Manager, Software Engineering

VulcanForms Inc.•Devens, MA

3d•$164,000 - $226,000

About The Position

VulcanForms is seeking a Manager of Software Engineering to lead its Toolpathing team, which develops software that converts 3D geometry into precise, optimized instructions for a multi-laser gantry system. This includes coordinated gantry movement and per-laser power modulation across the laser array. The role is a “fix and build” leadership position: the manager will guide a team of five engineers, bringing structure, process, and strategic direction to a reactive development environment while building a roadmap and advancing the platform over time. The position prioritizes leadership, organization, motivation, and team development. Technical credibility is important, but day-to-day coding is not the focus. The manager should be able to engage meaningfully with a complex system, guide architectural and engineering decisions, identify constraints, challenge assumptions, and help the team consider new approaches. The manager will establish a structured software development lifecycle and roadmap-driven execution, build a culture of documentation and engineering quality, mentor engineers, document the existing codebase, and define scalable architecture patterns and development standards. The role works closely with hardware, controls, manufacturing, process engineering, NPI, and quality teams to align software requirements with the machine platform and communicate technical tradeoffs to non-engineering stakeholders. VulcanForms offers a competitive salary and equity package. The annual base salary range is $164,000 to $226,000, with actual compensation based on factors including skills, qualifications, and experience.

Requirements

At least 7 years of professional software development experience.
At least 2 years managing or leading engineering teams.
Bachelor’s or Master’s degree in Computer Science, Computer Engineering, or a related field, or equivalent experience.
Demonstrated experience establishing and improving software development processes, including release management, testing practices, sprint planning, and road mapping.
Ability to engage meaningfully with a complex, performance-critical codebase by reading and reasoning through existing code, identifying architectural issues, and providing technical guidance, even without being its primary author.
Proven ability to mentor engineers, drive technical quality, and build team culture.
Strong communication skills, including the ability to engage with engineers at the code level and leadership at the strategy level.

Nice To Haves

Proficiency in modern C++ (C++14 or later) in application-layer, performance-critical systems.
Experience with computational geometry, geometric algorithms, or 3D data workflows, such as mesh processing, slicing, or scan strategy generation.
Background in CAD/CAM systems, additive manufacturing software, or similar geometry-heavy domains.
Familiarity with distributed or cloud-based compute architectures for high-performance workloads.
Experience with multithreaded programming, GPU compute, or other parallel processing paradigms.
Background in manufacturing, robotics, or hardware-adjacent application-layer software development, rather than embedded firmware.

Responsibilities

Lead and develop a team of five software engineers, with the expectation that the team will grow as the platform scales.
Establish and own a structured software development lifecycle, including sprint planning, release management, verification, and validation.
Move the team from reactive, ad-hoc delivery toward roadmap-driven execution using Scrum best practices.
Build a culture of documentation, code quality, accountability, and engineering craftsmanship.
Provide hands-on technical mentorship to help engineers grow and succeed in a complex, high-performance codebase.
Lead documentation of the existing codebase and establish a shared understanding of system architecture.
Develop and maintain a technology roadmap that addresses near-term operational needs and long-term platform goals.
Challenge assumptions about how problems are solved and explore alternative approaches, such as distributed or cloud-based compute strategies.
Define architecture patterns and development standards that can scale with team and product growth.
Drive initiatives to improve performance, precision, and reliability across the toolpathing stack.
Collaborate with hardware, controls, manufacturing, and process engineering teams so toolpathing software evolves alongside the machine platform.
Translate complex technical tradeoffs into clear communication for non-engineering stakeholders.
Ensure software requirements are aligned across hardware, NPI, quality, and manufacturing teams.