Fora is the modern travel agency, empowering anyone with a passion for travel to build a thriving advisory business. We're modernizing the $100B+ travel agency industry by combining powerful technology, data, and community to enable thousands of entrepreneurs to build on our platform. Our business-in-a-box platform gives travel entrepreneurs everything they need to launch and scale, from cutting-edge tools and personalized training to a vibrant community and exclusive industry partnerships. At the heart of it all is our mission: to help the next generation of travel entrepreneurs turn their love for travel into a fulfilling career, whether full-time or part-time. We believe that everyone, from seasoned professionals to first-time advisors, can build something both profitable and personal.
Founded in 2021 by seasoned entrepreneurs, Fora has grown steadily since, expanding to a team of 200+ full-time employees based in downtown New York City. In 2026, we announced our $60 million Series D investment round, led by Forerunner and Tactile Ventures, with continued participation from existing investors Thrive Capital, Insight Partners, and Heartcore Capital. We've also been recognized as a LinkedIn Top Startup 2024, Fast Company's Most Innovative Companies 2025 and 2023, and we were most recently recognized as one of the TIME100 Most Influential Companies 2026.
We're building the first truly unified platform for all travel needs—leveraging the best of human expertise and technology to transform how people plan and book travel.
Fora is looking for a Senior Engineering Manager to lead and empower several cross-functional sprint teams on Fora’s Finance pod. Our pod’s mission is to build the financial operating system for a new generation of travel entrepreneurs, owning the complete lifecycle from ingesting bookings and collecting commissions from suppliers to giving advisors transparency into their earnings and paying them quickly, accurately, and seamlessly. You’ll collaborate closely with Product, Design, Operations, and your engineering teams to set strategy, steer architecture, and drive impactful business outcomes across multiple teams. Our rails processed commission payments on over $1B in travel last year, so your work will involve figuring out how to move fast and stay nimble while operating on a system where pivot costs are high, errors lose money, and downtime is not an option.
We expect our managers to be masters of the craft and be able to go deep into the details, mastering the fundamentals and honing their skills. The ideal candidate is a first principles thinker who is passionate about developing people, driving technical excellence, and achieving sustainable business results through thoughtful leadership and collaboration.
Key Responsibilities- Collaborate with Product and Design to shape product strategy, ensuring that your team builds the right solutions that drive the highest impact on the business.
- Improve team efficiency and engineering velocity, ensuring your team delivers value quickly without compromising on quality, maintainability, or reliability.
- Guide architecture and technical decisions, balancing trade-offs and proactively anticipating future issues to ensure robust and scalable solutions.
- Drive operational excellence across reliability, performance, cost-efficiency, design consistency, and maintainable code.
- Promote high team engagement, employee happiness, continuous skill development, and professional growth.
- Mentor engineers, provide constructive feedback, and support direct reports to help them overcome challenges and deliver on ambitious goals.
- Perform hands-on technical work, contributing to code reviews, debugging, and implementing functionality.
- Participate in hiring processes and attracting top engineering talent to support the continued growth of your team and our organization.
- 4+ years of experience in engineering leadership roles (e.g., Engineering Manager or Tech Lead) in the consumer-facing fintech space, including 1+ years of experience managing managers.
- 8+ years experience in web systems development.
- Demonstrated ability to mentor engineers, effectively manage performance, and build highly motivated, engaged teams.
- Strong technical acumen, with experience making informed architectural decisions, addressing technical debt, and setting robust engineering standards.
- Exceptional project management and organizational skills, including the ability to break down complex projects, anticipate risks, and deliver consistently high-quality outcomes.
- Excellent communication skills, able to translate technical concepts clearly to diverse stakeholders and facilitate productive, drama-free project launches.
- Proven recruiting experience, capable of evaluating engineering candidates effectively and representing the company positively.
- A collaborative, empathetic leadership style that emphasizes humility, openness to feedback, accountability, and continuous learning.
- Entrepreneurial mindset and comfort working in an early- to mid-stage startup environment where ambiguity and pace are part of the fun.
- First-principles thinker who carefully evaluates each problem, thoughtfully choosing between established best practices and bespoke solutions, especially when designing team processes and norms.
Compensation range for this role can vary depending on experience, and for this role an indicative range is $235k-$250k + equity. Other benefits include:
- Unlimited vacation
- Health Insurance (including an option completely covered by Fora HQ)
- Dental & Vision Insurance
- Wellhub Memberships
- 401k plan with company match
- Commuter Benefits
- Supplemental Life Insurance
- Stock Options
This role is based in our beautiful New York City office (Tribeca/Fidi) with lots of natural light and great views.
We’re forging our own path
Fora has always been about driving change within the industry. We’re not interested in maintaining the status quo.
We’re stronger together
Community is our cornerstone and collective power is our strength. We believe we can all go further when we operate together, using our combined leverage to unlock better opportunities and outcomes for our advisors, partners, and travelers.
We believe in technology
We believe technology is an answer to some of the most fundamental challenges the travel industry faces. We believe advancements in AI, bold investments in our platforms, and a world-class data infrastructure will transform the work of our advisors and our partners, while creating better travel experiences for travelers.
