Software Engineering Manager

Terabase Energy•Davis, CA

4d•Hybrid

About The Position

At Terabase Energy, we believe that digitalization and automation will drive the next wave of innovation and cost reduction in large scale solar. To fully unlock the potential of this opportunity, Terabase is developing an interconnected software and construction automation platform. We work alongside project developers, owners, and engineering & construction firms to support the design, optimization, and construction of huge solar projects around the world. Our team is a blend of solar-industry veterans and newbies, thought-leaders, dreamers, software, electrical and mechanical engineers, coders, product managers, project managers, and sales and marketing professionals. We are based in Northern California, with several other offices in the United States and around the world. Position Overview Software Engineering Manager is a senior-level, “player-coach” engineering role that combines direct technical contribution with team leadership responsibilities within the Terafab product area. This role is responsible for guiding the day-to-day execution, coordination, and technical direction of a team of software engineers while remaining a strong individual contributor. The manager serves as the primary interface between the Terafab software engineering team and adjacent hardware-focused teams including Autonomy, IoT, and Controls, defining and maintaining clear cross-team technical interfaces. This role reports to the Sr. Director of Software Data IoT and Autonomy.

Requirements

10+ years of professional software engineering experience with demonstrated technical leadership across complex systems
Strong architectural thinking with proven ability to design systems that scale across multiple dimensions (performance, team size, feature complexity)
Expert proficiency in Python, Django framework, and building scalable backend services
Strong experience with modern frontend frameworks, particularly Angular, including complex state management and performance optimization
Deep experience with relational databases (PostgreSQL) and query optimization; proficiency with PostGIS for spatial data workloads
Productive, non-dependent use of AI-assisted coding tools (e.g., Claude Code, Cursor), with demonstrated ability to set appropriate guardrails for junior engineers; balances velocity gains against code quality, long-term maintainability, and ensuring the team develops durable technical skills
Proven experience designing and implementing complex data models with intricate relationships and constraints
Demonstrated experience defining and maintaining technical interfaces between software and hardware-adjacent systems (e.g., industrial automation, robotics, or IoT systems)
Passion for developing other engineers through mentorship, goal-setting, and clear, direct communication
Hands-on experience participating in and facilitating agile/scrum processes including sprint planning, backlog management, and team velocity tracking
Curiosity and an ability to adapt and rapidly learn new tools and technologies
Strong bias toward action with proven ability to thrive in ambiguous, fast-changing environments
Excellent communication and coordination skills across both technical and non-technical audiences
Experience working effectively with distributed and cross-functional teams
Candidates must be located within commuting distance of Davis, CA. Regular travel to the Davis office is expected as needed for team collaboration and project support.

Nice To Haves

Prior experience managing or leading a small engineering team, including people management, performance feedback, and career development (strongly preferred)
Deep experience with workflow orchestration or state machine systems, event-driven architectures, discrete event simulation, or industrial automation — particularly in the context of construction or manufacturing execution
Familiarity with hardware integration protocols and patterns relevant to construction robotics or field automation (e.g., Modbus, OPC-UA, MQTT, CAN bus, or similar)
Experience with real-time monitoring and telemetry systems, edge computing, or IoT data pipelines
Strong experience with cloud infrastructure and infrastructure as code (AWS, CloudFormation, Terraform)
Subject matter expertise in construction technology, industrial automation, renewable energy systems, or related domains
Track record of technical and team leadership in fast-paced, high-growth startup or scale-up environments
Experience with microservices architectures and distributed systems
Experience with performance optimization, scaling, and reliability engineering

Responsibilities

Define and drive technical strategy and architecture for the Terafab’s manufacturing execution system (Fab)
Lead design and implementation of significant features, services, or architectural components within Fab
Drive technical decisions and architectural direction for construction automation orchestration workflows
Design and implement complex data models, APIs, and system integrations that balance current needs with future scalability
Define, establish, and maintain technical interfaces between Fab software and adjacent systems including Autonomy, IoT, and Controls/SCADA
Identify and lead efforts to address technical debt, refactoring, and system modernization within Fab
Establish and evolve coding patterns, best practices, and technical standards within the team
Evaluate and introduce new technologies, tools, or approaches that improve team productivity or product capabilities
Conduct thorough code reviews with a focus on architecture, maintainability, and knowledge transfer
Represent engineering in planning discussions with product and cross-functional stakeholders
Resolve complex technical challenges that span multiple systems or have ambiguous requirements, particularly at the boundaries between Fab and hardware-adjacent systems
Proactively identify systemic issues, performance bottlenecks, or architectural limitations and drive resolution
Lead investigations into production issues, root cause analysis, and implementation of long-term fixes
Balance technical perfection with business pragmatism, making strategic trade-offs that serve team and product goals
Contribute to technical planning, estimation, and risk assessment for major Fab initiatives
Serve as technical escalation point for production incidents requiring expert-level intervention
Manage a small team of software engineers, including performance oversight, career development, and regular 1:1s
Own and facilitate the team's scrum process: sprint planning, backlog grooming, daily standups, retrospectives, and sprint reviews, with support from senior management
Coordinate task prioritization and delivery across the team, resolving blockers and managing dependencies
Serve as the primary point of coordination between the Fab engineering team and cross-functional partners including Autonomy, IoT, and Controls teams, with support from senior management on more strategic coordination and decisions
Translate product requirements and stakeholder needs into actionable technical work for the team
Mentor team members through code reviews, pairing sessions, and technical guidance
Raise the technical bar for the team through knowledge sharing and establishing engineering best practices
Assist the Sr. Director in engineering planning, resource estimation, and risk assessment for Fab initiatives
Contribute to engineering hiring, technical candidate assessment, and onboarding of new team members
Contribute positively to engineering culture, team process improvements, and cross-functional relationships