Platforms Engineering Manager

What you'd actually do

What you need to already be good at

• Technical enough to pass our architecture challenge - we're not asking for architect-level depth, but you need to be credible in the room, not just managing it.

• AWS, but we also have our own data center, and GCP

• Kubernetes

• Terraform and Python

• Comfortable owning a roadmap and making technical calls, not just running standups.

• A real communicator - this job is cross-team persuasion as much as it is management.

We're specifically not looking for someone with 3-6 years of straight people-management experience. We'd rather hire someone technical who wants to grow into this - startup, small-team, or adjacent-industry background over big-tech-with-a-roadmap-already-built. We'll train you into the management side alongside Talent.

Bonus points

Background in a startup or small, fast-moving team · comfortable being the most senior technical voice in the room without being the most senior architect · experience translating "our infra sucks" complaints into an actual roadmap decision

Not for you if

• You want the roadmap handed to you - there isn't one yet, you're building it

• You need to be a "professional manager" who doesn't get hands-on. Our CTO own words: "we're too small to just have professional managers"

• You get defensive instead of curious when 80 people are telling you your infrastructure isn't working for them

How we judge you, and how it goes

Same five things every Samba hire is scored on: Determined yet Resilient, Naturally Curious, Low Ego, Self-aware, Results Oriented.

Why now