Engineering Manager

Job description

Engineering Manager, Billing and Internal Tools

Aiven

We’re a global team of over 400 people, working together to push the boundaries of open-source technology and multi-cloud solutions. Our vision is to become the trusted Data & AI Platform for everyone, leveraging the most popular open-source technologies like Apache Kafka®, Aiven for PostgreSQL®, Aiven for Clickhouse®, and Aiven for OpenSearch®. to help companies accelerate time-to-market, drive efficiency, and build innovative solutions across any cloud.

Who we are:

So, how do we become the trusted open-source data platform for everyone? By listening closely to our customers and taking action to ensure they achieve their business goals. You see, the software we create is merely a means of delivering value. Our thinking is customer-first. That’s why our customers are at the front and center of all we do. And in the spirit of sideways thinking, we’re by their side as well. Actively helping them solve their challenges. Collaborating. Sharing. And innovating. In other words, it really isn’t just about who we are. It’s about who our customers are – and where they want to be.

About this Team:

In our Product team at Aiven, we believe engineers can drive significant impact through coding and problem solving. Here, you’ll have the opportunity to contribute to challenging projects that transcend the cloud provider limitations, work alongside exceptional engineers, and continuously expand your technical expertise. We strive to create an environment that encourages problem solving and results over following directions, so we make better decisions for our customers, our products and our employees.

Our Crabby Principles:

Aiveners use the V2MOM framework to set and align on business goals. In order to achieve those business goals we live by our ‘Crabby Principles’ which unite us in our ways of working, globally.

These principles are embedded in our business processes and support us in collaborating and role modelling positive and productive behaviours in our daily work, something you will have the opportunity to demonstrate throughout your interview journey with us.

The Role:

We are looking for a skilled Engineering Manager to lead our Billing and Internal Tools team. This is a critical role focused on two of our critical platform capabilities: Expanding and maintaining our billing systems and the internal tools that enable our internal customers to scale Aiven.

You will report to the Head of Platform, working closely with your engineering team and product manager to drive revenue through three core responsibilities:

• Operational Excellence: Ensure the resilience and integrity of our billing systems and integrations.
• Customer Satisfaction: Support our existing external and internal customer base by resolving escalated support issues and collaborating with them to understand and solve their needs.
• Product Differentiation: Ideate and develop innovative new features that attract our target customer segment, drive product engagement, and ultimately fuel growth.

What You’ll Do:

• Strategic Planning: Partner with the Product Manager and Domain Head to create the team’s roadmap, balancing business growth with essential engineering initiatives. Ability to identify technical debt, and balance innovation with stability is vital.
• Project Management: Oversee the team’s backlog and projects, providing clear, timely, and actionable updates to stakeholders on progress and potential blockers.
• Leadership & Delivery: Champion a culture of urgency and ownership to deliver impactful results. You’ll be accountable for the team’s delivery in all aspects, including quality, security, and reliability.
• Team Enablement: Empower your team to act as “product custodians” by consistently addressing foundational and production issues.
• Performance & Development: Provide clear goals and feedback to manage expectations and drive both individual and team performance.
• Team Facilitation: Lead team meetings, such as planning sessions and retrospectives, to continuously improve workflows and delivery.
• Culture Building: Foster a psychologically safe, high-trust environment where curiosity and healthy debate are encouraged.
• Collaboration: Ensure effective communication and collaboration both within the team and across the wider organization.

What We’re Looking For:

Our engineering managers have a hands-on programming background, and we expect them to have a meaningful say in technical conversations. While we typically look for at least five years of hands-on experience and two years in a people leadership role, your accomplishments matter more than years on a resume. Whether you’re a manager with a strong technical core, or a staff engineer looking to dive deeper into people leadership, we want to hear about the products you’ve shipped, the impact they had, and what you learned along the way.

