Software Engineering Manager, Public Sector (AI)

Location: Washington, DC, United States; must be able to commute to the office three times per week.

Salary: $213,600–$267,000 USD base salary per year, plus potential equity and benefits.

Company

Scale AI develops reliable AI systems, high-quality data, and full-stack technologies for leading models, enterprises, and government applications.

What you will do

• Lead and develop a team of 6–8 software engineers while remaining hands-on with technical planning and execution.
• Recruit engineers, improve engineering productivity, provide mentorship, and deliver technical leadership for generative AI projects.
• Define and execute strategic roadmaps with product, security, and customer-facing teams.
• Design scalable backend systems, distributed systems, data-intensive applications, and machine learning infrastructure for federal customers.
• Deliver reliable backend products using cloud-native AI infrastructure and participate in customer engagements.
• Shape the platform roadmap and product strategy for the Federal business while navigating public sector compliance requirements.

Requirements

• 5+ years of full-time engineering experience after graduation.
• 2+ years of engineering management experience or equivalent experience managing an engineering team.
• Extensive software development experience and a strong individual-contributor track record.
• Demonstrated experience mentoring and leading teams through successful projects.
• Excellent communication and collaboration skills, including the ability to explain complex technical concepts to non-technical stakeholders.
• Must have or be able to obtain a TS/SCI clearance.

Nice to have

• Experience scaling products at hyper-growth startups.
• Experience with AI platforms, generative models, and large language models.
• Government or government-facing technology experience.
• Cloud-native technologies, full-stack development, data engineering, and MLOps infrastructure experience.
• TS/SCI clearance and deep hands-on software development expertise.

Culture & Benefits

• Health, dental, and vision coverage.
• Retirement benefits, learning and development stipend, and generous paid time off.
• Potential commuter stipend for this role.
• Inclusive equal opportunity workplace with reasonable accommodation support.
• Hybrid work arrangement with regular office attendance in Washington, DC.

Hiring process

• Compensation level and salary are determined during the interview process based on location, skills, experience, qualifications, and interview performance.
• Candidates must wait 90 days before being reconsidered for the same role after an application.