Senior Engineering Manager, AI Product (AI)

TL;DR

Senior Engineering Manager (AI): Leading engineering execution and people management for the Thunderbolt open-source AI product as it transitions from R&D to enterprise-ready production with an accent on release discipline, product quality, and scalable operating models. Focus on scaling a senior engineering team, implementing production-ready standards, and delivering high-quality AI-enabled workflows for security-conscious organizations.

Location: Remote (Must be based in and have permanent work authorization for the US or Canada)

Salary: $215,000 - $240,000 USD / $190,000 - $220,000 CAD

Company

hirify.global is the nonprofit-owned company behind Thunderbird, building privacy-respecting communication and productivity tools.

What you will do

• Lead engineering execution by clarifying priorities, timelines, risks, and quality expectations.
• Manage and coach senior engineers and contractors, overseeing performance and team development.
• Remain hands-on with the codebase through code contributions and technical reviews.
• Collaborate with product and technical leadership to translate AI strategy into actionable engineering plans.
• Establish and improve planning, review, and release practices to reduce bottlenecks.
• Drive hiring, onboarding, and resource planning for the growing Thunderbolt team.

Requirements

• 15+ years of software development experience with significant senior leadership roles.
• 5+ years of experience managing technical teams of senior engineers.
• Technical fluency in AI-enabled products (LLMs, RAG, agents, on-device AI).
• Experience delivering cross-platform apps using technologies such as Tauri, Electron, or React Native.
• Proven track record with local-first, self-hosted, or air-gapped architectures.
• Must reside in and have permanent work authorization for the US or Canada; no visa sponsorship provided.

Nice to have

• Experience in open-source environments or as a maintainer.
• Knowledge of compliance standards such as SOC 2, HIPAA, or ISO 27001.
• Experience scaling a product from zero to one in a startup or new product initiative.

Culture & Benefits

• Fully remote work with flexible scheduling and a monthly remote work stipend.
• Comprehensive health, dental, and vision insurance.
• 401(k) / RRSP contributions and annual bonus program.
• Generous time off, including 24 days PTO, wellbeing days, and year-end company shutdown.
• Professional development stipends and access to Coursera.
• Company-provided laptop and industry conference attendance.