Lead with technical skill and vision! Immerse yourself in the role of Software Engineering Manager, balancing team leadership, project execution and technological innovation.
There comes a time in every technology company when engineering teams get so large that it becomes difficult to keep track of each task and overall progress. This is when company managers consider hiring a professional who can manage software engineering teams.
Software engineering managers have multiple purposes within a company. They are not only responsible for supervising teams involved in computer and software engineering, but they must also contribute to the design and creation of software applications.
Before beginning any type of software team hiring process, business owners should understand what exactly software engineering managers do and how companies hire them. While the best option for some companies is to hire in-house staff to join an existing software development team or start one from scratch, other companies greatly benefit from everything that working with an outsourcing provider has to offer.
Software engineering management requires the application of management-related activities to ensure the optimal development and delivery of software engineering services and products. Software engineering managers use skills such as planning, coordination, measurement, and reporting to ensure that the company's products meet stakeholder and user requirements.
Software engineering management activities generally occur at three levels: organizational and infrastructure management, project management, and measurement program planning.
Other important responsibilities included in software engineering management are policy management, personnel management (hiring, training, motivating, and mentoring), and managing organizational culture and behavior.
Software Engineering Manager Role and Hiring Guide
Software engineering managers occupy a primarily administrative position in which they must supervise and direct the work of computer and software engineers through the design and development of software, programs, and applications.
These professionals also collaborate directly with their development teams in the design and creation of these applications. This means that software engineering managers have broad and constantly evolving knowledge of software engineering and/or information technology.
Some of their most common tasks include strategizing, creating projects, providing progress reports, preparing presentations, and evaluating team performance. Software engineering managers also handle the hiring process, customer interactions, conference attendance, and other managerial duties.
Job description
Companies should begin the process of recruiting a software engineering manager by creating a compelling job description. This is the first contact that potential candidates have with the company, so it must be informative and also interesting.
The first paragraph is where companies should sell the workplace to candidates. They should consider all the qualities that set them apart from the competition and list them along with what makes the workplace special and inviting to newcomers.
Next, recruiters or internal HR representatives should review the responsibilities expected of the software engineering manager they are hiring, what skills and qualifications are required, and any other necessary demands, including education, experience, and licensing. This is also a great time to consider working with an outsourcing company instead of traditional in-house hiring.
Finally, it is important to be clear about working hours, work model and benefits. Candidates should know in advance whether they are applying for a part-time or full-time job and whether they will work in an office, remotely, or in a hybrid environment. This helps recruiters and staffing companies narrow down their candidate pool.
An example job description for the role is as follows:
We are looking for a talented and detail-oriented Software Engineering Manager to join our growing development team. The right candidate not only has an extensive software engineering and generalized IT knowledge base, but also possesses the managerial and interpersonal skills necessary to lead a team to success.
Responsibilities of a Software Engineering Manager
A software engineering manager's list of daily responsibilities differs from company to company. However, most of your duties involve supervising the software engineering team, working closely with them, and providing the best working environment for each member. Some other examples of a software engineering manager's responsibilities include:
- Establish the requirements and objectives of each project
- Translating technology-specific language for business
- Recruitment
- Training team members
- Managing third-party development service providers
- Collaborate with QA, product management, and other engineering teams
- Creating API Test Plans
Skills and qualifications
Software engineering managers must have a good balance between software engineering and managerial skills. Having technical skills is important in this role, not only because software engineering managers contribute to product development, but also because they must guide and help the rest of the team overcome technical problems.
Typically, a software engineering manager must have at least a bachelor's degree in a discipline such as computer science or programming, as well as several years of experience in a closely related industry or position. As an individual contributor, the candidate must be proficient in programming languages and programs. Some roles also require or request experience in a managerial role.
The most important technical skills to have as a software engineering manager are knowledge of programming and technical design. Knowing how to code is the most basic skill anyone in software engineering needs, and software engineering managers are no exception.
Technical design is the ability to analyze problems, identify the most complex parts and find quick solutions to overcome them. Software engineering managers need to rely on their problem-solving skills and past experience to find new ways to deal with new problems.
Technical skills are just one part of the software engineering manager's toolkit. Another part involves having management skills aligned with the company's values and philosophy. Supporting reporting and teams, building new teams, autonomy, collaboration and communication are just a few skills required for this role.
Hiring managers should keep in mind that the best software engineering managers may not necessarily be the best engineers in the room. Although technical knowledge is important, some of the best qualities of these professionals are the desire to advance, autonomy, perseverance and good interpersonal relationships.
Interview Questions
Software engineering manager interview questions and the entire process are the best way to assess whether a candidate is truly the best fit for the role and the company in general. Recruiters also have the opportunity during this part of the hiring process to ask cultural and behavioral questions, as well as test candidates' technical skills.
Cultural questions help determine whether the candidate will be a good fit for the role in the existing office culture. They also help recruiters highlight candidates whose values, beliefs and behavior fit with the company culture. Here are some sample cultural interview questions for potential software engineering managers:
How would you describe your management style?
This question allows recruiters to get a sense of the candidate's experience in management roles. It is also a way to assess whether they agree with the way the candidate conducts internal processes. Candidates must include the following points in their answers:
- Avoiding micromanagement
- Encourage questions and establish open lines of communication
- Promote education and skills development
- Provide constructive criticism and feedback
What does your ideal day at work look like?
