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Startup Software Engineer Manager Jobs in Seattle, WA

As a Principal Software Engineer Manager on the Microsoft Store team, you will lead a full-stack engineering team responsible for a portfolio of high-scale backend services. You will set technical ...

As an AI infrastructure startup, we are developing innovative systems to enable large-scale AI ... Participate in all parts of software engineering, ranging from design and implementation of ...

As an AI infrastructure startup, we are developing innovative systems to enable large-scale AI ... Participate in all parts of software engineering, ranging from design and implementation of ...

Software Engineer Manager II, Slicer

Kirkland, WA · On-site

$110K - $151K/yr

Software Engineering Managers have not only the technical expertise to take on and provide technical leadership to major projects, but also manage a team of Engineers. You not only optimize your own ...

Principal Software Engineer Manager

Redmond, WA · On-site

$151K - $202K/yr

We are seeking a Principal Software Engineer Manager to lead a team of engineers responsible for building and operating AI-powered enablement tools and platforms while engaging deeply with the ...

Caddi is a seed-stage startup reimagining automation for professionals by transforming simple ... You'll work at the intersection of engineering, AI, and real-world software tooling-helping us ...

Caddi is a seed-stage startup reimagining automation for professionals by transforming simple ... You'll work at the intersection of engineering, AI, and real-world software tooling-helping us ...

Caddi is a seed-stage startup reimagining automation for professionals by transforming simple ... You'll work at the intersection of engineering, AI, and real-world software tooling--helping us ...

Collaborate closely with product managers, designers, and other engineers to scope, plan, and ... Prior experience working in a startup or fast-paced product environment.

Software Engineer, Cloud OS

Seattle, WA · Remote

$68.25 - $88.75/hr

... management, compute infrastructure, networking, and more) * Love building platform and ... Previous experience working in an engineering setting: a startup (or startup-like environment ...

Principal Software Engineer

Redmond, WA · On-site

$151K - $202K/yr

The Principal Software Engineer will lead efforts to improve performance outcomes for Microsoft ... startup. • Lead architectural evolution to ensure browser performance remains durable as Edge ...

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Startup Software Engineer Manager information

See Seattle, WA salary details

$113.2K

$192.8K

$228.2K

How much do startup software engineer manager jobs pay per year?

As of Aug 23, 2026, the average yearly pay for startup software engineer manager in Seattle, WA is $192,761.00, according to ZipRecruiter salary data. Most workers in this role earn between $196,900.00 and $196,900.00 per year, depending on experience, location, and employer.

What does a startup software engineer manager do?

A Startup Software Engineer Manager is responsible for leading a team of software engineers in a fast-paced startup environment. They oversee the development, testing, and deployment of software products while ensuring alignment with the company’s goals and timelines. In addition to technical leadership, they are involved in hiring, mentoring, and fostering a collaborative culture. Their role often includes hands-on coding, making architectural decisions, and communicating with stakeholders to prioritize and deliver features efficiently. The dynamic nature of startups requires them to be adaptable and proactive in solving both technical and organizational challenges.

What are the key skills and qualifications needed to thrive as a startup software engineer manager?

To thrive as a Startup Software Engineer Manager, you need strong technical expertise in software development, leadership experience, and a proven track record of shipping products, typically supported by a relevant degree or equivalent experience. Familiarity with agile project management tools like Jira, version control systems such as Git, and cloud platforms like AWS or Azure is essential. Exceptional communication, adaptability, and problem-solving abilities help you motivate teams and navigate rapid changes. These skills enable effective team leadership, timely product delivery, and the ability to scale engineering efforts in a fast-paced startup environment.

What are some common challenges faced by startup software engineer managers in building and scaling their teams?

Startup Software Engineer Managers often face the challenge of recruiting top talent with limited brand recognition and resources, while also fostering a collaborative, high-performing culture amidst rapid change. Balancing hands-on technical work with managerial duties, such as mentoring and setting processes, is a common hurdle. Additionally, they must navigate shifting priorities, tight deadlines, and evolving product requirements, all while ensuring team alignment and motivation. Effective communication and adaptability are key to overcoming these challenges in a fast-paced startup environment.

What is the difference between Startup Software Engineer Manager vs Startup Software Engineer?

