Senior Engineering Manager/Director of Engineering

Department: Engineering Reports To: CTO, CJ Johnson Location: Boston, MA or NC Classification: Full-Time, Exempt Estimated Compensation: $175-$200k Product: KnoxAI - Enterprise FedRAMP & DISA Compliance Platform Status: Urgent Hiring - Building Core Engineering Team Team Size: Managing 2 direct reports (Senior Backend Engineer, Senior Full-Stack Engineer) Coding Expectation: 85% hands-on backend development, 15% leadership About Knox Knox runs the largest Federal managed cloud. We host and secure the production environments of our customers within our FedRAMP-authorized cloud. We’re a collaborative, and dynamic team building something meaningful: helping innovative companies break into and scale within the Federal market. We take pride in serving our customers, thrive on solving tough challenges together, and having fun while doing it. The Role We're seeking an elite backend engineer who can write code 85% of the time while providing technical leadership and light people management for a 2-person team. You'll be the most senior technical contributor, personally architecting and implementing KnoxAI's most complex features—particularly AI/ML integrations, compliance engines, and critical infrastructure. The 15% management work involves mentoring, unblocking teammates, and partnering with the CTO on technical direction, not heavy process overhead. This is perfect for a Staff/Principal Engineer who wants a managerial title for career growth but primarily wants to ship exceptional code and solve hard technical problems. Responsibilities Hands-On Development (85%) • Primary codebase contributor: You'll write more code than anyone else on the team • Architecture ownership: Design and implement the hardest, most critical systems personally • AI/ML Integration: Design and implement AI-driven compliance analysis using Claude, Gemini, QWEN, and Cohere; build Model Context Protocol (MCP) tools for agentic workflows • Complex Backend Features: Architect and code critical features like KSI compliance engines, infrastructure-as-code analyzers, and real-time compliance dashboards • Third-Party Integrations: Lead integration efforts with FedRAMP-authorized services (CrowdStrike, KnowBe4, Keeper, Okta, etc.) • Performance & Scalability: Optimize database queries, implement caching strategies (Redis), and design event-driven architectures using SQS/Lambda • Bun Migration: Personally lead the Node.js → Bun migration; benchmark performance, fix compatibility issues, optimize build pipeline • Technical Debt Management: Balance rapid delivery with sustainable code quality; refactor legacy CMX components • Code Reviews: Review all PRs with focus on architecture, security, and maintainability Technical Leadership & Light Management (15%) • Technical Direction: Partner with CTO on architecture decisions, technology choices, and engineering standards • Mentorship: Unblock teammates through pair programming, architectural guidance, and code reviews (not formal performance management) • Team Coordination: Run lightweight standups/planning; keep team aligned on priorities (no heavy sprint ceremonies) • Hiring Support: Interview candidates when needed; help CTO assess technical fit • Stakeholder Communication: Update CTO and stakeholders on technical progress, risks, and architectural decisions Required Qualifications Technical Depth (Primary Focus) • 7+ years backend development with modern TypeScript/Node.js (NestJS or similar MVC frameworks) • Deep expertise in Clean Architecture or similar layered architecture patterns (Hexagonal, DDD) • Production experience with AI/ML APIs (OpenAI, Anthropic, Google, or AWS Bedrock) and understanding of prompt engineering, context management, and model selection • Strong AWS knowledge: IAM, Cognito, S3, Lambda, SQS, RDS/PostgreSQL, OpenSearch, DynamoDB, CloudWatch • Database proficiency: Complex SQL, query optimization, schema design, ORM usage (Prisma/TypeORM) • API design expertise: REST, OpenAPI/Swagger, versioning strategies, authentication/authorization patterns • System design: Ability to architect complex, scalable systems from scratch; experience with distributed systems, event-driven architectures, and microservices Leadership & Mentorship (Secondary) • 1-3 years light leadership experience (tech lead, team lead, or senior IC mentoring juniors)—formal management experience NOT required • Collaborative: Comfortable mentoring teammates through pairing, code reviews, and architectural discussions • Clear communicator: Can explain complex technical concepts to CTO and stakeholders • Bias for action: Pragmatic decision-making that balances perfect vs. good enough • Startup mentality: Comfortable with ambiguity, rapid iteration, and wearing multiple hats Bonus/Preferred • Prior experience in GRC, compliance, cybersecurity, or FedRAMP environments • Hands-on experience with Model Context Protocol (MCP) or similar agentic frameworks • Frontend awareness (Nuxt/Vue/React) to provide guidance on full-stack architecture • Experience with LangChain, vector databases, or RAG (Retrieval-Augmented Generation) implementations • Familiarity with infrastructure-as-code analysis (Terraform, CloudFormation, Pulumi) • Knowledge of NIST SP 800-53, FedRAMP requirements, or DISA STIGs • Experience with Bun runtime or enthusiasm for adopting modern JavaScript runtimes Hiring Requirement: Due to the nature of our work with federal government clients and compliance with applicable regulations, this position requires U.S. citizenship. Dual citizenship is not permitted for this role. Candidates must be able to provide documentation verifying sole U.S. citizenship status as part of the background check process. Any offer of employment is contingent upon the successful completion of all required pre-employment screenings, including a background check, in accordance with applicable laws and government contract requirements. Benefits & Perks Knox offers a competitive employee benefits package including Medical, Dental, Vision, Life & Disability, unlimited PEO, and an employee funded 401k plan. Please note, benefits are subject to change. We are an Equal Opportunity Employer. We celebrate diversity and are committed to creating an inclusive environment for all employees. Employment decisions are made without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, national origin, age, disability, veteran status, or any other legally protected status. Apply tot his job