Technical Engineering Manager - PHP

Location: Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala, India

Department: Engineering

Workplace: on_site

Employment Type: full

Description

The Technical Engineering Manager provides hands-on technical leadership, line management and delivery oversight for a single team. Reporting to an Engineering Manager (EM), this role is responsible for the performance and technical excellence of an engineering team that is becoming increasingly more AI-augmented. You will work with the EM lead the transition, ensuring that the team leverages AI agents to maximize productivity while maintaining the highest standards of architectural integrity, security, and code quality.

Key Responsibilities

1. Technical Anchor

• Hands-on Technical Leadership: You lead from the front by remaining deeply hands-on with the codebase, tackling the most complex technical challenges while establishing the high standards and best practices the team follows.
• Architectural Integrity: Own the team-level architecture, ensuring solutions are scalable, maintainable, and align with global engineering standards.
• Practical AI Application: Maintain a strong understanding of how AI tools and workflows can be applied to improve efficiency. While AI expertise is a bonus, you are expected to guide the team in practical AI adoption where it adds clear value.

2. Line Management & People Development

• Mentorship & Coaching: Provide direct line management to a team of engineers. You focus on their professional growth, helping them navigate technical hurdles and career milestones.
• High-Performance Culture: Foster a high-trust, accountable environment. You conduct regular 1-on-1s, update Skills Matrices, and identify high-potential talent within your team.
• Recruitment: Lead technical interviews to identify and attract top-tier engineering talent that complements the team’s needs.

3. Product & Portfolio Alignment

• Roadmap Execution: Work closely with Product Managers to translate high-level product roadmaps at the Portfolio level into actionable technical plans.
• Continuous Improvement: Proactively use data to continuously improve ways of working and quality, identifying bottlenecks in delivery and implementing technical or process-based solutions.
• Resource Optimization: Manage capacity and technical resourcing to ensure the team is equipped to meet delivery commitments without compromising code health

Requirements

Knowledge, Skills, and Experience

• Experience: A minimum of 7 years of experience in the software industry with a proven track record as a Senior Engineer, including at least 1 year of experience leading and managing teams of 5 or more engineers.
• Architectural Stewardship: Strong ability to contribute to the design of scalable systems and ensure that global engineering standards are consistently applied and followed across the team.
• Analytical Mindset: Proficiency in using data to continuously improve ways of working and quality.
• AI Literacy and Application: A good understanding of how AI tools can be practically applied to software engineering to enhance productivity and quality will be a distinct advantage.
• Communication: Exceptional ability to bridge the gap between technical execution at the team level and product roadmaps at the Portfolio level
• Work Mode: Hybrid - Weekly thrice WFO

Benefits

What we offer

The chance to work alongside a team of hard-working, passionate people in a role where you’ll see the impact of your work every day.

We also offer:

• Flexible work environment (3 days work from office)
• Group Term Life Insurance paid out at 3x Annual CTC (Arbor India)
• 32 days holiday (plus Arbor Holidays). This is made up of 25 days annual leave plus 7 extra companywide days given over Easter, Summer & Christmas
• Work time: 9.30 am to 6 pm (8.5 hours only)
• Compensation - 100% fixed salary disbursement and no variable component.