Shift5 · 10 hours ago
Software Engineering Manager
Arlington, VA
Full-time
Hybrid
Director/Executive
$200K/yr - $250K/yr
8+ years expShift5 is a fast-growing scale-up specializing in cybersecurity, predictive maintenance, and compliance for operational technology systems across defense, aerospace, and rail. They are seeking a Software Engineering Manager to oversee the "Off-Vehicle" engineering portfolio, leading teams responsible for data processing, user interfaces, APIs, and backend components. The role involves team leadership, technical direction, and cross-functional collaboration to ensure high-quality product delivery.
Cyber SecurityHardwareSoftwareTransportation
No H1B
Security Clearance RequiredU.S. Citizen Only
Responsibilities
Team Leadership & Management
Lead By Example - Articulate strong opinions (loosely held) on how to solve technical problems formed from hands-on iteration with and in the code itself
Manage Multidisciplinary Teams: Manage and develop the UI, backend, software QA, and data engineering teams
Foster Growth: Provide coaching, career guidance, and performance evaluations. Invest deeply in 1:1 time with each team member to ensure they understand their requirements and goals
Culture Building: Create a supportive, empowering environment where engineers feel unblocked, informed, and confident. Foster a culture of clarity, empathy, transparency, and mutual accountability
Resource Management: Ensure engineers have the uninterrupted time necessary to complete tasks, supporting sustainable productivity rather than reactive churn
Architecture & Design: Deliver high-level architectural direction—producing abstract, technology-agnostic designs—and ensure teams translate those into correct, high-quality implementations
Hands-on Mentorship: Provide strong technical mentorship in GoLang, Rust, Python, HTTP/S service development, JavaScript, TypeScript, and CSS. Champion continuous learning where architectural direction flows from you, but innovation flows from the team
QA & Compliance: Work with QA and engineering operations to ensure software releases are thoroughly tested throughout development and ahead of delivery
Government Standards: Ensure adherence to US Government doctrine such as the NIST Secure Software Development Framework (SSDF). Oversee processes for Interim Authorization to Test (IATT) and Authorization to Operate (ATO) under the NIST Risk Management Framework (RMF)
Cross-Functional Collaboration: Work cross-functionally to identify dependencies, communicate timelines, and ensure cohesive delivery of best-in-class solutions
Forward Deployed Engineering (FDE) Partnership: Collaborate closely with the Forward Deployed Engineering team to ensure the products and software produced meet and exceed the unique needs of the customer and field operations
Product Delivery: Work closely with product management to build timelines, estimates, and designs for upcoming work. Assign engineers to features, decompose features into tasks, and maintain a prioritized backlog in Jira
Urgency & Excellence: Maintain a high bar of velocity, urgency, and quality for all deliverables, instilling technical excellence and SDLC best practices across teams
Qualification
Required
U.S. Citizenship is required
Ability to obtain and maintain a U.S. Government Security Clearance
Experience: 8+ Years of experience in software engineering
Leadership: 5+ years of engineering leadership experience, including people management; startup and remote team management preferred
Technical Proficiency: Strong hands-on experience with GoLang, Rust, Python, HTTP/S services, JavaScript, TypeScript, and CSS, with the ability to coach and mentor others in these technologies
Full Stack Knowledge: Strong understanding of full-stack web development including deployment to both on-premise and cloud environments
SDLC Mastery: Solid understanding of software development best practices across the SDLC
Soft Skills: Excellent communication and leadership skills with a demonstrated ability to work through ambiguity and occasional changes in direction
Preferred
Active U.S. Government Security Clearance (Secret or higher)
Education: BS or MS in Computer Science, Computer Engineering, or equivalent
Protocol Experience: Prior experience with CANbus, MIL-STD-1553, SAE J1939, ASCB, or ARINC 429
Benefits
Bonus program and equity in a fast-growing startup
Competitive medical, dental, and vision coverage for employees and their families
Health Savings Account with annual employer contributions
Employer-paid Life and Disability Insurance
Uncapped paid time off policy
Flexible work & remote work policy
Tax-deferred public transit benefits with Metro SmartBenefits (DC/MD/VA)
Company
Shift5
Shift5 is a cybersecurity company that provides hardware and software solutions to defend operational technology (OT) platforms.
51-200 employees
Funding
Current Stage
Growth StageTotal Funding
$180.5MKey Investors
HedosophiaMoore Strategic VenturesInsight Partners
2025-09-03Series C· $75M
2023-06-07Series B· $33M
2022-02-08Series B· $50M
Leadership Team
Josh Lospinoso
CEO
Recent News
2026-01-07
2025-12-24
2025-12-05
Company data provided by crunchbase