The Role
Hands-on Engineering Manager who splits time as a senior individual contributor on client projects and a mentor/strategic leader. Leads technical discovery, audits code health, defines outcome-based goals, drives accountability, and escalates technical friction while ensuring solutions are scalable, profitable, and aligned with client objectives.
Summary Generated by Built In
Role Overview
The Engineering Manager is a high-performing, hands-on technical leader responsible for two outcomes:
(1) delivering world-class engineering work on client projects, and (2) driving department excellence through strategic vision, accountability, and mentorship. You are a "Player-Coach"—you maintain a high-impact individual contribution on client engagements while stewarding the growth and performance of Team Leads. You do not manage tasks; you manage outcomes, expectations, and architectural standards.
Location: This role is Hybrid/Remote and will require in person attendance for team meetings, events and strategic planning sessions at our office at least once per quarter, with additional visits required based on business needs.
Core Requirements
● Engineering Leadership: 5+ years in high-level engineering roles with a demonstrated ability to ship complex solutions while managing others.
● Player-Coach Mindset: Proven ability to maintain high individual velocity (85% client focus) while effectively coaching and mentoring peers.
● Technical Authority: Ability to lead technical discovery, audit codebase health, and identify architectural debt before it becomes a bottleneck.
● Performance Stewardship: Experience in setting clear, outcome-based goals and holding teams accountable to delivery standards without micromanagement.
● Business Acumen: Ability to translate technical constraints into project profitability and business value.
Key Responsibilities
Client-Facing Engineering Excellence (85%)
● High-Value Contribution: Serve as a senior-level engineer on client engagements, delivering high-quality code and architectural solutions.
● Technical Discovery: Lead technical product discovery and roadmap planning, ensuring solutions are scalable, profitable, and aligned with client business goals.
● Time-to-Impact Leadership: Model "Time-to-Impact" behaviors, including proactive risk analysis, identifying technical debt early, and streamlining developer workflows within client environments.
● Consultative Communication: Act as a bridge between technical execution and client stakeholders, translating complex risks into actionable business insights.
Strategic Stewardship & Accountability (15%)
● Leadership Mentorship: Mentor and steward Team Leads to optimize their performance as project owners. You do not manage their daily tasks; you manage their effectiveness as leaders.
● Performance Lifecycle: Own the department’s performance standards. Drive accountability for team growth, remediation, and high-performance culture.
● Audit & Governance: Periodically audit project health across the department (Quality, Velocity, Communication) to ensure delivery standards are being met, intervening only when systemic intervention is required.
Strategic Escalation: Serve as the final escalation point for technical friction, partnering with Account Executives to resolve issues and protect the delivery model.
Time Allocation
● 85% Client Focus: Individual contribution, R&D, ceremonies, and direct client delivery.
● 15% Internal MW: Mentorship, performance management, operational improvements, and internal department planning (approx. 6 hours/week).
Engineering Manager vs. Team Lead
● Team Lead: Owns their team's daily execution, YTB/EOW reporting, and the tactical health of individual contributors across their assigned projects.
● Engineering Manager: Owns the "Player-Coach" balance. They execute at a senior level on projects while holding the Team Leads accountable for their delivery metrics and leadership growth.
Skills Required
- 5+ years in high-level engineering roles with demonstrated ability to ship complex solutions while managing others.
- Proven ability to maintain high individual velocity while coaching and mentoring peers (Player-Coach mindset).
- Ability to lead technical discovery, audit codebase health, and identify architectural debt.
- Experience setting clear outcome-based goals and holding teams accountable without micromanagement.
- Business acumen to translate technical constraints into project profitability and business value.
- Ability to attend in-person team meetings/events/strategic planning at least once per quarter (Hybrid/Remote).
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The Company
What We Do
Midwestern Interactive, LLC is a U.S.-based software and product development firm that delivers cloud and mobile applications, digital strategy, and creative/media services. The company provides scoped projects, embedded engineering teams, and recruiting/talent services to help clients accelerate product development and scale technical capability. Founded in 2012 and headquartered in Joplin, MO, Midwestern focuses on end-to-end product delivery and talent partnerships for growing businesses.