AspectStartup Software Engineer ManagerStartup Software Engineer
Required CredentialsBachelor's or higher in CS or related field; leadership experienceBachelor's or higher in CS or related field; coding skills
Work EnvironmentTeam leadership, project management, cross-functional collaborationHands-on coding, feature development, technical problem-solving
Employer & Industry UsageTech startups, fast-paced environments, leadership rolesStartups, product-focused companies, development teams
Search & Comparison IntentUnderstanding managerial roles in startupsTechnical coding roles in startups

The Startup Software Engineer Manager oversees engineering teams, manages projects, and aligns technical goals with business objectives. In contrast, the Startup Software Engineer focuses on coding, developing features, and technical problem-solving. Both roles require strong technical skills, but the manager also emphasizes leadership and project management.

What cities near Seattle, WA are hiring for Startup Software Engineer Manager jobs?

Cities near Seattle, WA with the most Startup Software Engineer Manager job openings:

Infographic showing various Startup Software Engineer Manager job openings in Seattle, WA as of August 2026, with employment types broken down into 86% Full Time, 12% Part Time, and 2% Contract. Highlights an 83% Physical, 2% Hybrid, and 15% Remote job distribution, with an average salary of $192,761 per year, or $92.7 per hour.

Software Engineer Manager II, Slicer

Socket.dev

Kirkland, WA • On-site

$207 - $300/hr

Other

Posted yesterday

New


Job description

Minimum qualifications:
  • Bachelor’s degree, or equivalent practical experience.
  • 8 years of experience in software development.
  • 3 years of experience with developing large-scale infrastructure, distributed systems or networks, or experience with compute technologies, storage or hardware architecture.
  • 3 years of experience in a technical leadership role.
  • 2 years of experience in a people management or team leadership role.
Preferred qualifications:
  • Master's degree or PhD in Computer Science or related technical field.
  • 3 years of experience working in a complex, matrixed organization.
  • Experience with Caching, Spanner, Distributed Processing, System Design, and Reliability.
About the job:

Like Google's own ambitions, the work of a Software Engineer goes beyond just Search. Software Engineering Managers have not only the technical expertise to take on and provide technical leadership to major projects, but also manage a team of Engineers. You not only optimize your own code but make sure Engineers are able to optimize theirs. As a Software Engineering Manager you manage your project goals, contribute to product strategy and help develop your team. Teams work all across the company, in areas such as information retrieval, artificial intelligence, natural language processing, distributed computing, large-scale system design, networking, security, data compression, user interface design; the list goes on and is growing every day. Operating with scale and speed, our exceptional software engineers are just getting started -- and as a manager, you guide the way.
With technical and leadership expertise, you manage engineers across multiple teams and locations, a large product budget and oversee the deployment of large-scale projects across multiple sites internationally.

Slicer is Google’s autosharder: foundational infrastructure that enables Googlers to build fast, efficient systems by partitioning key-value-structured application state over compute infrastructure tasks so that it can be cached in memory.
Today, Slicer is the heartbeat of Google’s infrastructure, continuing to grow its impact by balancing +15 Billion requests per second for hundreds of teams across all Product Areas. It routes critical traffic for major Google services—including every 'Ok Google' request—and serves as a foundational dependency for the vast majority of our top Cloud products.

The Core team builds the technical foundation behind Google’s flagship products. We are owners and advocates for the underlying design elements, developer platforms, product components, and infrastructure at Google. These are the essential building blocks for excellent, safe, and coherent experiences for our users and drive the pace of innovation for every developer. We look across Google’s products to build central solutions, break down technical barriers and strengthen existing systems. As the Core team, we have a mandate and a unique opportunity to impact important technical decisions across the company.

Individual pay is determined by factors including job-related skills, experience, and relevant education or training.
US: $207000 - $300000 (USD) + 20% bonus target + equity + benefits
Learn more about benefits at Google.

Responsibilities:
  • Identify, scope, and solve broad and ambiguous challenges that impact sharding and load-balancing at Google. Turn these challenges into strategic opportunities and actionable plans.
  • Work closely with team members to deliver improvements to Slicer as a product and Slicer's infrastructure (from scoping to full production landing).
  • Drive the existing long-term technical goal, strategy, and roadmap for Slicer. Collaborate with technical leads in Slicer and the wider Caching organization to evolve the technical goal as necessary.
  • Work with customer teams across multiple product areas to understand requirements for sliced services and applications.
  • Hire, coach, and mentor engineers to design and implement highly available, scalable, and reliable services.
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