Engineering Manager

In a nutshell

koppla is building the next-gen collaborative scheduling platform for construction, helping project managers keep projects on time by identifying delays and disruptions before they impact timelines.

We are looking for a people-focussed Engineering Manager to lead and develop our engineering team. We have a team of high-performing, driven and product-minded engineers across all seniority levels who care deeply about what they build and how they grow. Partnering closely with our VP Product and our CEO, your main responsibility will be developing our team (~10 engineers) and ensure we keep shipping a high-quality product. You will not lead our technical decision making, but be a key contributor to it. 

Compensation: €100k-130k + 45% of your base salary in equity on top
Location: Berlin (Hybrid, 3+ days/week in office); open for candidates willing to relocate to Berlin

About koppla

At koppla, we're a fun and ambitious team on a mission to help the construction industry build more efficiently. We're already partnering with top construction companies and delivering impressive results for our customers (multi-months speed-ups discovered through koppla).

Our ambitions are backed by leading VCs (Earlybird, Newion) and industry angels as we tackle a billion-dollar opportunity problem in an underdigitized and underserved market.

Our culture is core to who we are and we've built one we're genuinely proud of. We are not looking for hypergrowth - we believe in hiring slowly to create an environment of few but very high-performing team members that build a truly great product (similar to Netflix, Ashby or Linear).

What you'll be doing

You'll be the dedicated people leader for our engineers across all seniority levels - actively developing our high-performing, driven team, sharpening how we work, and making sure great people stay and grow.

• Lead and develop our engineering team. Run regular 1:1s, give direct and actionable feedback and own career development across the full seniority spectrum - from an early junior finding their footing to an aspiring staff engineer. This is the core of the role.
• Improve delivery, processes, and purposeful AI adoption. Adopt our existing processes, challenge and support the senior engineers in operational excellence, and identify where AI genuinely improves how we work and what we ship (e.g., reducing rework, sharpening code review, accelerating problem-solving).
• Hands-on-guidance. Maintain enough proximity to the codebase and technical discussions to support junior engineers on code quality and contribute meaningfully to technical discussions with the senior engineers (while not having to be the decision-maker).
• Eliminate silos. You treat Product and Engineering as a single team, not two functions that coordinate. You bring engineers closer to product and product closer to engineering in how the team plans, decides, and ships, working hand in hand with Product, Design, and UX Research. You ensure context is shared and no critical knowledge sits with just one person.
• Hiring. You’ll be deeply involved in engineering hiring: You help close current open roles, assess technical talent, and keep raising the bar as the team grows.

Our Tech Stack:

• Frontend: Typescript, Vue 3, Tailwind, Netlify, GH Actions
• Backend: Typescript, AWS, NestJS, Prisma, PostgreSQL, REST, Websockets, Terraform, GH Actions

Who we're looking for

You're an experienced hands-on people manager with a strong engineering background and a people first mindset who gets more energy from developing others than from solving things yourself.

• Prior engineering management experience in a startup. You've managed engineers as an engineering manager (or similar) before, preferably in a Seed/Series A/B or similar environment. You don't need process or hierarchy to get people moving in the right direction.
• Strong engineering foundation. You were a senior IC before moving into management and can credibly assess technical quality, review code with a critical eye, and contribute in architectural discussions - even if the final call sits with someone else.
• Builder of strong engineers. Your former reports got promoted, took on broader scope, or grew into roles that better matched their strengths.
• Proactive and high-energy operator. You bring a naturally organized workstyle and the drive to push a wide range of topics forward at once, from helping a junior write their first solid code to sharpening how your seniors work, without adding bureaucracy.
• Clear communicator. You are fluent in written and spoken English. You communicate clearly across engineering, product, and leadership teams and create alignment through strong written and verbal communication. You are comfortable having clear, honest, and sometimes difficult conversations when needed.

Beyond the role-specific requirements, you also see your own values reflected in our Culture Playbook.

What we offer

• A company of co-owners through tax-optimized equity grants.
• A culture with a focus on transparency, respect, ownership, collaboration and the well-being of each team member on this exciting journey.
• An environment that values hard-work while still allowing work-life/family integration through 28 days PTO, flexible working hours, workation and a hybrid setup.
• Dog-friendly office in Berlin with free lunch, besides beverages and snacks as well as a home office budget at start.
• And more: Annual personal training budget of 1,500€ (FTE), Company supported pension Scheme (”BAV”, 30% contribution), Urban Sports Club Membership, Home Office budget and more.