Sr. Software Development Manager, Computer Backup - Backblaze

Role Overview

Backblaze is seeking a Senior Software Development Manager to lead the Computer Backup engineering team. This role encompasses both the cross-platform desktop client and the backend services responsible for receiving, storing, and restoring customer data. You will manage the entire engineering team through Desktop and Backend Leads, setting long-term technical direction, owning multi-quarter delivery strategy, and holding accountability for the team’s budget and results.

This is a hands-on management position where you will actively participate in architecture discussions, code reviews, and technical decisions across both desktop and backend aspects of the product, while also managing strategy, budget, and staff growth. The ideal candidate will have strong experience running agile teams, managing managers or team leads, deep expertise in system architecture, and a proven track record of leading distributed, remote-first engineering teams. You should bring 7+ years of engineering management experience and enthusiasm for AI-assisted development.

Responsibilities

• Lead the full Computer Backup engineering team, managing through Desktop and Backend Leads who handle day-to-day operations.
• Set the long-term technical direction for Computer Backup, ensuring architectural and platform decisions support product and customer base growth.
• Own the multi-quarter delivery strategy for Computer Backup, collaborating with Product leadership on roadmap, scope, schedule, and priorities.
• Manage the team’s budget and spend, aligning headcount, tooling, and infrastructure investments with business priorities.
• Make technical and organizational decisions with broad, long-term impact, including shared platform components and infrastructure.
• Ensure seamless operation between desktop and backend areas, fostering shared goals and a consistent agile delivery process.
• Oversee the team’s agile process, ensuring ceremonies like sprint planning, backlog refinement, standups, and retrospectives are run effectively and consistently.
• Own delivery across client and backend, from planning and design through implementation and post-launch support, partnering with QA and release teams.
• Ensure the reliability, performance, and maintainability of the backup client and backend services.
• Champion engineering quality by increasing unit testing and automated test coverage, integrating testing as a first-class part of software development.
• Participate hands-on in code reviews, architecture decisions, and technical problem-solving for both desktop and server work.
• Champion the effective use of AI-assisted development tools, guiding the team in adopting agentic coding practices and establishing AI-augmented workflow norms.
• Continuously improve team productivity by identifying bottlenecks, refining processes, and investing in tooling and practices.
• Negotiate directly with senior leadership and major customers, represent the team in executive reviews, and communicate risks and trade-offs with clear recommendations.

Qualifications

• 7+ years of engineering management experience, including managing managers or team leads, ideally in a cloud, SaaS, desktop software, or platform engineering environment.
• Experience setting long-term technical direction and system architecture for a growing product or platform.
• Experience owning multi-quarter technical and delivery strategy and contributing to product roadmap shaping.
• Experience negotiating scope, schedule, and priorities with product and senior leadership.
• Accountability for a team or departmental budget, including resourcing and investment decisions.
• Deep experience with agile development processes (scrum, sprint planning, backlog management, estimation, retrospectives), with a track record of ensuring consistent and effective execution.
• Demonstrated experience managing distributed, remote engineering teams, including strong async communication and remote collaboration practices.
• Strong software engineering background with deep expertise in system architecture, capable of hands-on engagement in technical discussions, design reviews, and architectural decisions.
• Solid command of the full software development lifecycle, from requirements and design through deployment and production support.
• A strong commitment to engineering quality, including the value of unit testing and automated test coverage, and a track record of integrating testing into team practices.
• Experience delivering software across desktop clients, backend services, or both.
• Excellent communicator and negotiator, able to work directly with senior leadership and major customers and to escalate risks early with clear recommendations.
• Familiarity with AI agentic coding tools such as Claude Code and Codex is a plus; we actively use them and value leaders who encourage their adoption.

Why Join Backblaze

• Lead a team building software that protects the data of hundreds of thousands of customers worldwide.
• Own a complete product end-to-end, from the desktop experience to the backend data protection.
• Collaborate with experienced engineering, product, and QA teams in a flat, low-bureaucracy environment.
• Competitive compensation and benefits.
• Remote-first culture supporting work-life balance.

At Backblaze, we encourage you to apply even if you don't meet every requirement. Learning, developing, and growing are key parts of our culture. We are committed to fostering a workforce where all employees feel a sense of belonging regardless of background. We are proud to be an Equal Opportunity Employer.