Full-Time

Engineering Manager

Updated on 7/16/2026

Earnest

Earnest

201-500 employees

Fintech lender offering low-interest student loans

Compensation Overview

$244k - $275k/yr

San Francisco, CA, USA

Remote

Fully remote in the United States.

Category
Engineering Management (1)
Required Skills
Observability

Get referred to Earnest

Find people who can refer or advise you

Requirements
  • 7+ years of Software Development experience, with at least 3 years in a formal leadership or management role within a Product Development organization
  • Strong foundation in full-stack engineering patterns; able to code and engage in architectural discussions, even if no longer an individual contributor
  • Deep experience building and scaling customer-facing products within high-growth, high-scale B2C environments
  • Architectural intuition: experience shaping and guiding complex architectures, focusing on system performance, scalability, and navigating zero-to-one product ambiguity
  • Proven ability to translate complex technical gaps into clear, actionable recommendations for cross-functional stakeholders
  • Mentor Mindset: enjoy coaching engineers through technical hurdles and helping them grow into senior and staff-level roles
  • Fully remote and based in the United States
Responsibilities
  • Drive Proactive Execution: Move beyond status reporting to deliver data-driven action plans. You will own the end-to-end delivery of your team's roadmap, identifying and communicating technical trade-offs to ensure the team hits key business milestones.
  • Modernize the Application Architecture: Lead the strategic effort to reduce complexity in our primary application flows. You will partner with Staff and Senior Engineers to implement a modular, high-observability architecture that enables smaller, faster, and safer product iterations.
  • Technical Mentorship & Code Quality: Raise the technical bar for the team by participating in high-level code reviews and architectural design sessions. While you won't be in the codebase daily, you will be responsible for ensuring the team adheres to modern best practices in performance, security, and scalability. You will likely read and review a lot of code, but write only outside of the critical path.
  • Shatter Silos & Drive Ownership: Actively partner across multi-functional boundaries including Product, Design, and Operations. You will look beyond your immediate lane to identify systemic challenges, break down silos, and drive proactive ownership across teams.
  • Strategic Problem Solver: Navigate the project management Iron Triangle by balancing scope, time, and quality to deliver the best outcome for the business

Earnest provides low-interest loans in the United States, specializing in student loan refinancing, private student loans, and personal loans. The platform uses data analysis and underwriting software to tailor rates to each borrower's financial profile. Loans come with flexible repayment plans and terms, and the company earns revenue from the interest on issued loans. Earnest distinguishes itself through data-driven underwriting that customizes pricing for individual borrowers and by offering adaptable repayment options, appealing to financially responsible customers. Its goal is to stay competitive by adjusting rates to market conditions while helping people manage education and personal debt.

Company Size

201-500

Company Stage

Acquired

Total Funding

$482M

Headquarters

San Francisco, California

Founded

2013

Get referred to Earnest

Find people who can refer or advise you

Simplify Jobs

Simplify's Take

What believers are saying

  • July 1 graduate federal borrowing caps push more students toward private refinancing.
  • Federal Grad PLUS rates near 9% strengthen Earnest's savings pitch.
  • Job-offer-based refinancing captures borrowers before graduation and accelerates conversion.

What critics are saying

  • SoFi and Laurel Road undercut pricing and brand recognition on refinance.
  • Strict eligibility requirements exclude many applicants and hand them to competitors.
  • Navient ownership keeps reputational baggage alive among borrowers and regulators.

What makes Earnest unique

  • Earnest underwrites with thousands of data points beyond credit scores.
  • Its refinance product offers 180 repayment-term combinations and annual payment skips.
  • Pre-graduation refinancing preserves a nine-month grace period for eligible graduate borrowers.

Help us improve and share your feedback! Did you find this helpful?

Benefits

Health Insurance

Dental Insurance

Vision Insurance

401(k) Retirement Plan

401(k) Company Match

Home Office Stipend

Phone/Internet Stipend

Tuition Reimbursement

Paid Vacation

Parental Leave

Company Equity