Job description
BackerKit is the next-generation crowdfunding platform that empowers creators to bring their biggest ideas to life and live their boldest creative lives.
Built for today’s creator economy, BackerKit helps turn crowdfunding into a repeatable, reliable source of funding - powered directly by the fans you gain, keep, and grow with each campaign.
After more than a decade offering the most trusted pledge management software in the industry, we launched BackerKit Crowdfunding in 2022. In under three years, it’s hosted some of the biggest, record-breaking campaigns and creators in crowdfunding history.
Our platform is now our fastest-growing product, powering the entire crowdfunding journey - from launch to fulfillment and beyond - with built-in pledge management, email marketing, and more.
We’re a small, founder-led startup with a diverse, close-knit team that values creativity, enthusiasm, and a willingness to learn. We’re seeking an experienced Engineering Manager to lead our 6-person dev team (with plans to grow). This role reports directly to the CEO and is critical to our ability to ship valuable features, run experiments, and support our developers.
If this sounds like a fit, we’d love to hear from you.
Our tech stack
BackerKit is a Ruby on Rails “majestic monolith” deployed on Heroku. The codebase has been around since 2012, but thanks to years of careful tending, it’s pretty well-structured and well-tested.
We stay current with the latest Ruby and Rails versions, and have adopted tools like Hotwire and Tailwind where they add value. We believe in solving problems pragmatically, balancing new tools with proven ones that work well for us.
How We Work
We prioritize fast feedback, small experiments, and solving the problem in front of us - not overengineering for hypothetical futures.
Our developers:
—Pair program full-time
—Practice test-driven development
—Work in one-week iterations
—Deploy code multiple times a day
We have a mature CI setup (though not full continuous deployment), and our weekly retrospectives help us evolve our process as we grow. Nothing is sacred — if you’ve worked in similar environments (or are excited to), we’d love for you to help shape how we work.
What We’re Looking For
- Has 3–5+ years of experience as an engineering manager (Senior EMs welcome to apply)
- Has prior experience as a software developer (Ruby/Rails experience is a big plus)
- Has worked in startups or small companies
- Is enthusiastic about agile, iterative development
- Communicates clearly and effectively
- Manages time well and is proactive in a busy environment
- Is based in the U.S. and able to work Pacific Time hours (approx. 9–5 PT)
What We Offer
- Competitive salary and a great benefits package, including 401(k) matching
- Excellent work/life balance - we sign off at 5pm and take unplugged vacations
- Fantastic, diverse, and enthusiastic coworkers (many of whom are creators themselves)
- A thoughtful, mission-aligned team building tools for the future of creative work
What You’ll Do
- Align with the CEO on team strategy and direction
- Sustain and evolve our team culture and working philosophies
- Champion your team’s work and support career growth
- Meet regularly with Product to align staffing with roadmap needs
- Hold weekly 1:1s with direct reports
- Occasionally pair program with the team
- Gather 360° feedback and deliver performance reviews
- Lead leveling and promotion discussions
- Coach devs to deepen product thinking and navigate the org
- Address performance or delivery issues as they arise
- Manage time-off requests and ensure appropriate team coverage
Benefits
- Remote-first position on a distributed team
- Competitive salary and stock option plan
- Annual company profit sharing
- Stipends for supporting creators of your choosing
- Medical, dental, vision, and FSA benefits
- 401k plan (with employer match!)
- Annual Learning and Development stipend to support your professional growth
- Family-friendly environment focused on maintaining a healthy work/life balance
$177,000 - $229,000 a year
The base salary for this role is targeted at $177,000-$196,000/year for Denver and most remote locations, and $206,000,000-$229,000/year for San Francisco, Seattle, and New York City. Final offer amounts may vary from the amounts listed above and are determined by various factors including but not limited to skill set, level of relevant experience, and geographic location.
Research shows that while men apply to jobs when they meet an average of 60% of the criteria, women and other marginalized folks tend to only apply when they check every box. You do not have to satisfy every qualification listed. If you think you have what it takes and are up for the challenge, we encourage you to apply!
Please click here to learn more about our interviewing process.
We are an equal opportunity employer and value diversity at our company. We do not discriminate on the basis of race, religion, color, national origin, gender, sexual orientation, age, marital status, veteran status, or disability status.
Pursuant to the San Francisco Fair Chance Ordinance, we will consider for employment qualified applicants with arrest and conviction records.
We here at BackerKit will always respect pronouns and identities when addressing candidates who feel comfortable sharing theirs.
BackerKit is committed to a culture of inclusion and belonging. We believe that crowdfunding is for everyone, and strive to build a company that reflects the diverse backgrounds of the creators we currently serve and hope to serve in the future.
