Tech Lead Manager, Student Experience

Role overview

A fast-growing education platform is hiring a Tech Lead Manager to run its student-facing team within a two-sided marketplace that helps millions of people research and enroll in schools. The TLM is the single technical and people leader for the team that owns the logged-in student experience, guiding students and families through the higher education application and enrollment process. The role blends hands-on engineering with people leadership, partnering jointly with a product manager on team direction, process, and execution.

Responsibilities

- Contribute directly as an engineer: bug fixes, compliance work, technical debt, smaller features, and architectural decisions within the team's domain - Own professional development, career growth, performance management, and team culture for direct reports - Partner with the product manager to evolve team process toward faster delivery and rapid learning - Model effective use of AI-assisted development tooling and monitor team health - Catch and correct technical and product-design issues before they become delivery problems - Serve as the primary technical representative for the team in cross-functional settings

Requirements

- Strong, current hands-on software engineering experience, with regular code writing and review (not occasional) - Prior experience owning both technical direction and people management at the same time - Comfort representing the engineering function independently, without relying on a separate tech lead - Experience with or strong aptitude for AI-assisted development tooling and workflows - Track record of pragmatic technical trade-offs under real delivery pressure - Familiarity with or openness to evolving agile/Scrum-based team processes

Nice to have

- Background in marketplace, education technology, or consumer-facing applications - Experience running full performance and calibration cycles for an engineering team

Benefits and work setup

- National target base salary range of $146,000–$183,000, plus participation in an annual bonus and stock option program - Fully flexible workforce: remote, in-office, or hybrid, depending on personal preference - 100% employer-paid employee health plan, including vision and dental, plus supplemental coverage - Flexible PTO, 12 weeks of fully paid parental leave for all employees, and short-term disability for birthing parents - 401(k) with employer match and a home office stipend - Hiring across a wide range of US states; no relocation assistance; visa sponsorship not available