Software Engineering Manager

About LawnStarter: LawnStarter is the nation's leading on-demand marketplace for lawn care and related services, with over $150M in annual bookings. The company is expanding beyond lawn care to include pest control, pool cleaning, window cleaning, and more. About Engineering at LawnStarter: The engineering team builds the platform connecting hundreds of thousands of homeowners with over 70,000 active service professionals. They operate three brands (LawnStarter, Lawn Love, HomeGnome) on shared infrastructure, are profitable and growing. Engineering is fast-paced with constant shipping, end-to-end system ownership, and strong processes with existing engineering managers. The Role: - Lead cross-functional delivery teams of 4-5 engineers, reporting to the Head of Engineering. - Ensure the team ships reliably, grows professionally, and avoids becoming a bottleneck as the company scales into new service verticals. - This is a people-first role focusing on team growth and performance metrics. - Manage distributed teams across time zones with emphasis on async leadership and written communication. - Lead AI adoption within the team, introducing AI tools and workflows in code review, documentation, sprint planning, and debugging. What You'll Own: - People development: Create concrete growth plans for every individual contributor. - Delivery: Ensure the team ships on cadence with predictable quality, managing risks and scope. - Team health: Address conflicts directly, manage underperformers with clear processes, and protect top performers. - Cross-functional partnership: Interface between your team and Product, Design, and other engineering teams to ensure decisions are made. - Technical direction: Provide architectural input and catch risks without micromanaging. - AI adoption: Actively introduce AI tools and workflows, setting the pace for the team. Problems to Solve: - Build people leadership depth as the team scales with new headcount and complexity. - Manage distributed teams without losing culture or accountability using async communication and remote 1:1s. - Turn delivery consistency into a competitive advantage to support product-market fit and momentum. - Orchestrate cross-functional delivery from roadmap to release, balancing business value and technical soundness. - Drive AI adoption into throughput without sacrificing craftsmanship. What Success Looks Like (Year 1): - Documented growth plans for every engineer within 60 days. - Team ships committed scope on cadence within 90 days. - No surprise departures; active retention risk management. - Underperformance addressed directly and documented. - Trusted team commitments by Head of Engineering. - Increased AI enablement with new tools adopted and automation of manual tasks. Requirements: - Deep AI integration experience, actively using AI tools like Claude, Copilot, and prompt engineering to accelerate workflows. - Proven people developer with examples of career growth plans, managing underperformers, and conducting hard conversations. - Experience leading fully remote teams with async decision-making and building trust without physical proximity. - Direct conflict resolution skills, addressing tensions quickly and effectively. - Data-driven management using metrics like velocity, retention risk, and individual contributor growth. - Technical credibility with enough coding and architectural involvement to earn engineers' respect. - Delegator who builds autonomous teams, coaching engineers rather than micromanaging. This Role Is NOT: - A pure technical architect role. - A process manager. - A stepping stone position. - A reactive firefighter. - An AI skeptic in leadership. Benefits: - Salary: $120,000-$140,000 USD annually (contractor), depending on experience. - Location: Fully remote. - Flexibility: Structured work hours with reasonable life flexibility. - Equal employment opportunity compliance. To apply: https://weworkremotely.com/remote-jobs/lawnstarter-software-engineering-manager-7