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Engineering Manager

Wattpad

Wattpad

Software Engineering, Other Engineering
Toronto, ON, Canada
Posted on Wednesday, May 24, 2023
Wattpad is a global multiplatform entertainment company whose vision is to entertain and connect the world through stories. Since 2006, we’ve been on a mission to use the power of community and technology to unleash the full potential of stories to the world. Every month 85 million people around the world spend over 23 billion minutes on Wattpad to share and discover stories they can’t find anywhere else. Our brand banner includes: Wattpad, Wattpad WEBTOON Studios, Wattpad Books and Wattpad Brand Partnerships. We’re proudly based in Toronto, but our reach is global. Come build the future of entertainment and storytelling, and write your next chapter with us!
We are looking to hire an Engineering Manager to join our Wattpad Service organization. This group is focused on our Web, iOS, and Android platforms, and the successful candidate will specifically lead our Web team. The Web team is responsible for the full-stack development and growth of our web application (both desktop and mobile), which is built on Remix React and NodeJS. Engineers on this team actively build and ship product to achieve business goals, but also invest significantly in innovating and solving the technical challenges that face a platform of Wattpad’s scale.
Engineering Managers are part of the Engineering Leadership Team at Wattpad; they play a big role day-to-day to ensure their team has the skills they need to be successful, through hiring, growth, and development of individuals. As an Engineering Manager, you will have a direct impact in shaping the engineering ethos at Wattpad, a voice within the department leadership and enabling the performance of a team of diverse engineers. You’ll be accountable for the delivery of the team against its goals, and be a technical leader helping shape the engineering roadmap and direction.
With 90M users (and growing), this team is working to simplify our frameworks, and build highly scalable but easily maintained client platforms in the space of content creation and discovery. We’re looking for someone who is passionate about solving these problems and who is ready to dive deep into questions around stability, scalability, and security.
The Engineering Manager position requires a history of building high performing teams, strong technical expertise and leadership skills.

What you’ll be doing:

  • Manage a team of 8-10 web engineers, playing an active role in the success of the team’s initiatives and the individual’s careers;
  • Ensure the team is delivering on its goals with a healthy, inclusive, and collaborative culture, and taking iterative action when the team is off-track;
  • Contribute to the technology strategy by helping shape the technical roadmap;
  • Maintain high-quality standards, and foster a culture of long-term thinking and innovation;
  • Help support and unblock the team in delivering on its goals; you will oversee the technical scoping and planning for the team, and guide team rituals;
  • Work with leadership to provide management, guidance, and direction for the team as well as related engineering-wide initiatives;
  • Be enthusiastic and embrace Wattpad’s values: #teamwork, #builditforward, #trailblazer, #playtowin, #resourceful, #inclusive, #userobsessed

What we’re looking for:

  • 2+ years experience building and managing successful web engineering teams
  • 5+ years experience in a software development role as an IC. Ideally, some of that experience is in the web stack
  • Experience managing complex technical projects, from requirements gathering through delivery and support phases
  • A strong technical background in order to make well-informed judgments
  • An effective communicator that can translate complex technical concepts to various audiences
  • Comfortable working with ambiguity and multiple stakeholders, driving to clarity and delivery
  • Bachelor's degree or equivalent in Computer Science, Engineering, Mathematics, or related field
Wattpad is conducting all interviews in a distributed manner using applicable third party software where needed and using visual interface tools such as Google Hangouts and Zoom.
About Wattpad
Who are we? Entrepreneurs and Do-ers. Our vision is to entertain and connect the world through stories, and our mission is to use the power of community and technology to unleash the full potential of stories to the world.
What does that mean? We are visionaries, community builders, passionate problem solvers, storytellers, coffee snobs (tea drinkers, too!), curious by nature, and culturally diverse.
What are we obsessed with? Our users. Solving complex problems and maximizing flow. Learning constantly. Building the next great storytelling product. Finding the greatest stories ever told. Dogs (and cats), coffee, and good snacks.
How do we work? Autonomously, collaboratively, respectfully. Balancing with work, family, and play...and all while having a great time.
Wattpad is a remote friendly company and encourages remote candidates to apply as long as they are located and authorized to work in either the US or Canada (excluding Quebec) as a precondition of employment. We are not able to sponsor applicants for work permits.
If you happen to live near the areas of either Toronto, Ontario or Halifax, Nova Scotia, you may also have the opportunity to work from our beautiful offices - 1 located in Downtown Toronto and the other in Halifax.
Culture and Diversity
Wattpad is an equal opportunity employer. We do not discriminate. Period.
Wattpad welcomes and encourages applications from people with disabilities. Accommodations are available on request for candidates taking part in all aspects of the selection process. We have taken a leadership position on creating a culture and an organization that truly values diversity. We are committed to fostering a global team that reflects the diversity of the Wattpad community. At Wattpad, we believe cultural fit doesn’t mean culturally identical, and diversity of thought helps us to challenge one another to think big and think differently. We consider employment applicants without regard to age, race, colour, national origin, citizenship, religion, creed, sex, sexual orientation, veteran status, marital status, disability status or any other protected status.
If you have any special needs or accessibility requirements, please let us know. We will do our utmost to accommodate, in accordance with applicable local legislation.
Don’t meet all the requirements? Studies show women and people of colour are less likely to apply to jobs if they do not meet all the qualifications. Therefore, in an effort to build a more diverse workplace, we encourage you to apply anyways. You might actually be the right person or you may be a good fit for a number of other openings we currently have.