Updated October 2026
A strong startup engineering manager job description says how many engineers the hire manages from day one, how much hands-on code is expected, and which work moves off the CTO's plate: 1:1s, performance conversations, the hiring loop or delivery. It lists outcomes, keeps must-haves to six, and shows salary and equity ranges.
Hire an engineering manager when the CTO's calendar becomes the bottleneck. Stuck technical decisions call for a senior or staff engineer instead. Cancelled 1:1s, final interviews queuing for a week and overdue performance conversations call for a manager. Before writing a word, colour-code two weeks of the CTO's calendar and build the JD around the hours being handed over.
Our illustrative example: a Series A B2B software company whose co-founder CTO has eleven direct reports, sits on every final interview and still reviews most pull requests.
Copy-and-paste engineering manager job description
About [Company]
[Company] helps [customer] [do what]. We are [number] people after raising [round] from [investors] in [month, year]. Engineering is [number] people in [number] teams.
The role
We're hiring our first engineering manager to lead [team] of [number] engineers. You'll report to [CTO name], who keeps architecture and technical direction. You'll own 1:1s, performance, hiring and delivery, and spend about [X]% of your week on code, mostly reviews.
What you'll do in your first 6 months
- Hold weekly 1:1s with every engineer and agree a written growth plan with each by [month].
- Take over the hiring loop: redesign the stages, train interviewers and close [number] hires.
- Run delivery for [team] so the CEO gets dates they can plan around.
- Hold any overdue performance conversations and see them through.
- Agree with [CTO name], in writing, who decides what and how disagreements are settled.
What you'll bring
- You've managed engineers for [X] years, including hiring them.
- You can review a pull request in [core stack] and be taken seriously.
- You've had a hard performance conversation and can explain what happened next.
- You've run a hiring process end to end and improved it.
- You've built process in a company of [X to Y] people.
- You write clear plans, feedback and incident notes.
Nice to have
- You've made the move from engineer to manager and can coach someone through it.
- Experience working alongside a co-founder CTO.
- [Managing across time zones / domain experience in X].
What we offer
- Salary: [£/$/€ X to Y], depending on experience.
- Equity: [X% to Y%] in [options / shares], [vesting schedule].
- [Remote / hybrid, X days a week in City].
- Stage: [Series A / Series B]. [Benefits, e.g. budget for management coaching].
The free job description builder will turn rough notes into this format, and our engineering manager interview questions follow the scorecard below.
How an engineering manager job description changes by stage
| Seed | Series A | Series B | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Do you need one? | Rarely. Hire engineers and let the CTO hold 1:1s | Often, once the CTO's week fills with people work | Yes, usually several |
| Hands-on code | Most of the week, so really a tech lead | A minority: reviews and small fixes | Little beyond design reviews |
| Main job | Ship and hire | 1:1s, hiring loop, delivery rhythm | Planning, performance cycles, growing leads |
Benchmark salary and equity against current data for your market.
Scorecard: how you'll judge success
| Outcome | What good looks like at 12 months | How you'll test it in interviews |
|---|---|---|
| Team health | Weekly 1:1s held, growth plans written, no surprise resignations | Ask how they spotted the last person about to leave |
| Performance | Problems raised within weeks and resolved with a plan or an exit | Role play a performance conversation |
| Hiring loop | The loop runs without the CTO; [number] hires made and still here | Ask them to critique your current process |
| Delivery | Dates the CEO trusts, with slips flagged early | Ask what they cut the last time a date was at risk |
| CTO partnership | A written decision split; the CTO's week back on architecture | A joint session with the CTO on a real disagreement |
In the example, the clearest twelve-month check is the CTO's calendar. If it still looks like the "before" bar, the hire hasn't worked, however well the team ships.
30-60-90 day plan
| Days | Focus | By the end they should have |
|---|---|---|
| 1 to 30 | A 1:1 with every engineer, sit in on interviews, ship one small change | A written view of each person and the loop |
| 31 to 60 | Take over 1:1s and first-round interviews; agree the decision split | The CTO out of routine 1:1s |
| 61 to 90 | Run team planning and close a hire | A delivery plan the CEO uses and a candidate at offer |
Mistakes founders make in engineering manager job descriptions
Giving the EM the technical vision. If the CTO keeps architecture, say so. Otherwise two people think they own it, and the best candidates ask about this on the first call.
Asking for a full-time coder who also manages. Something gives, and it is usually the 1:1s. Put a percentage on code in the role section.
Not saying what the CTO stops doing. Candidates read the JD for how much room they will get. Name the meetings that become theirs.
Where Funded.club fits
We've helped 500+ startups from Seed to Series D across North America, Europe and APAC on a low fixed fee agreed upfront, averaging 6 to 9% of salary and from $15,900 to $21,900 for roles above $150,000. Illustratively, a 20 to 25% contingency fee on a $180,000 hire is $36,000 to $45,000 (see pricing).
One dedicated recruiter runs the search end to end, with first screened candidates within 7 days. Our guide on how to hire a VP Engineering or engineering manager covers the wider process.
Frequently asked questions
When should a startup hire its first engineering manager?
When people work fills the CTO's week, with cancelled 1:1s, queued interviews and overdue feedback. For many startups that happens around Series A.
Should an engineering manager write code?
Some, enough to stay credible in reviews. Keep it off the critical path, because 1:1s and hiring will interrupt it.
What is the difference between an engineering manager and a VP Engineering?
An engineering manager runs one team and its people. A VP Engineering runs managers, sets process across teams and owns engineering planning with the CTO.
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