Software Engineering Manager

About Us

We’re Impulse. We’re a team of engineers, designers, and innovators based in San Francisco who believe making good decisions for your home and the environment should not come at a cost to your lifestyle. We’re dedicated to building delightful, high-performance products for everyday needs that enable rewarding, long-term, scalable solutions for whole-home electrification. 

About the Role

Impulse is seeking a Software Engineering Manager to lead and scale our growing software team in San Francisco. In this leadership role, you’ll work closely with cross-functional teams - including hardware, product management, leadership - to develop robust, high-performance software experiences that power our connected hardware products and help our partners implement the same experiences in their products. You’ll be responsible for technical direction, team development, and execution of key software initiatives across embedded systems, mobile/web platforms, and cloud infrastructure. 

We’re looking for someone excited to be part of an early-stage, VC-backed startup building innovative products that drive systemic change in the home electrification space.

Location: Design District, San Francisco, CA. Commuting to Impulse San Francisco HQ is expected. Strong preference for fully on-site, although open to remote 1-2 days per week.

What you’ll be doing

• Lead and manage a high-performing software engineering team across embedded, cloud, and application layers.

• Drive the development of software systems supporting our flagship product, the Impulse Cooktop, and future platform features.

• Partner with hardware leads to ensure smooth integration between physical products and digital experiences.

• Help define and enforce engineering best practices.

• Guide architectural decisions and system design with a focus on scalability, performance, and user experience.

• Mentor and grow engineers through coaching, technical guidance, and performance development.

• Collaborate with Product Managers to prioritize features and align roadmaps with hardware build timelines.

• Actively shape our software development culture in a fast-paced startup environment.

• Working closely with technical program management on prioritization and scheduling for the software team.

This is considered a senior role, and as such, we’re looking for:

• 7+ years of experience in software engineering with at least 3 years in a management or leadership role.

• Proven success leading software teams in fast-paced product environments, ideally with hardware/software integration.

• A track record of building and shipping high-quality consumer electronics, automotive, or IoT products.

• Exceptional communication and collaboration skills - able to effectively communicate complex technical topics across the organization in the interest of driving decisions and execution. You will also be working within a globally-distributed team in different time zones where conciseness of live and asynchronous communication is key.

• Experience with agile project management practices and fast-paced product development cycles.

• Experience with Rust, or experience in a similar language (e.g. C, C++, C#) is required.

• Experience with software development for embedded systems and systems engineering considerations for design and implementation of embedded systems is a plus.

• Experience with safety-critical systems development and certification in the appliance, automotive, aerospace, or consumer electronics space is a plus.

• Comfortable working at a Series A hardware startup with all that entails; if you’re interested but unsure what life at Impulse is like, make sure to ask us all about it when you connect with us!

What’s in it for you:

• Meaningful equity in a fast-moving company with top investors.

• Generous benefits include health, vision, dental, commuter, and fitness.

• Help define culture for a diverse, inclusive, and global team.

Impulse is an equal-opportunity employer. We celebrate diversity and prohibit discrimination and harassment. We are committed to creating an inclusive environment for all employees where everyone feels safe and welcome.

Our Interview Process

At Impulse, we want to make sure the fit is right for both you and us! Our interview process is designed to help us get to know each other better. Here’s what you can expect:

• Introduction call with our People Operations team

• Phone Screen with the Hiring Manager

• On-site Technical Interviews with the team, including the CEO and COO

We’re excited to meet you and help you figure out if Impulse is the right fit for you!