Engineering Manager (Full Stack)

Avant seeks a results-oriented Engineering Manager (Full Stack) to lead a product-focused squad. This role is ideal for a mature engineer who thrives in a blended environment, spending 50-75% of their time writing code, reviewing pull requests, and solving technical problems alongside the team while also driving execution, mentoring talent, and shaping technical strategy. You'll be accountable for delivering complex features, fostering a collaborative team environment, and promoting engineering excellence through your example and leadership. This role requires a high degree of technical proficiency, strong communication skills, and a passion for helping teams thrive and achieve success.

What you'll do at Avant:

• Lead an agile team responsible for end-to-end delivery within a focused product area.

• Actively contribute to the codebase via pair programming, writing features, fixing bugs, and participating in code reviews while balancing this hands-on work with people leadership responsibilities.

• Partner with product managers, UX designers, and business stakeholders to define clear priorities, set goals, and align the team's work with broader organizational objectives.

• Balance long-term technical investments with near-term feature delivery to ensure sustained team velocity and product impact.

• Drive the execution of complex features by guiding implementation decisions, resolving blockers, and fostering accountability.

• Own and support the team's systems in a high-volume, customer-facing production environment, ensuring uptime, performance, and reliability.

• Collaborate with principal and senior engineers to influence technical direction, ensure sound architectural choices, and maintain code quality.

• Coach and directly supervise individual contributors, providing performance feedback, career development support, and technical mentorship.

• Foster the adoption and evolution of Avant's engineering culture through consistent communication, modeling best practices, and celebrating team wins.

• Communicate team progress and challenges to leadership, providing clarity and transparency.

• Promote continuous improvement through retrospectives, process tuning, and cross-functional collaboration.

• Support recruiting and onboarding efforts to build and scale high-performing teams.

Why you're at fit at Avant:

• 8-12 years of professional software engineering experience, with at least 1-3 years in leadership, mentorship, or formal people management roles.

• Proven track record leading a full-stack team delivering back-end services and front-end applications.

• Proficiency in Ruby, Python, or similar object-oriented languages and hands-on experience with front-end frameworks like React.

• Solid understanding of data modeling, database migrations, and scaling systems with large datasets.

• Familiarity with DevOps tooling (Docker, Kubernetes, Terraform) and modern cloud-native practices.

• Experience with distributed systems and event-driven architectures.

• Strong communication skills enable the tailoring of technical updates to both engineering and non-technical audiences.

• Experience working in Agile Scrum environments, including backlog refinement, planning, and delivery ceremonies.

• With a people-first mindset, you prioritize team health, individual growth, and fostering a psychologically safe environment.

• With a strategic yet pragmatic approach to engineering management, you can make and communicate tradeoffs that serve product and platform goals.

This role is based on our downtown Chicago Office, located in the Merchandise Mart. We highly value collaboration and our hybrid schedule (M, T, Th in-office) enables flexibility to balance work and individual priorities.

Compensation Range:

The base salary range for this job is USD $155,000 - USD $195,000 / Year

Employees new to Avant typically come in below the midpoint of the pay range. The compensation range is based on the level outlined in the job posting, and compensation decisions are dependent on each applicant's experience, skills and abilities.

[If an outstanding applicant's experience and skill level is above or below the qualifications outlined in the job posting, we reserve the right to make an offer at a different level than the one listed in this job posting, which may have a different compensation range.]

This role is eligible for additional incentives, including an annual bonus. These rewards are allocated based on level, impact and performance in the role.

Our benefits include:

• Choice of great Medical, Dental, and Vision Insurance Plan options

• 401(k) match

• Flexible Time Off

• Flexible Work Environment - (i.e. Mon/Tues/Thurs in-person)

• Generous Paid Parental Leave, Adoption Assistance and Post-parental leave ramp-up program

• Lunch Allowance (Fooda) and In-office Snacks

• Summer Fridays

• Fun In-Office and Virtual Social Events

• And who doesn't love the swag

Check out our Avant Blog!

We believe that a diverse set of backgrounds and experiences helps us create the most innovative solutions for our customers. We invite you to apply to our positions even if you do not meet 100% of the qualifications listed in the description. If you're passionate about our mission and aligned to our values, we hope you'll come contribute to our awesome culture.

Why Avant is the place for you:

At Avant, we believe our values make a difference:

Authenticity. We show up to work as our whole selves and make sure others can too.

Collaboration. We can only succeed when we do so as a team.

Problem-Solving. The harder the problem, the more satisfying the solution.

Customer. We are all owners of the customer experience.

Initiative. Plan. Adapt. Get Sh!t Done.

We believe that great ideas come from anyone and anywhere, that everyone is an owner who drives change, and that we have more fun when we work together. We're problem solvers who love collaborating with intelligent and highly-motivated people to reshape the face of digital banking. Avant offers terrific perks and benefits, fun social events with employees who actually like hanging out together, and a flexible growth environment where trying your hand at new projects and being the active owner of your career path is encouraged and supported.