Senior Engineering Manager (d/f/m)
Company Overview
Leapsome is the AI-powered people platform revolutionizing HR for modern teams. Leapsome drives HR excellence and empowers high-performing teams by automating, connecting, and simplifying every HR process across the employee lifecycle — from onboarding and performance management to engagement and development. Built with ease of use in mind, our platform ensures high adoption by employees, managers, and People teams alike.
Our purpose is to make work fulfilling for everyone, and our vision is to reshape the future of work by being the leading People platform for HR excellence and high-performing teams. We enable companies to create environments where people can achieve their goals, learn and grow together, and build genuine motivation & engagement.
Trusted by thousands of organizations globally, Leapsome secured $60 million in Series A funding led by Insight Partners in March 2022. This funding allowed us to further develop our intelligent platform, create exceptional employee experiences, and expand into the US market.
It’s an incredibly exciting time to join Leapsome and be part of reshaping the future of work!
About the company Leapsome
Leapsome is the AI-powered people platform for HR excellence and high-performing teams. It automates, connects, and simplifies all HR processes across the entire employee lifecycle, from onboarding and performance management to employee engagement and development.
CEOs, managers, and HR teams at more than 1,600 forward-thinking companies trust Leapsome to elevate their people strategy with intelligent insights for better people decisions, AI capabilities to future-proof their HR toolkit, and built-in best practices for developing, engaging, and retaining top talent.
Leapsome was founded in 2016 by Kajetan Armansperg and Jenny Podewils.
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Job Summary
Join a lean, high-performing product engineering team that's reshaping the future of work. At Leapsome, we empower senior engineering leaders to drive impact through a unique blend of technical depth, strategic thinking, and people-first leadership.
As a Senior Engineering Manager, you'll take ownership of one of our People Enablement-focused cross-functional squads, responsible for core product areas such as reviews, goals, instant feedback meetings, learning management system, and calendar integrations. This is a high-impact role that goes beyond team delivery, you’ll help shape our workflows, scale our engineering culture, and mentor fellow Engineering Managers while contributing to cross-squad leadership topics.
We’re looking for someone who combines sharp technical instincts with a strong sense for people and product. You will code alongside your team, elevate engineers and leaders around you, and act as a multiplier for productivity, alignment, and innovation across the department. You’ll guide engineers toward thoughtful, scalable decisions emphasizing simplicity & maintainability instead of over-engineering, focusing on core user challenges with a strong product engineering mindset, and planning for long-term growth. You’ll champion a culture that values asking the right questions, challenging assumptions, and developing sound judgment across the team.
Key Responsibilities
- Lead, coach, and grow a team of highly capable engineers, supporting their career development, motivation, and performance
- Own the technical strategy and delivery of HRIS modules, navigating complex workflows, compliance, and scale
- Collaborate with Product, Design, Legal, and Leadership to ensure your squad delivers secure, scalable, and user-focused solutions
- Stay hands-on and contribute code regularly, especially in moments of complexity, risk, or when unblocking the team
- Drive architectural decisions, advocate for quality, and ensure consistent, pragmatic engineering practices
- Guide engineers to avoid over-engineering, prioritize high-impact solutions, and foster sustainable, scalable decision-making
- Encourage long-term thinking, clear trade-offs, and curiosity-driven problem solving
- Evolve and improve our workflows, team structure, and use of tooling (incl. AI), with a focus on productivity and sustainability
- Own communication with stakeholders, proactively aligning priorities, sharing context, and providing visibility into progress
- Shape squad rituals, performance expectations, and decision-making frameworks, balancing autonomy with alignment
What is the technology stack?
