Senior Engineering Manager

Senior Engineering Manager

We’re looking for an experienced engineering leader to help scale our engineering organization and strengthen our technical foundation. As a Senior Engineering Manager you’ll report directly to the CPTO and drive technical execution, develop high‑performing teams, and ensure our systems stay scalable, reliable, and secure.

You’ll work in an environment that values focus, pragmatism, and continuous improvement. You’ll face challenges with existing systems and prioritize what matters most while delivering impactful results. Initially you’ll manage individual contributors, not managers, as we define the long‑term structure.

You’ll collaborate closely with Product, Design, Data and Commercial Teams (UA & AdMon) to align engineering work with company priorities while maintaining a healthy, transparent team culture.

We also expect you to champion efficiency through AI tooling, encouraging and guiding the use of AI in analytics, coding, planning and QA execution to help our engineers move faster and smarter.

Responsibilities

Leadership & Team Development

• Lead and grow multiple engineering teams, including Rewarding Systems, Fraud, Customer Experience, Cashout, Platform/DevEx.
• Mentor senior engineers and emerging leaders, providing clear growth paths and feedback.
• Own hiring and team structure decisions in partnership with Talent.
• Promote a culture of ownership, inclusion and technical excellence.

Technical Execution

• Define technical direction and contribute to broader engineering strategy.
• Ensure timely high‑quality delivery of cross‑domain projects.
• Oversee system scalability, reliability and performance.
• Identify and manage technical debt while balancing feature delivery.
• Understand service costs and drive technical efficiency.
• Introduce and expand AI‑powered tools that improve developer productivity and quality.

Process & Strategy

• Partner with Product and Design to align roadmaps with company goals.
• Improve how teams plan, estimate and execute work.
• Define and measure KPIs for team health, delivery speed and quality.
• Help evolve engineering organisation structure, processes and rituals.
• Work with leadership to continuously improve how engineering supports company growth.
• Leverage AI‑based insights for planning, analytics and quality assurance to enhance team efficiency.

Requirements

Experience

• 8+ years of software engineering with at least 3 years in a leadership role.
• Proven track record leading multiple engineering teams in a product‑led company.
• Strong technical background in backend systems, APIs and cloud infrastructure.
• Experience scaling teams and building high‑performance engineering cultures.
• Experience leading transformational initiatives and driving measurable improvements.
• History of owning OKRs and contributing to company‑level objectives.
• Proven experience establishing, measuring and improving DORA metrics.

Skills

• Proficiency in at least one JVM language, Kotlin preferred.
• Strong architecture and system design skills across distributed systems.
• Experience with GCP and modern infrastructure practices (IaC, CI/CD, observability, reliability engineering).
• Deep understanding of platform and infrastructure challenges in high‑scale environments.
• Proven experience implementing or leveraging AI tools to enhance engineering efficiency.
• Strong background in architecture design and technical decision‑making.
• Skilled in leading through influence and aligning multiple teams around shared goals.
• Excellent communication skills and ability to collaborate across departments.
• Strong problem‑solving, prioritisation and decision‑making abilities.
• Demonstrated ability to lead teams through change, growth and modernisation.

Bonus Points

• Experience in gaming, ad tech or other performance‑based products.
• Familiarity with event‑driven systems, data pipelines and fraud detection architectures.
• Track record of improving developer experience through tooling and automation.

Benefits

• Work‑Life Balance and Flexibility : Flexible working hours and options for digital nomads, occasional office visitors or regular office‑goers.
• Employee Stock Options : Opportunity to join our Virtual Share Option Program (VSOP).
• Mental Health Support : Free personal coaching through partner nilo.health.
• Training & Development : Personal development budget up to €2000/yr, free language courses.
• Germany‑Based Benefits : 25 vacation days, free Gympass gold subscription, free monthly Deutschland‑Ticket, monthly €50 tax‑free internet contribution.
• State‑of‑the‑Art Equipment : MacBook or Windows user, we provide needed technical gear.
• Relocation Package : Includes visa support.
• Berlin Office Perks : Ergonomic setup, free daily lunch, dog‑friendly environment.
• Diverse Work Environment : Over 29 nationalities across 20 locations.

*Benefits may vary depending on location and contract type. Do not hesitate to ask us about more details on our benefits offer.

About us

JustPlay is transforming the world of mobile gaming by making playtime truly rewarding. We’re building a fairer, more sustainable Play‑to‑Earn ecosystem where players are rewarded for time, and engagement drives continuous growth.

Since launching in 2020, we’ve grown into one of the world’s leading loyalty gaming platforms, with over 25 million downloads and 500 000+ daily active users. Bootstrapped and headquartered in Berlin, our global team spans 20+ countries.

We’re leading a massive shift in the gaming industry—but it’s still early enough for you to make your mark. At JustPlay, you’ll have the freedom to shape bold ideas, drive real impact and be part of a company that’s growing fast but growing right.