Engineering Manager

Are you an Engineering Manager who excels at leading backend teams, driving architectural excellence, and delivering high-quality, scalable products?

Smart State is a rapidly growing technology company, bringing together expertise in software engineering, analytics, and product management to deliver reliable and innovative digital solutions. Smart State is a place where talents from different niches can make real changes across the industry. We create an environment to let smart ideas act boldly.

📍 Location: Fort Lee, New Jersey (100% On-site)

⏰ Work Mode: Full-time, office-based (Remote or hybrid work arrangements are not available)

The Role 🛠️

As an Engineering Manager, you will lead multiple backend engineering teams and oversee the technical direction of our platform. You will be responsible for building high-performing teams, improving system architecture, and ensuring consistent delivery of scalable, high-quality products. While you will stay close to technical decisions, your primary focus will be on leadership, process optimization, and engineering excellence.

What You’ll Do 🚀 • Lead and manage backend engineering teams, including team leads and senior engineers, ensuring strong performance and growth. • Own the technical direction and backend architecture of the platform, driving scalability and reliability. • Hire, onboard, coach, and develop engineers, including performance reviews and individual development plans. • Facilitate Agile processes, including Scrum or Kanban ceremonies, ensuring teams operate efficiently and consistently. • Identify and address technical debt, recurring issues, and architectural gaps to improve system quality. • Collaborate cross-functionally to align engineering efforts with product and business goals. • Manage team capacity and resource allocation, balancing workloads across teams. • Drive adoption of modern technologies and best practices to enhance platform capabilities. • Establish and improve engineering standards, documentation, and knowledge sharing across teams. • Contribute to broader engineering initiatives beyond your immediate teams to elevate overall engineering quality.

What We’re Looking For 🎯 • 8+ years of backend development experience, with at least 2+ years in an engineering leadership or management role. • Strong experience with cloud-based systems, microservices architecture, and system design. • Hands-on knowledge of Kubernetes (K8s), containerization, and modern infrastructure practices. • Experience working with SQL and NoSQL databases. • Solid understanding of RESTful APIs, message brokers, third-party integrations, and CI/CD pipelines. • Strong foundation in data structures, algorithms, and coding best practices. • Experience with secure development, information security, and test-driven development. • Proven leadership skills, including team management, coaching, and performance evaluation. • Strong analytical thinking, communication, and presentation skills. • Upper-intermediate English or higher. • Bachelor’s or Master’s degree in Computer Science, Engineering, Applied Mathematics, or a related field.

Nice to Have ✅ • Experience scaling engineering teams in high-growth environments. • Background in iGaming, fintech, or other regulated industries. • Hands-on experience transitioning teams to modern architectures or cloud-native solutions.

Why Join Smart State Inc.? 💎 • Competitive salary and comprehensive benefits package including medical, dental and vision insurance, 401K plan, and more. • Generous PTO policy. • A dynamic and collaborative international work environment. • Breakfasts and lunches in the office (partially paid by the company). • Birthdays, milestones and employee anniversaries celebrations. • Opportunities for professional development and growth.

✅ Benefits: Comprehensive medical, dental, and vision + 401(k)

✅ Bonuses: Discretionary, performance based

✅ Time Off: Generous PTO policy

✅ Perks: Partially subsidized in-office breakfasts and lunches

✅ Culture: Collaborative, international team that celebrates milestones and wins together

✅ Growth: Strong opportunities for professional development and ownership within a scaling organization

Smart State Inc. is proud to be an Equal Opportunity Employer. We believe diverse perspectives make us stronger and provide equal employment opportunities to all applicants regardless of race, color, religion, gender identity, sexual orientation, national origin, disability, veteran status, or any other protected characteristic.