Engineering Manager, Control Plane

About Tailscale

Tailscale delivers software that simplifies secure interconnection of people and devices worldwide. Serving users ranging from hobbyists to global corporations, Tailscale enables secure network protection and internal tool access effortlessly. Founded in 2019, it is a fully distributed company backed by prominent investors.

Role Overview

We are looking for a dedicated Software Engineering Manager to lead and mentor our engineering teams. You will collaborate closely with product management and design teams operating in small pods, each consisting of 2-4 engineers plus a product manager and designer. As a manager, you will oversee 2-3 such pods, guiding technical projects, mentoring your team, and helping shape our engineering culture and processes.

Key Responsibilities

• Provide leadership and career growth opportunities to software engineers.
• Guide technical direction and major design decisions within projects.
• Collaborate on cross-functional initiatives with product managers, data scientists, and designers.
• Oversee operational aspects of critical production services including monitoring, alerting, and on-call rotations.
• Recruit and build a diverse, inclusive engineering team environment.
• Foster positive, constructive feedback culture and manage conflict effectively.
• Plan strategically for both immediate needs and long-term technical goals.

Candidate Requirements

• Proven experience as an engineering manager with people leadership and mentorship skills.
• Strong background managing highly available production systems and incident response.
• Technical competence to independently analyze complex design tradeoffs, particularly with Go programming language.
• Experience managing on-call schedules and operational responsibilities.
• Excellent communication skills with ability to give and receive feedback constructively.
• Adaptability to a fast-moving, start-up environment.

Compensation and Benefits

Competitive compensation package includes base salary ranging from CAD 276,040 to 344,380, equity incentives, and comprehensive benefits covering health, vision, and dental with no waiting period. Additional benefits include employer-matched retirement contributions, flexible paid time off, paid parental leave, professional development funding, and support for home office setup.

Work Environment and Culture

We promote an inclusive and flexible remote-first culture where authentic expression is encouraged. We support in-person gatherings through retreats and team off-sites worldwide and provide resources for professional growth and team connection.

Additional Information

Our hiring process emphasizes fairness and accessibility. Candidates requiring accommodations during recruitment can request support. Communication from our talent team will only come from official company domains to prevent scams.