, goals, and deliverables. Work with cross-functional teams to ensure projects are delivered on time and within budget.

• Technical Oversight: Provide technical leadership and guidance to the development team. Collaborate with architects and senior engineers to define technical strategies and best practices. Ensure adherence to coding standards and development processes.

• Resource Allocation: Allocate resources effectively to meet project deadlines. Work with stakeholders to prioritize features and functionalities.

• Risk Management: Identify and mitigate risks associated with software development projects. Implement strategies to handle unforeseen issues that may arise during development.

• Collaboration: Collaborate with product managers, UX/UI designers, and other stakeholders to understand requirements and define project goals. Foster effective communication between cross-functional teams.

• Process Improvement: Continuously evaluate and improve development processes. Implement best practices for software development, testing, and deployment.

• Quality Assurance: Ensure the delivery of high-quality software by implementing and monitoring quality assurance processes. Oversee testing activities to identify and address defects.

• Technology Evaluation: Stay informed about industry trends and emerging technologies. Evaluate and recommend new tools and technologies to improve the development process.

• Client/Stakeholder Communication: Communicate effectively with clients, stakeholders, and senior management. Provide regular updates on project status, milestones, and potential risks.

• Training and Development: Identify training needs within the team and facilitate skill development. Encourage continuous learning and professional growth for team members.

• Escalation Handling: Handle critical issues and escalations, providing timely resolution and communication.

• Compliance: Ensure compliance with relevant regulations, security standards, and company policies.

• Strategic Planning: Contribute to the development of long-term strategic plans for the software development team.

Skills

• Technical Proficiency: Understanding of various programming languages and technologies to effectively communicate with the development team. Ability to contribute to architectural decisions and guide the team in designing scalable and maintainable systems. Proficiency in identifying and solving technical challenges.

• Leadership and Management: Ability to lead and inspire a development team, fostering a collaborative and positive work environment. Proficiency in project planning, resource allocation, and tracking progress to ensure timely and successful project delivery. Strong decision-making skills, including the ability to make tough decisions and provide clear rationale.

• Communication: Effective communication with internal and external stakeholders, including product managers, executives, and other departments. Clear and concise communication with team members, ensuring everyone is on the same page and well-informed. Ability to address and resolve conflicts within the team or between team members.

• People Management: Providing guidance and support for the professional development of team members. Implementing performance metrics and conducting regular performance reviews. Participating in the recruitment process and building a skilled and cohesive team.

• Quality Assurance: Conducting thorough code reviews to ensure adherence to coding standards and best practices. Establishing and enforcing quality assurance processes to deliver high-quality software.

• Adaptability and Learning: Ability to adapt to changing priorities and technologies in the dynamic field of software development. Staying updated on industry trends, emerging technologies, and best practices.

• Interpersonal Skills: Collaborating effectively with cross-functional teams, understanding their needs and aligning development efforts. Skilled in negotiating with stakeholders to reach agreements on project scope, timelines, and priorities.

Experience and Qualifications

• 8+ years of strong experience managing software projects right from inception to launch, seeing the full lifecycle, building enterprise systems including at least 2 years of direct people management experience

• Worked on large scale java / JSP applications with good understanding of web stack

• Good understanding of nuances of distributed systems

• Good understanding of relational databases (preferred - MySQL / PostgreSQL)

• Good understanding of reporting/BI systems (preferred - Crystal, Jasper)Worked with IaaS like AWS / GCP / Azure etc..

• Worked with Message Brokers and Application Containers

• Analyse, design and architect, develop and maintain software solutions across multiple projects

• Direct and provide ongoing leadership for a team of individual contributors, set objectives, review performances, define growth plan and nurture.

• Drive best practices, and is a pro with agile methodologies / practices  - SCRUM, Test Driven Development (TDD)Manage headcount, deliverables, schedules across ongoing projects, ensure that resources are appropriately allocated and timelines are met in accordance with the project roadmaps

• Bachelor’s/Master’s degree in engineering (computer science / information systems)

Equal Opportunity

Neo is an equal opportunity employer. We celebrate diversity and are committed to creating an inclusive environment for all employees. We encourage applicants from all backgrounds, cultures, and communities to apply and believe that a diverse workforce is key to our success.