Software Engineering Manager, App Team

Our Mission

The Substack mission is to build a new economic engine for culture. 

We believe that by working with culture makers to build this engine, we can do more than simply halt a decline; we can contribute to a system that can be better than any in history—a system where there is growth instead of decay, where people have more power than unaligned algorithms or mad kings, and where the central currency is trust.

App Team

As the engineering manager for the App team, you will be responsible for building out the next phase of Substack’s vision. The App team is responsible for iOS, Android, and web destinations. These destinations are central to the experience of using Substack, enabling new forms of online communities, discovery and engagement with the wider network of Substacks, and new forms of expression and creation for all users of Substack. 

Substack’s compensation package includes a market competitive salary, equity for all full time roles, and exceptional benefits. Our cash compensation salary range for this role is $195,000 - $225,000. Final offer amounts are determined by multiple factors including candidate experience and expertise and may vary from the amounts listed above.

Role

• Lead the team that develops Substack apps for readers and writers. 
• Engage in strategic product vision and direction-setting with your team, peers, and company leadership. 
• Scale systems to handle ever-increasing load and a fast-growing ecosystem of writers and readers. 
• Contribute to the whole product process in collaboration with designers, writers, support staff, and many others. From product concept and research to implementation and deployment, we expect you to own your work and deliver high-quality solutions.
• Work directly with customers to solve their problems. The entire company (CEO included) participates in customer support in order to drive empathy for our users and help us build better products.
• Partner with product and engineering leaders across the organization on team-wide initiatives and strategy.
• Collaborate with Substack’s recruiting team to hire and retain great engineers. 
• We work with JavaScript, especially Node/Express and React, and Postgres. It’s helpful if you know these technologies already, if not, we’ll be excited to help you learn.

About You

• At least 3+ years of software engineering management experience.
• Passion for recruiting and building healthy, diverse teams. 
• Experience in building social and/or media networks. 
• Can contribute across the full web stack, but may have a deeper passion for certain technologies and systems.
• Independent and autonomous. We’re too small to micromanage, and expect that every person at the company owns their work and can be a leader.
• Hold yourself and others to a high standard when working on production systems.
• Take pride in building elegant and delightful product experiences. Substack works best when it gets out of the way so writers can focus on writing and connecting with their readers. 
• Enjoy collaboration with a diverse group of thinkers while bringing our own unique experience and background to the team.
• Believe in Substack’s mission to build a better business model for writing.

Substack is an equal opportunity employer. All applicants will be considered for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex (including pregnancy, sexual orientation, gender identity or transgender status), age, national origin, veteran or disability status. We’re seeking people passionate about enabling independent expression and building a better business model for creators. If you want to see what media, communities, and content can become when unmoored from advertising models, and you have the skills and experience to contribute, we’d love to meet you.