Looking for Senior Engineering Manager, Platform Engineering (Developer Experience) jobs? This senior leadership role sits at the critical intersection of technology, people management, and strategic investment, focused on empowering an entire engineering organization. Professionals in this position are responsible for the systems, tools, and platforms that enable software developers to build, test, and deploy code efficiently, securely, and reliably. The ultimate mission is to remove friction and toil from the development lifecycle, accelerating innovation and improving software quality across the company. A Senior Engineering Manager in this domain typically leads one or more teams dedicated to developer experience (DevEx) and internal platform engineering. Common responsibilities include owning the strategic roadmap for foundational infrastructure such as continuous integration and delivery (CI/CD) pipelines, build and test systems, internal developer portals, cloud provisioning, and observability tooling. They collaborate extensively with engineering operations, security, product, and DevOps teams to synthesize requirements and prioritize investments that yield measurable improvements in developer productivity. This involves defining and tracking key metrics like deployment frequency, lead time for changes, build/test duration, and system reliability to identify bottlenecks and justify platform initiatives. Beyond technical strategy, a core aspect of the role is people leadership. These managers hire, coach, and develop engineers and technical leads, fostering a culture of high accountability, inclusivity, and technical excellence. They are adept at managing resources, executing complex projects, and ensuring the operational health of platform services through clear service-level objectives (SLOs) and robust incident management practices. Effective communication is paramount, as they must articulate the value of platform work to both technical teams and executive stakeholders, bridging the gap between deep technical detail and broader business impact. Typical skills and requirements for these leadership jobs include a substantial background in software engineering, often with deep hands-on experience in building developer tools, scalable platform services, or cloud infrastructure. Candidates generally possess several years of experience directly managing and growing high-performing engineering teams. A proven track record of leading developer experience or platform programs that delivered tangible outcomes—such as reduced cycle times or increased deployment frequency—is essential. Strong strategic planning, cross-functional collaboration, and a data-driven approach to improving developer workflows are the hallmarks of a successful professional in this field. For those passionate about scaling engineering organizations through foundational enablement, Senior Engineering Manager, Platform Engineering (Developer Experience) jobs offer a challenging and highly impactful career path.
