Senior Engineering Manager, Advanced Cryptographic Engineering

Block is one company built from many blocks, all united by the same purpose of economic empowerment. The blocks that form our foundational teams - People, Finance, Counsel, Hardware, Information Security, Platform Infrastructure Engineering, and more - provide support and guidance at the corporate level. They work across business groups and around the globe, spanning time zones and disciplines to develop inclusive People policies, forecast finances, give legal counsel, safeguard systems, nurture new initiatives, and more. Every challenge creates possibilities, and we need different perspectives to see them all. Bring yours to Block.
The Role
Advanced Cryptographic Engineering (ACE) builds the infrastructure that safeguards Block's most sensitive data and enables the company to meet its risk and compliance goals at scale. The team's mission is to provide modern cryptographic standards, engineer-friendly key management, and flexible key lifecycles through services and libraries that product engineers across Block rely on daily.
We design and operate systems using proven isolation technologies such as Hardware Security Modules (HSMs) and Trusted Execution Environments (TEEs), ensuring sensitive keys are protected and managed safely throughout their lifecycle. Our customers are Block's internal engineering teams-from Cash App to Square and our goal is to make cryptography simple, scalable, and self-serve so product teams can focus on building while ACE ensures compliance and data protection.
As Senior Engineering Manager, you will lead this team of backend engineers to deliver high-quality, automation-driven cryptographic infrastructure. You'll be responsible for defining and executing the roadmap, maturing engineering practices, reducing technical debt, and driving multi-quarter initiatives that improve scalability, reliability, and developer experience. Success in this role requires pragmatism over idealism, a strong software engineering foundation, and the ability to empower technical leaders while communicating clearly with stakeholders across Block.
You Will

• Lead a team of backend engineers building cryptography and key management infrastructure used by internal product teams across Block.
• Partner with engineering and security leadership to define and execute ACE's roadmap-focusing on scalability, reliability, and developer experience.
• Establish and reinforce strong software engineering practices that improve quality, velocity, and reliability.
• Guide the team through multi-quarter technical initiatives, including tech-debt reduction, system migrations, and scalability improvements.
• Advocate for automation and self-serve tooling, reducing toil and high-touch workflows in favor of durable platforms.
• Empower TLs and ICs to lead technically; provide clarity and context rather than micromanaging decisions.
• Communicate strategy and progress effectively to stakeholders across Block (BASE, InfoSec, product engineering teams).

You Have

• 10+ years of software engineering experience at a technology company.
• 5+ years of engineering management experience leading backend or platform services teams at scale.
• Proven ability to mature engineering processes and practices in organizations larger than Block.
• Track record of shipping internal platforms/services used by other engineering teams.
• Pragmatic, iterative approach to delivery-able to align stakeholders while making steady progress toward a long-term vision.
• Excellent communication skills: can articulate trade-offs, priorities, and decisions to diverse audiences.

Nice to Have

• Exposure to or interest in security/cryptography
• Experience managing complex legacy systems and executing long-term modernization plans.
• Background in building automation-driven platforms with self-serve tooling.

We're working to build a more inclusive economy where our customers have equal access to opportunity, and we strive to live by these same values in building our workplace. Block is an equal opportunity employer evaluating all employees and job applicants without regard to identity or any legally protected class. We will consider qualified applicants with arrest or conviction records for employment in accordance with state and local laws and "fair chance" ordinances.
We believe in being fair, and are committed to an inclusive interview experience, including providing reasonable accommodations to disabled applicants throughout the recruitment process. We encourage applicants to share any needed accommodations with their recruiter, who will treat these requests as confidentially as possible. Want to learn more about what we're doing to build a workplace that is fair and square? Check out our I+D page .
While there is no specific deadline to apply for this role, U.S. roles are typically open for an average of 55 days before being filled by a successful candidate. Please refer to the date listed at the top of this job page for when this role was first posted.
Block takes a market-based approach to pay, and pay may vary depending on your location. U.S. locations are categorized into one of four zones based on a cost of labor index for that geographic area. The successful candidate's starting pay will be determined based on job-related skills, experience, qualifications, work location, and market conditions. These ranges may be modified in the future.
To find a location's zone designation, please refer to this resource . If a location of interest is not listed, please speak with a recruiter for additional information.
Zone A:
$263,600 - $395,400 USD
Zone B:
$263,600 - $395,400 USD
Zone C:
$263,600 - $395,400 USD
Zone D:
$263,600 - $395,400 USD
Use of AI in Our Hiring Process
We may use automated AI tools to evaluate job applications for efficiency and consistency. These tools comply with local regulations, including bias audits, and we handle all personal data in accordance with state and local privacy laws.
Contact us at [email protected] with hiring practice or data usage questions.
Every benefit we offer is designed with one goal: empowering you to do the best work of your career while building the life you want. Remote work, medical insurance, flexible time off, retirement savings plans, and modern family planning are just some of our offering. Check out our other benefits at Block.
Block, Inc. (NYSE: XYZ) builds technology to increase access to the global economy. Each of our brands unlocks different aspects of the economy for more people. Square makes commerce and financial services accessible to sellers. Cash App is the easy way to spend, send, and store money. Afterpay is transforming the way customers manage their spending over time. TIDAL is a music platform that empowers artists to thrive as entrepreneurs. Bitkey is a simple self-custody wallet built for bitcoin. Proto is a suite of bitcoin mining products and services. Together, we're helping build a financial system that is open to everyone.