Manager, Software Engineering - Infrastructure

As the Manager, Software Engineering - Infrastructure at Figma, you will manage and grow a team dedicated to building scalable services that underpin our infrastructure. Your primary responsibilities will include setting strategies and priorities for your team, ensuring accountability and trust among engineers, and collaborating closely with other engineering leaders to drive impactful projects aimed at enhancing our services.

Candidates applying for the Manager, Software Engineering - Infrastructure position at Figma should have at least 3 years of experience leading high-output platform or product teams in complex technical domains. Additionally, 5 years of hands-on experience with distributed or storage systems in a public cloud environment such as AWS or GCP is essential. Familiarity with database technologies like Postgres and MySQL is also important.

Figma is committed to fostering an engaged and creative engineering community, which means they prioritize professional development. As a Manager in this role, you will have the opportunity to mentor and guide senior engineers, participate in community events, and collaborate with various teams to learn and grow continuously within a diverse and inclusive environment.

In the role of Manager, Software Engineering - Infrastructure at Figma, you will work with a variety of core data storage and streaming technologies. This includes relational databases, caching systems like Redis, and stream processing tools such as Kafka and Kinesis, all while developing innovative solutions that enhance our infrastructure capabilities.

Figma promotes a positive, inclusive, and collaborative work culture. As a Manager of Software Engineering - Infrastructure, you will play a crucial role in establishing trust within your team and across departments. Figma believes in the power of diverse perspectives and actively supports initiatives aimed at building a welcoming environment for all employees.

When answering this question, discuss your previous roles where you led engineering teams, highlighting your leadership style, how you set priorities, and how you supported your team members' growth. Mention specific infrastructure projects you've managed and the outcomes achieved.

In your response, emphasize your approach to architecture design, team collaboration, and continuous integration strategies. Explain how you involve your team in decision-making to foster innovation and accountability while ensuring scalability in the services developed.

Share specific instances where you mentored team members, focusing on your philosophy around professional growth. Discuss how you identify strengths, provide feedback, and create opportunities for engineers to take on challenges that help them advance their skills.

Discuss your hands-on experience with cloud services, particularly AWS or GCP. Provide examples of how you've utilized these technologies to build scalable solutions and mention any relevant certifications or training you've completed.

In your answer, detail your knowledge of distributed databases, how they function, and why they are crucial for complex applications. Describe any specific systems you've worked with and the benefits you've seen in terms of performance and reliability.

Explain your problem-solving approach, emphasizing collaboration and open communication. Provide an example of a challenging technical issue your team faced, how you guided them through it, and the eventual solutions reached.

Share a specific project where you implemented changes that enhanced the developer experience. Focus on what challenges you identified, the solutions implemented, and the positive impacts these changes had on productivity and satisfaction.

Outline how you ensure your team’s work aligns with the overall mission of the company. Discuss your methods for communicating company goals, collaborating with other teams, and tracking progress towards these objectives through metrics and regular meetings.

Discuss specific initiatives you've led or been part of to promote diversity and inclusion. Highlight how you create an environment where all voices are heard and valued, and mention any metrics you track to assess team diversity and inclusion efforts.

In your response, share instances where you introduced new technologies or processes that improved efficiency, reduced costs, or enhanced products. Detail the impact of these innovations on the engineering team and the organization as a whole.