Manager Software Development

Trupanion • Seattle, WA

22h • $155,000,000 - $160,000 • Hybrid

About The Position

We are seeking a highly hands-on Software Engineering Manager to lead teams responsible for building, operating, and evolving mission-critical platforms. This role is ideal for a leader who remains deeply technical, actively contributes to architecture and code, and takes ownership of production outcomes. This is not a purely managerial role. Success requires strong technical judgment, direct involvement in engineering execution, and a passion for building resilient systems while developing high-performing technical teams. This position is open to candidates in the Seattle area. You will have a hybrid remote/in-office schedule where you will work from our casual, pet-friendly office at least 3 days a week.

Requirements

• 3+ years as a Software Engineering Manager or Tech Lead with hands-on responsibilities
• Strong expertise in C# / .NET, including .NET Framework and .NET Core
• Solid understanding and applied experience with SOLID principles, Object-oriented design & design patterns, REST APIs, SQL and relational database design
• Experience building and maintaining unit tests using MSTest and Moq
• Experience with Azure DevOps for CI/CD
• Production monitoring and alerting experience using DataDog
• Strong system design and troubleshooting skills in live production environments
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills
• Comfortable handling performance management, including difficult conversations when necessary
• Experience working with Agile development methodologies

Nice To Haves

• Experience with RabbitMQ or similar message-driven systems
• Strong background in Azure, including: SQL Azure, Azure Web Apps / Services, Azure Service Bus
• Experience with containerized environments (Docker, Kubernetes)
• Some experience with JavaScript, Angular, and TypeScript
• Exposure to or integration experience with marketing platforms such as Marketo
• Experience in regulated or mission-critical domains such as insurance or financial services

Responsibilities

• Hands-On Technical Leadership: Serve as a hands-on technical leader, actively contributing to system design, architecture, code reviews, and implementation
• Bring deep expertise in C#, .NET Framework, and .NET Core, applying best practices directly to production systems
• Drive an AI-forward engineering culture, bringing demonstrated experience with AI tools such as Codex or Claude Code to improve developer efficiency and throughput
• Apply SOLID principles, object-oriented design, and established design patterns to build maintainable, scalable software
• Lead development of RESTful APIs and backend services
• Guide teams in effective use of asynchronous programming patterns (async/await) and distributed processing
• Leverage AI-assisted development tools (e.g., Claude, Codex, Copilot) to improve personal effectiveness and evangelize responsible usage across teams
• Partner with senior engineers and architects to evolve systems while maintaining stability and operational excellence
• Production Ownership & Incident Management: Own the health, reliability, and operational readiness of production systems
• Lead and personally contribute to production incident resolution, including hands-on debugging
• Drive structured incident response, root cause analysis, and preventative actions
• Establish and maintain monitoring, alerting, and observability practices using DataDog
• Ensure teams are prepared for on-call rotations and production support responsibilities
• Execution & Delivery: Ensure work is well-scoped, well-designed, and delivered predictably
• Hold teams accountable for quality, test coverage, and long-term maintainability
• Ensure unit testing practices using MSTest and Moq are consistently followed
• Drive a shift-left mindset, encouraging quality, security, and operational thinking early in development
• Promote continuous improvement through innovation, experimentation, and adoption of new technologies (including AI)
• Best Practices, Standards & Compliance: Define and enforce coding standards and software development best practices
• Ensure compliance with relevant security and regulatory frameworks (e.g., ISO, SOX, PCI DSS)
• Stay current on evolving software, security, and data protection trends
• Champion secure coding practices and operational excellence
• Cross-Team Collaboration & Leadership: Work effectively with engineering, product, operations, and business stakeholders
• Navigate competing priorities and align teams toward clear technical outcomes
• Influence through credibility, clarity, and technical leadership
• Communicate technical risks, trade-offs, and production impacts clearly to leadership
• Talent Leadership & Mentorship: Recruit, hire, and retain high-performing engineers
• Personally assess technical depth, problem solving, and ownership during interviews
• Build a culture of accountability, ownership, and continuous learning
• Mentor engineers at all levels with strong emphasis on technical growth and system thinking
• Develop senior engineers into future technical leaders

Benefits

• Full medical, dental, and vision benefits at no cost to the employee
• Four weeks of paid time off and 9 paid float holidays (you can decide which days are most important to you!)
• Five-week sabbatical after five years of employment
• Open, casual, pet-friendly, and fun office environment
• Free medical health insurance for your pet (1 dog or cat)
• Paid time off to volunteer at nonprofit organizations
• Free on-site gym, free dog walking services for office pets during business hours, free parking, and paid ORCA cards

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Manager
• Education Level: No Education Listed
• Number of Employees: 501-1,000 employees