Sr Engineering Manager, Backend - Apps

Forward Networks is revolutionizing the way large networks are managed. The Forward Enterprise platform delivers a vendor-agnostic "digital twin" of the network, based on a mathematical model. The platform scales to support hundreds of thousands of network devices, whether cloud, hybrid cloud, or on-prem. It serves as a single source of truth for the network, enabling network operators to instantly verify security posture, accelerate troubleshooting, avoid outages, and modernize network management.

Over the past few years, Forward Networks has received tremendous industry recognition, including “Cool Vendor in Enterprise Networking” by Gartner, “Product of the Year” by Cloud Computing, “Hot Company” by Cyber Defense Magazine, “Enterprise Cloud Computing Software of the Year,” and has been named to Fortune’s “Best Workplaces in the Bay Area” list.

The company was founded by four Stanford PhD graduates who saw a massive opportunity to improve network operations. Investors include Andreessen Horowitz, MSD Capital, Threshold Ventures, and Goldman Sachs.

We are seeking an experienced Principal Backend Software Engineer to join our Scaling team. In this pivotal role, you will lead the development of our product’s core components, ensuring they interact seamlessly with other services and systems. You will be instrumental in enhancing the efficiency of our core data structures and scaling our computational capabilities.

Forward Networks is currently seeking a talented Engineering Manager to lead a small team of backend engineers while also contributing hands-on to the development of critical features.

Key Responsibilities:

• Lead and Mentor a Backend Engineering Team: Manage, mentor, and inspire a small team of skilled backend engineers. Foster growth, promote engineering best practices, and create a collaborative and innovative work environment.
• Feature Development: Lead the team in developing and enhancing backend features that power our application. Design and implement REST APIs, extend data models, and ensure high system performance and usability.
• Collaborate with Cross-Functional Teams: Work closely with product managers, UI engineers, and other stakeholders to define, scope, and prioritize new features.
• Code Reviews and Technical Excellence: Review code, design documents, and technical proposals, ensuring that the team consistently produces high-quality, maintainable code. Offer constructive feedback to foster a culture of technical excellence.
• Project Management: Oversee project planning and execution. Balance hands-on coding with team management duties to ensure that both personal contributions and team deliverables are completed on time and meet quality standards.
• Hands-On Development: Contribute directly to the design and development of key backend systems. This includes building new features, writing clean and maintainable code, and addressing complex technical challenges within a Java/Spring codebase.

Requirements:

• 8+ Years in Backend Development: Extensive experience in full lifecycle software development, including hands-on backend development with large-scale applications. Prior leadership or managerial experience is a strong plus.
• Expertise in Java & Spring Framework: Deep expertise in Java (version 17 or later) and hands-on experience with Spring or other similar frameworks. Proven ability to design, build, and maintain complex backend systems.
• REST API Design: Proven experience in designing, implementing, and maintaining REST APIs.
• Database Expertise: Strong proficiency in SQL and relational database schema design.
• Object-Oriented Design & Testing: Expertise in object-oriented programming, design patterns, and writing testable, maintainable code. Strong focus on code quality and automated testing.
• Communication & Stakeholder Management: Excellent verbal and written communication skills, with the ability to clearly articulate technical concepts and engage with both technical and non-technical stakeholders.

NOTE: experience in the networking domain is NOT a requirement for this role but is a plus.

This position is a regular, full-time opportunity with Forward Networks in Santa Clara, CA.

The base pay range for this role is between $200,000 and $240,000. Base pay will depend on your skills, qualifications, experience, and location