We’re here to serve
We operate in service of our community and believe that when they’re empowered to focus on what they do best, we all win. It’s why we relentlessly advocate for our advisors and prioritize their best interest every step of the way.
We mean business
Fora is equal parts fun, meaningful work and serious travel business. We’re unlocking opportunities for thousands of travel entrepreneurs, delivering a stream of high-quality guests at scale for our partners, and providing a superior travel experience for our travelers. It’s a better equation for the future of our industry.
WORK AUTHORIZATION
Authorization to work in the United States is required for full-time roles based in our New York City office. Fora is unable to sponsor or assist with U.S. work authorization. Roles based outside of the United States are not subject to this requirement.
EQUAL OPPORTUNITY
Fora is committed to an equitable hiring process and an inclusive work environment. BIPOC and traditionally underrepresented candidates are strongly encouraged to apply. We will not discriminate and will take action to ensure against discrimination in employment, recruitment, advertisements for employment, compensation, termination, upgrading, promotions, and other conditions of employment against any employee or job applicant on the bases of race, color, gender, national origin, age, religion, creed, disability, veteran's status, sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression or any other characteristic protected by law.
Skills Required
- 4+ years of experience in engineering leadership roles in consumer-facing fintech
- 1+ years of experience managing managers
- 8+ years experience in web systems development
- Demonstrated ability to mentor engineers and manage performance
- Strong technical acumen, experience with architecture, technical debt, and engineering standards
- Exceptional project management and organizational skills
- Excellent communication skills with cross-functional stakeholders
- Proven recruiting experience and ability to evaluate engineering candidates
- Collaborative, empathetic leadership style emphasizing humility, feedback, and accountability
- Entrepreneurial mindset and comfort working in an early- to mid-stage startup environment
- First-principles thinker who thoughtfully evaluates problems and trade-offs
- Role is based in New York City office (Tribeca/Fidi)
- Authorization to work in the United States required; employer will not sponsor work authorization
Fora Compensation & Benefits Highlights
-
Healthcare Strength — Health, dental and vision insurance are listed for HQ employees, with life and disability coverage also noted on role listings. These offerings establish a solid core of medical protection.
-
Leave & Time Off Breadth — Unlimited PTO, paid holidays and a set number of “work from anywhere” weeks are publicly advertised. This mix suggests generous time-away options alongside flexible/hybrid work.
-
Strong & Reliable Incentives — Advisor compensation follows a clearly tiered commission model (commonly 70/30, with paths to 80/20 and 90/10) and payouts generally occur when suppliers pay. This structure clarifies how variable earnings progress and when money is disbursed.
Fora Insights
What We Do
Fora is the modern travel agency, redefining what it means to be a travel advisor in today’s world. We’re a next-generation platform that provides a comprehensive, business-in-a-box solution—combining cutting-edge technology, personalized training, a vibrant community, and exclusive industry partnerships—all designed to empower anyone with a passion for travel to turn that passion into a thriving business. Whether you're a travel enthusiast or an experienced professional, Fora equips you with everything needed to launch and scale a successful travel advisory business, making it the ultimate way to align work with your lifestyle. At the heart of Fora is our mission: to power the next generation of travel entrepreneurs to transform their love for travel into a fulfilling full-time or part-time career, offering unparalleled flexibility, autonomy, and support. We believe that everyone, from seasoned travel professionals to first-time entrepreneurs, can build a career that’s both profitable and aligned with their passions. Our platform combines innovative technology with the human touch, offering: Best-in-class training programs to help agents develop expert knowledge, no matter their starting point. A powerful suite of tools for booking, client management, and marketing, ensuring agents can focus on delivering exceptional travel experiences. Access to an engaged community of fellow advisors, fostering collaboration, support, and shared learning. Exclusive partnerships with top travel brands, providing access to competitive rates, perks, and experiences that elevate advisors’ offerings. Since our founding in 2021 by experienced travel entrepreneurs Henley Vazquez, Jake Peters, and Evan Frank, Fora has experienced rapid growth, expanding to a team of 130+ full-time employees based in downtown New York City. Earlier this year, we announced our $60 million Series B and C investment rounds, led by Thrive Capital and Insight Partners, with participation by previous investors including Forerunner and Heartcore Capital. This funding represents a vote of confidence in the enduring power of entrepreneurship, and secures our ability to build a category-defining travel brand. We have a vision for the future that leverages the best of humans and the best of technology to create the first truly unified platform for all travel needs - from staycation to the safari.
Why Work With Us
Fora is redefining the travel industry by challenging norms and fostering a culture of growth, curiosity, and autonomy. We invest in cutting-edge technology to fuel innovation and empower our team to drive impactful change. Here, you’ll find meaningful work with ample opportunities for internal growth.
Gallery
Fora Offices
Hybrid Workspace
Employees engage in a combination of remote and on-site work.
Fora’s workplace policy offers balance and flexibility: we’re in-office 4 days a week, enjoy 3 weeks remote annually, and have flexible Fridays—all in a bright, inviting space in Fidi/Tribeca that fosters collaboration and creativity.