- Frontend: Vue.js, TailwindCSS, and a modern design system for a consistent, intuitive user experience
- Backend: Node.js (TypeScript) with Express, MongoDB and NATS, built for scalability and modularity
- AI/LLMs: Integration of state-of-the-art AI technologies, like GPT from OpenAI and LangChain, to create smarter workflows and enhance functionality
- Infrastructure: Docker and AWS, ensuring robust CI/CD pipelines and scalable infrastructure
- Testing: Automated testing using Playwright, Vitest, Mocha/Chai, and other tools to maintain high-quality, reliable codebases
- Analytics: Mixpanel, Sentry, Datadog and custom solutions for data-driven development and monitoring
- Collaboration: GitHub, Notion, and async communication tools for transparent teamwork
Requirements / Qualifications
- Have 6+ years of experience as a software engineer and 4+ years as an engineering manager, with a track record of growing people and delivering impactful software
- Are comfortable working across the stack and willing to dive into code when necessary
- Have led teams working on transactional, compliance-sensitive systems (e.g. HRIS, payroll, finance, SaaS platforms)
- Combine technical depth with a passion for people leadership and coaching
- Demonstrate strategic thinking, strong prioritization, and the ability to communicate with clarity across levels
- Are experienced in collaborating with cross-functional stakeholders and driving alignment
- Guide engineers to develop strong judgment around complexity, scalability, and long-term value creation
- Value product thinking, enjoy solving real user problems, and don’t wait to be told what to build
- Bring a mindset of pragmatic excellence, knowing when to ship and when to refactor
- Approach challenges with curiosity and humility, always open to learning from others and excited by Leapsome's mission to make work more meaningful
Location
Berlin, Germany, Remote: True
Employment Type
Full Time
Salary & Benefits
- Impact: Become part of a fast-growing scale-up taking over the People Performance & Enablement space by making work fulfilling for more than two million people by 2025
- Teammates: Join a diverse and international team of talented, smart, and kind people
- Feedback and recognition: We value feedback exchange and celebrating successes — big and small
- Hybrid model: Enjoy our hybrid model by working from home or in our offices in the heart of Berlin, Germany
- Flexible work: Experience a work-life balance with flexible hours and the option of working elsewhere for up to 2 months per year
- Learning and Development: Develop your skills with a yearly development budget of €2,000 and access to Good Habitz platform
- Vacation: Take 30 vacation days every year plus public holidays (or upgrade to 40 vacation days at adjusted pay) & benefit from a month-long paid sabbatical after 5 years with Leapsome
- Health & Wellness: Stay active and healthy with a free Urban Sports Club membership and Oliva subscription
- Mental health: Access to 1:1 therapy sessions via our mental health partner, plus company workshops and learning pathways on topics like mindfulness and digital wellness
- Corporate Benefits: Get exclusive discounts and deals from our partners.
- Work-from-home stipend: Receive a one-time work-from-home stipend of €1,000
- Monthly team activities: Have fun at monthly team activities like kayaking, laser tag, and game nights
- Competitive pay and pre-IPO equity package
Commitments
- Career growth and learning We focus on learning and development while also promoting hands-on leadership.
- Social impact We care about social issues and the environment. Every year we raise funds for important causes — and as an organization, we match the amount our team donates. Up to now, we have donated to: Against Malaria Foundation, Berliner Obdachlosenhilfe, Camino Seguro/ Safe Passage, World Food Programme, Malaria consortium, and Lamda. We’re also carbon-neutral and intend to do even more! …
- Work-life balance We know people differ in what they need and where and how they can be the most productive, healthy, and happy. Autonomy, flexibility, and individual ownership are essential to us, which is why we have a hybrid approach to work — this reflects our culture in a meaningful way and unites both desires for individual autonomy and connection 🔗 Our benefits are flexible and support employees of all ages and stages of their professional and personal lives. We ensure our benefits are equal, competitive, and fair in all Leapsome locations. Overview of what kind of benefits we offer: 📈 Annual learning and development budget 💜 Mental health & wellness 🧘♀️ Gym memberships 🍫 Snacks & coffee in the office 👯 Regular Team events 🤝 Income protection & more 👀 …
Application Process
Just send us your CV. You won't need to input any information already mentioned on your CV later on - promise! 🤙
A cover letter isn’t necessary, but we’d really appreciate a brief answer to these questions: Why Leapsome? Why you?
We look forward to getting to know you!
You can find more about what our colleagues think about working at Leapsome here 👉 ✨✨✨ Glassdoor ✨✨✨ Kununu✨✨✨
Apply now 👇 or keep scrolling to read more about what makes Leapsome a unique workplace!
Equal Opportunity Statement
Don’t meet every single requirement? Studies have shown that women and people of color are less likely to apply for jobs unless they meet every qualification. If you’re excited about this role but your experience doesn’t align perfectly with every qualification in the job description, we encourage you to apply anyways. You may be just the right candidate for this or other roles.
Help us make work fulfilling for everyone!
At Leapsome, we want work to be the best it can be for everyone. We help companies create environments where people can achieve shared goals, build authentic relationships, learn, and grow together.
Put simply; our purpose is to make work fulfilling for everyone. And we know how to get there. But we can only do this by “walking our talk” and building a diverse and inclusive company where people — not just the business — thrive.
Diversity, equity, and inclusion
At Leapsome, we want work to be the best it can be for everyone. We help companies create environments where people can achieve shared goals, build authentic relationships, learn, and grow together. Put simply, our purpose is to make work fulfilling for everyone. And we know how to get there. But we can only do this by “walking our talk” and building a diverse & inclusive company where people — not just the business — thrive. …