Leadership skills:

• People Leadership: A proven track record of leading diverse teams, from junior to senior engineers, to successfully deliver software products.
• Product Thinking: A strong product sense that enables your team to design innovative, cloud-native products that stay ahead of the curve.
• Communication: Excellent communication skills in English, with the ability to effectively engage directly with customers.
• Adaptability: The ability to bring order and clarity to a dynamic, ambiguous environment, a trait essential in a fast-growing tech company.
• Team Building: Experience in recruiting engineering talent and a deep understanding of what it takes to build and retain high-performing teams.
• Agile Expertise: Experience with agile software development methodologies.

Technical skills:

• Distributed Systems: Experience in building and designing distributed systems in a cloud environment.
• Database Concepts: Strong knowledge of database fundamentals, including OLAP vs. OLTP, persistence, replication, and clustering.
• Observability: A good grasp of monitoring and observability tools like Prometheus, Grafana, and OpenTelemetry.
• SQL Proficiency: The ability to work with SQL to interact with our platform’s master database.
• Release & Quality: Deep understanding of release management and testing best practices to own the delivery pipeline.
• Problem-Solving: A genuine interest in solving complex technical challenges with customer-focused solutions.

Our Offer:

If you ask us what’s the best thing about working for Aiven, many will probably say it’s the high concentration of talent from around the world that we have here. Enjoy the agile environment of a hyperscale scale-up where you can truly make an impact and have fun while at it.

We invest in you:

• Participate in Aiven’s equity plan.
• With Aiven locations spanning the globe, we want all of our crabs to find the right balance with our hybrid work policy.
• Get the equipment you need to set yourself up for success.
• Step up your career game with real employer support (use one of our learning platforms, annual learning budget, and more).
• Get holistic wellbeing support through our global Employee Assistance Program.

Make a difference at Aiven:

• Contribute to open-source projects that you find meaningful outside of work - and get paid for it! Our Plankton program recognizes extra work to the open-source ecosystem for developers and non-developers alike.
• Use up to 5 days per year to volunteer for a good cause of your choice.
• Join one of our team member resource groups - empower yourself and others in missions that resonate with you.

What else:

• Your wellbeing matters: we provide professional massage at the office as well as health and fitness benefits through Urban Sport Club membership.
• Love breakfast? So do we! Join us at our monthly team breakfast.
• Know someone who would be the perfect fit for Aiven? You can benefit from our referral bonus programme as soon as you join.

Amazing! What’s next:

Once applying you should hear from our Talent Experience team within 5 days regarding the status of your application. If you are selected to move forward you can generally expect 4 stages with us

1. 60-minute call with one of our Talent Experience Partners
2. 60-minute Depth of Expertise Interview with the hiring manager
3. 60-minute Skills Interview / Presentation with the wider team
4. 60-minute Crabby Principles Interview

How to Recognise and Avoid Employment Scams:

There has been a rise in fake job postings used by scammers to get personal information. Please familiarise yourself with the red flags of a potential scam.

Here at Aiven, all of our emails relating to recruitment come from an @aiven.io, @greenhouse.io or @eu.greenhouse.io domain and all of our interviews are conducted over video call or in person, our interviews will never occur over text or chat. If you’re unsure of the legitimacy of a job opportunity/offer pertaining to Aiven, please don’t hesitate to reach out to us at [email protected].

Equal Opportunities:

Aiven provides equal employment opportunities to all qualified employees and applicants for employment without regard to age, gender identity, national or ethnic origin, religion, sexual orientation, physical and mental ability, marital and family status or without regard to any other similar personal attributes. Aiven complies with applicable local laws governing non-discrimination in employment in every location in which the company operates. This policy applies to all terms and conditions of employment, including recruiting, hiring, placement, promotion, termination, layoff, transfer, leaves of absence, compensation, training and any other terms and conditions related to employment.

At Aiven, we are committed to providing reasonable accommodations for qualified individuals with disabilities or special needs in our working environment and job application procedures. We make all reasonable accommodations for persons with disabilities or who otherwise need support to thrive in the workplace. We are committed to continuously improving workplace accessibility. There is an option to request a discussion in the application process but if you have any questions before applying please write to us at [email protected].