This free Engineering Manager job description template is ready to use — copy it, replace the {{placeholders}}, and post your role in minutes. It includes a company intro, a role summary, responsibilities, requirements, nice-to-haves, and compensation, with writing tips and FAQs below to help you tailor it to your team.
When to use this template
Use this when you're hiring someone to lead an engineering team: growing people, owning delivery, and keeping the team's technical health strong. It assumes a true people-management role, distinct from a senior individual contributor.
The biggest thing to get right is scope: how many engineers, what the team owns, and how much the role is expected to stay hands-on with code. Strong EM candidates also want to understand your engineering culture and how the company views management.
If you actually need technical leadership without people management, use the Senior Software Engineer template instead — conflating the two attracts candidates who'll be unhappy in the role.
Writing tips
- State the team size and what the team owns — EM scope varies enormously.
- Clarify how hands-on the role is: pure management vs. player-coach.
- Emphasize people leadership — growth, feedback, hiring — alongside delivery.
- Describe your engineering culture; strong managers are evaluating it.
- Include the salary range and reporting line.
The job description
Copy the template below and replace the {{placeholders}} and [bracketed notes] with your specifics.
About {{company}}
{{company}} is [what you do]. As the engineering team grows, we're hiring an Engineering Manager to lead [the team / area] and help our engineers do the best work of their careers.
The role
As an Engineering Manager, you'll lead a team of engineers — growing them, owning delivery, and keeping the team's technical health strong. You'll balance people, process, and technology, and partner with product to ship things that matter. This role reports to {{hiring_manager}} and is based {{work_type}} in {{location}}.
What you'll do
- Lead, coach, and grow a team of [team size] engineers.
- Own delivery for your team — planning, execution, and outcomes.
- Run regular 1:1s, give clear feedback, and support career growth.
- Partner with product to shape the roadmap and make trade-offs.
- Own hiring for your team and help raise the engineering bar.
What we're looking for
- 2+ years managing engineers, with a track record of growing people.
- A strong engineering background — you've shipped software yourself.
- The ability to balance delivery, quality, and team health.
- Excellent communication and a calm, supportive leadership style.
- Experience hiring and building teams.
Nice to have
- Experience managing in a high-growth or remote environment.
- A background in [your domain or stack].
- Comfort staying lightly hands-on with code and architecture.
What we offer
- Salary range: {{salary_range}}, plus equity.
- [Comprehensive benefits].
- Flexible {{work_type}} working and [PTO policy].
- A team that values good management and the support to lead well.
How to personalize
Replace these placeholders before posting:
- {{company}}
- {{location}}
- {{work_type}}
- {{salary_range}}
- {{hiring_manager}}
The bracketed notes — like [your benefits] or [your primary language(s)] — are prompts to swap in your own details. The more specific you are about the actual work and stack, the stronger your applicant pool will be.
Frequently asked questions
- What does an Engineering Manager do?
- An Engineering Manager leads a team of engineers. They own delivery, grow and support people through coaching and feedback, handle hiring, and partner with product on the roadmap — balancing people, process, and technical health.
- What's the difference between an Engineering Manager and a Tech Lead?
- A Tech Lead provides technical direction for a team while usually remaining an individual contributor. An Engineering Manager owns the people side — performance, growth, hiring, and team health — and is accountable for delivery. Some companies combine the roles; many keep them separate.
- Should an Engineering Manager still write code?
- It depends on team size. Managers of small teams often stay lightly hands-on (a 'player-coach'), while managers of larger teams typically step back from day-to-day coding to focus on people and delivery. Be explicit in the job description about which you expect.