Software Engineering Manager - Applications

Description:

Whisker is the maker of Litter-Robot, Feeder-Robot, and Litterbox.com. At Whisker, we believe pet parenthood can always get better.

As leading innovators in pet tech and refined pet accessories, we work tirelessly to solve problems and deliver smarter insights for pet parents while enriching the lives of pets. Whether it’s a self-cleaning litter box that automates scooping, an automatic feeder that helps pets develop healthier eating habits, or a modern cat tree that delights both humans and felines, we strive to deliver better solutions for consumers while transforming pet care along the way. To us, having a pet is the best thing ever. At Whisker, life together just keeps getting better.

Whisker is based in Auburn Hills, Michigan and Juneau, Wisconsin with 500+ passionate team members.

What You’ll Do:

The Manager of Software Applications will lead the continued development and management of our digital products, product roadmap for our embedded systems, mobile apps, cloud infrastructure, Machine Learning engineering capabilities, product ideation and management, and the growth and management of our evolving team to ensure we’re delivering great products for our customers around the globe!

Essential Duties and Responsibilities:

This list of duties and responsibilities is not all-inclusive and may be expanded to include other duties and responsibilities as deemed necessary.

Engineering Vision: The Manager of Software Applications is a product engineering visionary, and manages building and executing on Whisker’s Apps roadmap. They balance short-term projects already in development with long-term product vision, pet wellness and a holistic experience for our pet parents.
Cross-Discipline IoT: The manager is responsible for orchestrating seamless collaboration among services, applications teams, ensuring their cohesive efforts result in exceptional customer experiences across all our products. This is achieved through proactive facilitation of communication channels, establishment of cross-functional workflows, and implementation of integrated development processes.
Software: The Manager of Software Applications helps advance our application capabilities into sensor fusion, machine learning, pet recognition, IoT connectivity and in-app experience. The system and software architecture is our primary consumer interface and product.
AI/Machine Learning: The manager develops a clear vision of machine learning solutions to enable AI-powered in-app experiences for pet health, well-being and interaction. Beyond traditional machine learning algorithms, the manager recognizes opportunities where deep learning is applicable and scales the team to address those opportunities.
Team Development: The Manager of Software Applications recruits, grows, mentors and leads our core Apps engineering team. The manager is responsible for developing other leaders and mentoring our junior engineers to deliver amazing products.
Prioritization: The manager balances the needs of today with where we want to be tomorrow. As a consumer products company, we will never leave our existing customers hanging, and therefore the candidate will need to partner with internal stakeholders to solve today’s problems while ensuring the teams are prepared to work on tomorrow’s innovations to build our future.
Execution excellence: The candidate will have a track record of delivering multiple products at scale and on time. This requires driving architecture, execution, verification and automation of all aspects of the products.

Additional Responsibilities:

Oversees the design, development, and implementation of software solutions, ensuring alignment with the company’s strategic objectives. This includes managing the software engineering department’s resources, fostering innovation, and ensuring that software projects meet quality, budget, and timeline requirements.
Mentors and leads a team of software development managers and engineers, promoting a culture of excellence and continuous improvement. Responsible for talent development, including hiring, training, and professional growth, to maintain a highly skilled and engaged workforce.
Establishes and enforces engineering best practices and operational procedures to ensure scalable and secure software development processes.
Collaborates with product management, operations, and other cross-functional teams to define product requirements and ensures that the engineering team delivers software that meets user needs.
Drives the adoption of new technologies and frameworks within the team, staying abreast of industry trends to keep the company at the cutting edge of technological advancements.
Develops and manages the department’s budget, including capital expenditure and operational costs, ensuring efficient use of resources and alignment with the company’s financial goals.
Leads crisis management and troubleshooting initiatives, ensuring rapid and effective resolution of software issues to minimize downtime and maintain customer satisfaction.
Fosters an environment of collaboration and communication within the engineering teams and across departments, ensuring that all stakeholders are informed and engaged in key project decisions.
Defines and monitors key performance indicators (KPIs) for the engineering department to evaluate effectiveness and implement improvements as needed.
Represents the engineering team in executive meetings, providing insights and updates to senior management and other stakeholders about project progress, challenges, and strategic opportunities.
Will perform additional responsibilities when required

Leadership Responsibilities:

Directly supervises department Teams. Carries out supervisory responsibilities following Whisker policies and applicable laws. Responsibilities include interviewing, training, and hiring, planning, assigning and directing work, appraising performance, addressing team issues, and upholding safety and quality guidelines.

Requirements:

What You’ll Bring:

Bachelor’s and/or Master’s in Computer Science
6+ years experience as a Software Engineering Manager/Director
6+ years of development experience with at least 5 years in cloud environments working with SQL, Python, Java, and REST APIs
4+ years leading multiple Agile teams and programs with expert understanding of Agile and Lean principles
Strong knowledge of the AWS IoT stack in the context of large-scale IoT product deployments
Experience with Flutter (or other comparable framework) for mobile app design, development and support
Clear understanding of both supervised and unsupervised learning methodologies
Proven ability to manage multiple product lines and meet aggressive release schedules
Excellent communication (verbal & written) and presentation skills
Experience managing teams of 30-100 people
Strong interpersonal and leadership skills
Maintains confidentiality of proprietary information
Ability to maintain a professional atmosphere in a fast-paced environment with numerous interactions and interruptions
A high degree of initiative, self-motivation, and ability to motivate others
Ability to establish and maintain cooperative working relationships with Team Members and colleagues
Comfortable with office pets (cats, dogs)

Benefits & Purrks:

Join a tenacious, inventive company that empowers team members to chart their own path, lead by grounding decisions in the “why”, and has a strong sense of empathy and openness to new perspectives. Be a part of exciting growth, work with incredible people, and create tomorrow’s pet products—plus a whole lot of extras. You will also be provided with:

Premium Medical/Dental/Vision insurance
Paid parental leave
Whisker Parents Program
1 day "pawternity" leave for new pet adoption
Pet Insurance
401K match
Flexible spending accounts
Company-paid short-term disability and life insurance
Employee Assistance Program (EAP)
Generous paid time off
14 Paid Holidays
Top of the line equipment
Pet-friendly office
Whisker products and swag
Continuing education Support
On-site gym with Peloton
Referral program

Statement of Inclusivity:

We believe different perspectives make Whisker better and strive to create a place where everyone has equal opportunities to thrive.

Please ensure to regularly check your email spam folder for any communication from Whisker to avoid missing important updates regarding your application status.

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