Software Engineering Manager – Foundry

Job description

AHEAD builds platforms for digital business. By weaving together advances in cloud infrastructure, automation and analytics, and software delivery, we help enterprises deliver on the promise of digital transformation. At AHEAD, we prioritize creating a culture of belonging, where all perspectives and voices are represented, valued, respected, and heard. We create spaces to empower everyone to speak up, make change, and drive the culture at AHEAD. We are an equal opportunity employer, and do not discriminate based on an individual's race, national origin, color, gender, gender identity, gender expression, sexual orientation, religion, age, disability, marital status, or any other protected characteristic under applicable law, whether actual or perceived. ***We embrace all candidates that will contribute to the diversification and enrichment of ideas and perspectives at AHEAD.*** The Software Engineering Manager – Foundry is responsible for leading the team that builds Signal, the in-house ERP application that runs the operational backbone of Foundry, AHEAD’s engineering and integration arm that designs and deploys custom enterprise infrastructure from the data center to the edge. Signal supports workflows such as production and work order management, inventory and materials tracking, procurement, and integration scheduling, serving as the system of record that keeps engineering, operations, and delivery teams aligned as infrastructure moves through design, build, and deployment. This role owns the health, growth, and performance of a globally distributed team based in the US and India, while partnering with product and business stakeholders to deliver features that drive real value. While primarily focused on people leadership and delivery, this position requires strong technical instincts to guide architectural decisions, remove blockers, and set the standard for the fluent, responsible use of AI tools and coding agents. The ideal candidate will embody AHEAD’s values of passion, quality, teamwork, and integrity, and will measure success by the success of the team and the impact of the products they deliver. ### Duties/Responsibilities - Team Leadership: Lead, mentor, and grow a team of software engineers building Signal, the software that drives Foundry. - Global Collaboration: Lead a globally distributed team, collaborating closely with developers based in both the US and India. - Career Development: Conduct regular 1:1s, provide feedback, and support career development for team members. - Hiring and Onboarding: Participate in hiring efforts, including sourcing, interviewing, and onboarding new engineers, hiring and developing for judgment, product sense, and verification skills rather than raw output. - Team Culture: Foster a healthy team culture built on collaboration, accountability, and continuous improvement. - Stakeholder Partnership: Partner with product management and business stakeholders to translate requirements into actionable development plans. - Delivery Ownership: Own delivery timelines and ensure the team ships high-quality software on schedule. - Technical Guidance: Guide technical discussions and help the team make sound architectural decisions. - Removing Obstacles: Remove obstacles and shield the team from distractions so they can focus on building. - Development Process: Establish and refine development processes and AI-assisted workflows, balancing agility with predictability. - AI Leadership: Champion fluent, responsible use of AI tools and coding agents as a force multiplier, so the team delivers faster while staying firmly accountable for review, testing, quality, and security. - AI Workflows and Standards: Shape the team’s AI workflows, tooling, and standards, and keep improving them as the landscape shifts. - Cross-Functional Collaboration: Collaborate cross-functionally with operations, customer success, and other engineering teams. - Technical Engagement: Stay close enough to the codebase, and to how the team works with AI, to give meaningful input during code reviews and technical planning. ### Education and Experience - Minimum Required – 5+ years of experience in software development, with at least 2 years in a management or team-lead role. - Preferred – 8+ years of experience in software development, with 3+ years managing teams building web applications and experience in manufacturing, supply chain, or ERP systems. ### Knowledge, Skills, Abilities - Programming Languages and Technologies: Experience managing teams building web applications, ideally in Elixir/Phoenix or similar modern stacks, with the ability to provide meaningful technical guidance. - AI-Assisted Development: Fluency with modern AI development tools, and a clear point of view on how they change the way teams build, hire, and measure impact. - Development Practices: Strong understanding of software development practices, including testing, CI/CD, code review, and Agile methodologies. - People Management: Proven ability to hire, develop, and retain strong engineering talent, with a genuine interest in the growth and well-being of the people you manage. - Delivery Management: Experience managing delivery across multiple products or initiatives simultaneously. - Trust and Collaboration: A track record of building trust with both the team and cross-functional partners. - Communication: Excellent communication skills, with the ability to translate between technical and non-technical audiences. - Adaptability: Comfort with ambiguity and the ability to make decisions with incomplete information. - APIs and Infrastructure: Familiarity with REST and GraphQL APIs, database design, and cloud infrastructure is a plus.