Here, it's important for candidates to describe a workflow that revolves around communication. This is extremely important as they will be managing a team, sharing ideas and helping each member overcome various problems that may arise. When answering this question, candidates should describe some daily tasks that may include:
- Tracking team emails/messages
- Conducting team meetings
- Hiring new talent
- Ensure business objectives are aligned with technical project needs
- Monitoring productivity
Which part of software engineering are you most passionate about?
This is a good question to help separate software engineers from software engineering managers. The former would not be interested in the leadership aspects of the role or the idea of running a team. A good answer to this question would be that you enjoy taking on projects and seeing the big picture, having a lot of decision-making power and delegating different tasks according to the skills available in the team.
Behavioral questions for software engineering manager candidates will help recruiters determine whether the candidate thinks quickly and whether their decision-making skills are logical and professional. Some examples of behavioral questions to ask during an interview include:
How would you explain the technical details of a project to a non-technical team member?
When answering this question, candidates should draw on their previous experience working collaboratively with other departments, such as marketing or sales. They should explain how they can convey their ideas by deconstructing complex technological terminology without using too much jargon.
Tell us about a time when you failed or made a mistake.
This is a great question to understand whether the candidate is willing to take risks and is capable of learning valuable lessons whenever their plans don't work out. Candidates should share a past experience where they made a mistake and show recruiters that they are constantly evolving and learning from their actions.
How would you distribute tasks among a team of developers?
This question measures the candidate's ability to determine the ideal division and distribution of tasks. It's also a great way to gain insight into their previous experience leading teams and learn more about their methodology.
The candidate should be interested in learning about each developer's skills and domain knowledge before delegating tasks. It is also important for the candidate to demonstrate that they want to avoid overloading their team members.
A good answer should also mention the possibility of pairing developers and discovering common ways of handling different tasks as a way of establishing comprehensive solutions and protocols.
Comparing Management Functions
Software engineering and development teams sometimes have different types of managers. Software engineering managers, product managers, and software development managers are sometimes seen as having the same role; however, your responsibilities in a company are very different.
Product Manager vs. Software Engineer Manager
A product manager is responsible for the success or failure of the product. They establish the vision, plan, and strategy regarding all aspects of product creation and ensure that all departments work together to achieve the main objective.
The product manager works closely with the software engineering team, especially the software engineering manager who oversees product creation. This means that product managers must have exceptional communication skills.
Some of your main responsibilities include:
- Establishing a product vision
- Building a cross-departmental strategy
- Working with engineers, designers and stakeholders
- Deliver products according to customer needs
Software Development Manager vs. Software Engineer Manager
While the software engineer manager works with his team to create programs, software and applications that meet customer requests, software development managers are responsible for coordinating engineers and customers, allocating resources and streamlining processes.
Software development managers must identify the skills needed for a project, set deadlines, hire new software developers, ensure the team has access to all necessary tools and infrastructure, and evaluate product quality.
They must also possess great communication and interpersonal skills. They must communicate regularly with product owners and clearly translate new requirements to each team member.
How to Hire Software Engineering Managers with BairesDev
Companies should consider working with outsourced software engineering managers to help them achieve their goals faster, without having to go through extensive recruitment processes, and at lower costs.
To hire a software engineering manager through an outsourcing provider, company leaders must begin by determining project requirements. This includes delivery times, resources, limitations and budgets.
It's also important for recruiters to know what type of software engineering manager the company is looking for. They must explain to outsourcing service providers the type of skills and qualifications that candidates must possess.
The company must study the global market and determine the best place to outsource its talents. Most companies choose to work with software engineering managers from countries where salaries are affordable and there is little to no bureaucracy regarding outsourcing methods.
Once you've decided on your company's location, all that's left to do is choose the right outsourcing provider and create a contract that benefits both parties.
Outsourcing a software engineering management function can seem daunting. Having internal managers monitoring all processes and ensuring everything goes according to plan may seem safer for some companies.
However, outsourcing software engineering management roles can bring many benefits:
- Better operation control and efficiency: Outsourced software engineering managers can step in and help the in-house team with their priorities, finances, and schedules.
- Operational Continuity: There are periods of high employee turnover where engineering talent constantly moves to different jobs. An outsourced software engineering manager can provide some operational continuity and help during these times.
- Access to management knowledge. Company leaders don't need to wait until their projects justify hiring a full-time software engineering manager. Outsourcing allows them to have access to the best talent that meets their specific needs until the project is completed.
- Other Benefits: Outsourcing software engineering managers can also result in cost savings, rapid scalability, increased efficiency and balanced productivity.
Start building your software engineering team with BairesDev!
Software engineering managers are responsible for supervising the software engineering team, managing their productivity, and working together with them to create software, programs, and applications that meet each client's requirements.
Hiring a software engineering manager is an important task that requires a lot of effort from recruiters. To ensure they get the best selection of candidates, recruiters must create a good job description that clearly lists the required skills, responsibilities, benefits, work hours, and work model.
During the interview process, recruiters can assess whether each candidate is a good fit for the role and company by asking behavioral, cultural and technical questions. The right candidate should have a good mix of technical and managerial skills and some previous experience.
The responsibilities of a software engineering manager make up a long list. They must not only be able to work alongside their team members and help create products and services, but also handle the administrative side.
This includes managing the engineering team, ensuring efficiency and productivity, communicating with leaders and stakeholders, recruiting new team members, and resolving any issues that may occur.
Companies should also consider outsourcing software engineering management functions. This recruitment model allows companies to have access to experts in their field at affordable prices, without having to go through an entire recruitment process.
The main benefits of outsourcing a software engineering manager include better operational control and efficiency, operational continuity, and access to management expertise for a specific period of time.
