Senior Engineering Manager at Symbium

Reports To: CTO
Location: San Francisco, CA

Reinventing Government Interactions for a Sustainable Future

At Symbium, we’re on a mission to streamline how citizens interact with local government and cut through the red tape in permitting processes. Imagine a world where homeowners and contractors can effortlessly navigate complex regulations, instantly determine what projects are possible on their property, and secure approvals with the click of a button. Symbium is making that world a reality. By transforming dense rules into user-friendly software, we empower people to get work done without frustration and delay.

Symbium’s proprietary computational law (Complaw®) technology – initially developed at Stanford’s AI Lab – performs permit compliance checks in real time, enabling instant permit approvals. Symbium is currently partnered with 60 California cities – and growing fast. Our platform accelerates clean energy adoption by simplifying approvals for installations of solar panels and EV chargers to heat pumps and beyond. This streamlined process helps communities transition more quickly to decarbonization and energy independence.

The Opportunity

Building an end-to-end, streamlined permitting experience requires translating building codes and local procedural requirements into computable regulations. It also requires establishing API integrations into local government workflow systems to submit permits, track their status, and gather essential property-related information. We are looking for a talented Senior Engineering Manager to help us in this transformative endeavor. If you love the idea of using technology to disrupt the status quo and make a positive impact on society, you’ll thrive in this role.

What you’ll do (Responsibilities)

Strategic oversight and executive advising

Report progress to leadership regularly, providing early recommendations on pivots to mitigate risks and prevent delays.
Advise the CTO on technical solutions, tools, and languages to support product initiatives and long-term goals, aligning strategies with business objectives and incorporating emerging technologies for scalable growth.
Analyze and interpret performance metrics to provide actionable insights that guide strategic decisions at the executive level.
Leveraging a strong hiring network to build and onboard teams quickly and managing recruitment efforts.

Product development strategy

Collaborate with product managers and engineers to design, develop, and release new products and features.
Identify and address work process challenges, scope and propose solutions, and develop strategic frameworks, while contributing to implementation efforts as needed.
Align engineering efforts with key priorities, KPIs, milestones, and timelines to ensure smooth project execution.
Communicate effectively with team members and stakeholders to ensure alignment and address concerns promptly.
Reduce operational friction by managing sprint planning, monitoring deliverables, and proactively resolving bottlenecks while leading retrospectives and performance reviews to promote continuous improvement and learning.
Leverage innovative AI techniques to analyze data and develop intelligent products, including the creation and deployment of machine learning and language models to enhance system scalability, effectiveness, and user experience.

Engineering leadership

Lead and oversee engineers, fostering a culture of growth, constructive feedback, and performance tracking.
Stay current with industry best practices in coding, security, and operational excellence.
Improve engineering practices through continuous enhancements to tools, workflows, and methodologies.
Design, manage, and continuously optimize AWS architecture to ensure scalability, security, reliability, and cost-effectiveness.
Provide code reviews with constructive feedback to uphold high standards for style, quality, and maintainability.
Document processes and knowledge to promote seamless collaboration and support onboarding efforts.
Ensure developer accountability of roadmaps, projects, and solutions from start to finish.

Who we’re looking for (Qualifications)

We are looking for someone who meets the following requirements:

Engineering Leadership: Over 5 years managing engineering teams of various sizes (ranging from 5 to 30+ members), including successfully scaling teams through different growth phases in startups and leading projects from conception to delivery, while fostering a culture of innovation and efficiency.
Engineering Excellence: Proficiency in designing and optimizing cloud-based infrastructures (e.g., AWS), with a strong grasp of software best practices, including version control, CI/CD pipelines, and automated testing for high-quality code delivery.
Technical Proficiency: Demonstrable expertise in backend and frontend development, including API development, JavaScript and related frameworks, and relational and graph databases, focusing on building and scaling applications efficiently.
Machine Learning Deployment: Proven ability to develop and deploy machine learning models in production environments, collaborating with data scientists and engineers to integrate solutions seamlessly into scalable systems.
Payment Systems Knowledge: Deep understanding of payment processing, including compliance with industry standards (e.g., PCI-DSS, PSD2) and experience building secure and reliable payment workflows.
Project Management: Ability to manage multiple development initiatives under tight deadlines while maintaining high standards.
Problem Solving and Scalability: Exceptional analytical skills with a talent for solving complex scalability challenges and simplifying them for others.
Collaboration and Communication: Proven ability to work independently and cross-functionally, translating business needs into scalable technical solutions and effectively communicating with non-technical stakeholders.
Entrepreneurial Spirit: Experience building major product components in previous roles, with a passion for delivering impactful solutions.
Continuous Learning: Commitment to staying current with emerging technologies and applying a continuous improvement mindset to engineering practices.
Empathy and Leadership: A team player who supports a collaborative environment, demonstrating empathy toward teammates, customers, and partners.
High Standards: Sets ambitious goals for themselves and the team, fostering a culture of excellence.

Nice-to-Have Skills (Not required, but let us know if you have them)

Experience managing multiple engineering teams simultaneously.
Familiarity with logic programming languages or paradigms (e.g., Prolog).
A Master’s degree or higher in Computer Science or a related field.
In this role, you will be required to wear many hats, including interacting with solar/electrification companies, communicating with government officials, and being a spokesperson for a company whose current focus is specific to permitting. Having knowledge of government, permitting, and electrification would allow you to contribute more significantly in this dynamic role.

Our Culture & Why You’ll Love Symbium

Mission with Impact: Your work will directly accelerate the adoption of clean energy and make government services more accessible. Every feature you build can help someone install solar panels, get an EV charger, or improve their home with less hassle. If you’ve wanted to do good with your coding skills, this is it.
High-Ownership Environment: We believe in ownership and accountability. On our team, everyone trusts each other to deliver results. You’ll have the freedom to innovate, make decisions, and drive projects, with the support of experienced mentors when you need it.
Tight-Knit & Hands-On: We work side by side every day – C-level executives, engineers, and interns alike – sharing ideas and tackling problems together. You’ll find us walking to the Ferry Building for lunch, debating product decisions, and jumping in wherever needed to keep things moving. Everyone has a voice, and we focus on collaboration and execution over titles and hierarchy.
Competitive Benefits: We offer a competitive startup package, including:

Competitive salary.
Stock options in a growing, venture-backed company.
Attractive 401k and health benefits.
Working alongside a highly mission-driven, small, supportive team of ambitious, smart creatives in an environment that fosters continuous learning and adaptive problem solving. We turn complex challenges into beautiful, impactful solutions.

How to Apply

If Symbium’s mission and team resonate with you, we’d love to hear from you! To apply, please send an email to careers@symbium.com with your resume, LinkedIn information, and a brief note about why you’re excited to join Symbium. If you have a portfolio or GitHub, feel free to include that as well.

Applicants must be currently authorized to work in the United States on a full-time basis and be willing to relocate to California prior to the start of employment. Symbium does not provide visa sponsorships at this time.

Symbium is an equal opportunity employer.