Engineering manager

About Us

Parity is one of the world’s most experienced companies building the core infrastructure behind blockchain — the system that allows information and value to be shared securely without needing an intermediary. We’re laying the foundation for a better web which respects the freedom and data of individuals, and empowers developers to build better, more trustworthy online services.

Our remote-first, global team develop open-source software that anyone can use or improve. This includes Polkadot, Polkadot SDK, and Kusama — key parts of the Web3 tech stack, the next generation of the internet.Our mission is to make Polkadot the most active and innovative community in blockchain, powering a new era of connected and decentralised applications.

About the Team

The Runtime team operates in a highly technical environment, delivering complex engineering work that demands strong technical leadership, clear execution, and thoughtful people management.

About the Role

We’re hiring an Engineering Manager who combines people leadership with strong delivery and project management. This isn’t a hands-on coding role, but you’ll need enough technical depth to understand architecture, engage credibly with engineers, and support sound decision-making.

You’ll focus on team health, execution, planning, and cross-functional coordination, helping the team navigate trade-offs, timelines, and stakeholder expectations. A background as a Technical Project Manager or Engineering Manager in a deeply technical environment would be a strong fit.

What You’ll Do

• Lead, coach, and support a team of around 9 engineers within the Runtime function
• Create a healthy, high-trust team environment with a strong focus on people management and team care
• Drive planning, prioritisation, and execution across complex technical workstreams
• Negotiate timelines and delivery trade-offs with stakeholders in a clear and pragmatic way
• Build enough technical context to understand architecture discussions and help translate them into executable plans
• Partner closely with technical leaders and contributors to keep projects moving and unblock delivery
• Improve team ways of working, communication, and delivery predictability in a distributed environment
• Support hiring, onboarding, and ongoing development of team members as the organisation grows

What You’ll Bring

• Experience leading engineering or highly technical teams in an Engineering Manager or Technical Project Manager capacity
• Strong people management skills, with a track record of building healthy teams and supporting individual growth
• Excellent project and delivery management skills, including planning, dependency management, and stakeholder communication
• Sufficient technical depth to understand complex system architecture and work effectively with senior engineers
• Comfort operating in a role that is more focused on leadership and delivery than on hands-on coding
• Strong judgement when balancing technical complexity, team wellbeing, and delivery outcomes
• Experience working with distributed teams, ideally across Europe or closely aligned European time zones
• Nice to have: experience in similarly technical or infrastructure-heavy environments