Manager – Core Technology

GALE is a creative media consultancy that brings business insights to brand storytelling and activates it across every channel. With expertise in business strategy, media, CRM, addressable and integrated brand communications, performance marketing, and technology, GALE creates marketing systems and communications that grow businesses. GALE delivers strong outcomes for its partners in automotive, QSR, retail, gaming, entertainment, telecom and more. The agency currently has offices in New York, Detroit, Singapore, Toronto, Austin, Los Angeles, London, and Bengaluru. 

Our teams are connected by a set of core values that inform everything we do, from how we hire to how we work together: values like Everyone Matters, No Silos, and Masters of Our Craft. If you’re driven by a passion to build something great, a desire to innovate, and a commitment to achieve excellence in your craft, GALE is a great place for you.

As a Manager, Core Technology at GALE, you will step into a senior engineering leadership role where your full-stack roots become a superpower. You will lead cross-functional squads building modern, scalable web platforms — owning everything from React-powered frontends to robust Python backends — while mentoring engineers, shaping architecture, and driving delivery across multiple product streams.

We primarily build using Python on the backend with frameworks like Django, FastAPI, and Flask, and React / Next.js on the frontend. We also leverage cloud services such as AWS (Lambda, S3, RDS, API Gateway) and containerization tooling including Docker. In this role, you are expected to be hands-on with this stack — comfortable diving into code, leading code reviews, debugging complex integration issues, and guiding the team through practical, implementation-level decisions.

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Who You Are

Experience

• 8+ years of experience in software engineering, with at least 2–3 years in a tech lead or senior lead capacity

• Proven track record leading full-stack squads in fast-paced, delivery-driven environments

• Demonstrated ability to balance hands-on engineering contributions with team leadership and mentorship

• Experience collaborating with distributed or global teams is a plus

• Ability to get hands-on is a must for this role

Backend Engineering

• Strong expertise in Python and backend frameworks such as Django, FastAPI, or Flask

• Experience designing and building reliable, extensible RESTful APIs and microservices

• Solid understanding of software engineering best practices: TDD, CI/CD, automated testing, code reviews, and observability

• Familiarity with relational databases such as PostgreSQL or MySQL and working knowledge of cloud-native deployment patterns

Frontend Engineering

• Hands-on proficiency with React.js and modern frontend ecosystems (hooks, state management, component libraries)

• Experience with Next.js or similar SSR/SSG frameworks is a strong plus

• Comfortable reviewing frontend code, defining component architecture, and guiding UI/UX implementation

• Understanding of frontend performance, accessibility, and cross-browser standards

Cloud & Infrastructure

• Working knowledge of AWS services (Lambda, S3, RDS, EC2, API Gateway, or similar)

• Familiarity with containerization tools such as Docker and orchestration basics (Kubernetes or ECS)

• Experience with CI/CD pipelines and DevOps practices

Leadership & Ways of Working

• Driving execution in an Agile/Scrum development model

• Strong work breakdown, sprint planning, and estimation skills with the ability to juggle multiple initiatives and shift priorities as needed

• Experience setting a high bar for code quality, system design, and engineering discipline

• Ability to navigate ambiguity and unblock delivery challenges across concurrent workstreams

AI & Emerging Technology

• Exposure to AI application development, LLM integrations, or agent-based workflows

• Familiarity with tools such as LangChain, OpenAI APIs, or RAG-based retrieval patterns is a plus

Soft Skills

• Exceptional communication skills (verbal and written), with the ability to explain technical concepts to non-technical stakeholders

• People-first leadership style:  you enjoy mentoring engineers and helping teams succeed together

• Thrives in collaborative, fast-moving environments and takes pride in building both great products and great teams

• A clear communicator who can bridge business goals and technical solutions without losing either audience

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What You'll Be Doing

Own Architecture & Technical Direction

• Lead the design and delivery of scalable full-stack applications, APIs, and platform services

• Own high-level and low-level system design decisions, defining technical approaches that prioritize scalability, reliability, and long-term maintainability

• Establish and uphold architecture principles, coding standards, and engineering best practices across teams

• Provide hands-on guidance across Python backend services and React frontend applications — stepping into code reviews, debugging, and implementation when needed

Lead Full-Stack Product Delivery

• Drive end-to-end delivery of web products spanning React/Next.js frontends and Python (Django/FastAPI/Flask) backends

• Own API design, integration patterns, and data contracts between frontend and backend layers

• Collaborate closely with design, product, and QA teams to deliver high-quality, performant, and accessible user experiences

• Ensure frontend and backend teams work cohesively, with shared understanding of system boundaries and delivery goals

Guide AI & Intelligent System Integration

• Contribute to solutioning and delivery of AI-powered features and agent-based workflows integrated within full-stack products

• Guide teams in adopting modern AI application patterns including RAG workflows, LLM integrations, and structured output pipelines

• Work with technologies such as LangChain, Pydantic, vector stores, and modern LLM application frameworks where applicable

• AI assisted coding practices and agentic coding practices is something we do at GALE and would like to hear about how you have incorporated this way of working. 

Lead and Develop the Team

• Lead, mentor, and coach engineers - helping them grow in technical depth, ownership, and decision-making capability

• Foster a culture of mentorship, accountability, collaboration, and continuous learning

• Support sprint planning, estimation, work breakdown, and execution across multiple delivery streams

• Promote knowledge sharing, reusable patterns, and engineering consistency across squads

• Create opportunities for growth, learning, and increased responsibility within the team

Drive Agile Delivery

• Execute in an Agile/Scrum environment with a focus on frequent, incremental delivery and continuous improvement

• Plan and manage team deliverables and capacity across multiple concurrent projects, proactively managing risks and dependencies

• Help teams navigate ambiguity and unblock delivery challenges with sound, pragmatic implementation decisions

Stakeholder & Client Collaboration

• Translate business and client requirements into clear technical plans, roadmaps, and execution strategies

• Partner with product managers, designers, analytics, and client stakeholders to shape solutions and align priorities

• Communicate technical decisions, trade-offs, risks, and progress clearly to both technical and non-technical audiences

• Manage competing priorities across projects while maintaining focus on outcomes, quality, and team health

Foster a "No Silos" Culture

• Work in a "no silos" environment, frequently collaborating with cross-functional roles including strategy, media, CRM, analytics, creative, and technology

• Promote knowledge sharing, documentation, and cross-team collaboration to build reusable patterns and shared engineering accelerators

• Build trust across engineering and cross-functional teams through clarity, responsiveness, and consistent follow-through

• Create a team environment that reflects GALE's values: Everyone Matters, No Silos, and Masters of Our Craft