Engineering Manager

Sonar • Geneva, IL

4d • Onsite

About The Position

As an Engineering Manager at Sonar, you will lead a squad of 8 developers building, automating, and operating software used by millions of Sonar customers worldwide. You will support the professional growth and development of your team, help them build well-crafted product software, and promote a high-performance engineering culture. In collaboration with the AI team, you will lead the development of the squad’s annual and quarterly objectives and contribute to and oversee technical architecture and engineering direction. You will also collaborate with engineering manager peers to foster and share best practices across the engineering organization.

The role involves guiding and mentoring engineers, maintaining high engineering standards, supporting a culture of feedback and continuous improvement, and aligning the squad’s vision and objectives with company strategy. You will work closely with product managers, designers, team leads, developer squads, Marketing, and management; track sprint progress; oversee processes and ceremonies; and contribute to hiring and onboarding.

The position follows Sonar’s in-office culture, with three anchor days—Mondays, Tuesdays, and Thursdays—for collaboration. Candidates are expected to be genuinely based in the location where the role is posted. Relocation may be supported for the right candidate.

Requirements

• 8+ years of software development or equivalent experience in the software development domain.
• Strong understanding of software testing.
• Developer mindset, including experience with the coding lifecycle, ability to produce secure code and conduct code reviews, and ability to work in an unfamiliar codebase, language, and framework.
• Advanced knowledge of the Java ecosystem.
• Good knowledge of at least one programming language and its development environment to understand end-user context and expectations.
• Experience with Agile methodologies.
• 3+ years of experience in a leadership or management role, with a proven track record of delivering results and building high-performing teams.
• Growth mindset and passion for helping individuals and teams reach their full potential.
• Strong decision-making skills and ability to prioritize tasks and resources effectively.
• Ability to make concrete progress amid ambiguity and imperfect knowledge.
• Excellent communication and interpersonal skills.
• Ability to identify and articulate the problem to be solved before proposing solutions or actions.
• Ability to deliver effective feedback.
• Good listening skills.
• Ability to address small conflicts in a healthy way and help parties resolve them.
• High level of autonomy while remaining open to help and feedback from team members and peers.
• Willingness and ability to challenge yourself.
• Genuinely based in the location where the role is posted, or willing to relocate.

Responsibilities

• Lead and manage a team of engineers, providing guidance, support, and mentorship to help individuals grow in autonomy and contribute to team success.
• Hold yourself and the team accountable to high engineering standards.
• Foster a safe culture of feedback, continuous improvement, and collaboration where team members can share ideas and concerns openly.
• Align feedback with other teams to support smooth cross-team operations.
• Partner with product managers, designers, and team leads to develop and communicate a squad vision aligned with company strategy.
• Ensure the team's work and focus align with the squad vision.
• Ensure the squad defines clear objectives aligned with team, department, and company goals.
• Track sprint progress and ensure processes and ceremonies meet company expectations for successful product delivery.
• Ensure appropriate collaboration with squad stakeholders, including Product Managers, developer squads, Marketing, and Management.
• Partner with the Hiring team to recruit engineers, improve the team hiring process, and recruit enough people to meet goals.
• Ensure new team members are onboarded within the squad.
• Lead by example and model company values, including humility and servant leadership.
• Lead the elaboration of the squad's annual and quarterly objectives in close collaboration with the AI team.
• Contribute to and oversee technical architecture and engineering direction.
• Collaborate with engineering manager peers to foster and share engineering best practices.

Benefits

• Relocation support may be available for the right person.

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Manager
• Education Level: No Education Listed