Engineering Manager, Search Query Platform & Availability

Who we are

the company Atlas Search and Vector Search let developers run complex search queries and build AI-powered applications directly inside the company, without managing a separate search infrastructure. It is a product used by a large and growing number of customers who rely on it being fast, reliable, and available.

The Search Query Platform & Availability (SQPA) team is a new team being built from the ground up. Its purpose is to own the foundational layer that keeps Atlas Search stable and scalable, and to give the engineers building search features the tools they need to move faster and ship with more confidence. The team's work spans three areas: keeping search reliable under pressure through resource controls and safeguards;

building the tooling that helps Search engineers roll out changes safely at scale; and maintaining the engine, storage and dependencies that everything else depends on.

You will be the first leader of this team. That means you are not stepping into an existing structure. You are shaping the roadmap, building the team, and establishing how SQPA operates within a broader Search org that is growing quickly.

We are looking to speak to candidates who are based in Toronto, Ontario Canada for our hybrid working model.

• Lead and grow a team of software engineers, owning all aspects of people management including hiring, performance, career development, and compensation
• Define and drive the 12-month roadmap for SQPA in close collaboration with stakeholders across Search, Platform, and Product
• Improve the processes and tooling that allow the Search org to make changes confidently in high-stakes parts of the codebase
• Own the health and evolution of the runtime and core dependencies the Search engine relies on, including upgrade cycles and long-term maintainability
• Own and lead resolution of time-sensitive customer escalations related to search availability and performance
• Partner with peer engineering leads to establish clear ownership boundaries and make sure platform improvements create real value for the teams relying on them
• Collaborate with product managers, program managers, and engineering teams across the company on large cross-functional initiatives
• Contribute to the long-term vision for Search at the company and help develop a plan to get there

• 2+ years of experience managing a team of software engineers, including hiring, coaching, and performance conversations
• A technical background in building or operating complex software systems, such as databases, distributed systems, query engines or data infrastructure at scale
• Experience with high-throughput, low-latency systems where resource management, runtime health, and operational reliability are first-class concerns
• Prior experience with search systems or search infrastructure is a plus, but not required
• Familiarity with JVM-based systems or managing runtime and dependency upgrades in a production environment is a plus.
• Strong judgment about when to go deep, when to delegate, and when to push back on scope or priority
• Comfort operating with some ambiguity. This team is new and the roadmap is still being shaped. The right person sees that as an opportunity to have real influence, not a reason to wait for more clarity.
• A track record of working across team boundaries to get things done without waiting for perfect org alignment
• A genuine interest in platform and reliability work, not just feature delivery

• In the first month:
  • You have understood the high level architecture of the Search and Vector Search and the team's responsibilities
  • You are starting to develop relationships with key stakeholders
  • You have gained familiarity with the required day-to-day processes to manage the team
• In three months:
  • You have hired two new engineers to the team
  • You have taken over management of your team, and are starting to build trust with your reports
  • You have assumed responsibility for the day-to-day processes necessary to keep the lights on
  • You are involved in reviewing the design for new features and helping the team navigate technical challenges
• In six months:
  • You have established your role as a leader…