Engineering Manager, AI Capabilities

AI AT ZAPIER

At Zapier https://zapier.com/about, we build and use automation every day to make work more efficient, creative, and human. So if you’re using AI tools while applying here - that’s great! We just ask that you use them responsibly and transparently.

Check out our guidance on How to Collaborate with AI During Zapier’s Hiring Process https://zapier.com/l/jobs/ai-at-zapier, including how to use AI tools like ChatGPT, Claude, Gemini, or others during our hiring process - and when not to.

Hi there,

Zapier is looking for an Engineering Manager to lead our AI Capabilities team, the group responsible for building Zapier’s AI platform. This team provides the orchestration, tooling, memory, model gateway, code execution, and observability foundations that power every AI experience across Zapier.

Our mission is to help product teams ship high-quality, trustworthy, and easy-to-use AI features quickly and confidently by consolidating core AI backend services into a set of well-designed APIs backed by shared, scalable infrastructure. We focus on building fewer things at a higher level of quality, creating a platform that is intuitive for developers and rock-solid for users.

As the Engineering Manager for AI Capabilities, you’ll lead a team operating at the center of Zapier’s AI strategy, partnering closely with product, infrastructure, and other AI teams to deliver reliable building blocks that accelerate development across the company. This is a unique opportunity to define how AI behaves across Zapier at scale—not in prototypes, but in production, powering millions of workflows.

If you’re excited about building the infrastructure that allows LLMs and agents to operate seamlessly inside real user workflows, this role is for you.

- Our Commitment to Applicants https://zapier.com/jobs/our-commitment-to-applicants/

- Culture and Values at Zapier https://zapier.com/jobs/culture-and-values-at-zapier/

- Zapier Guide to Remote Work https://zapier.com/learn/remote-work/

- Zapier Code of Conduct https://zapier.com/jobs/zapier-code-of-conduct/

- Diversity and Inclusivity at Zapier https://zapier.com/jobs/working-on-diversity-and-inclusivity/

ABOUT YOU

- You've shipped LLM-powered products. You have hands-on experience building and shipping LLM features, with bonus points for autonomous agents experience.

- You have platform-building experience. You've built or led teams building developer tools, API platforms, or core infrastructure used by multiple teams. You think in terms of reusable abstractions, consistency, reliability, and developer experience, not just individual features.

- You’re willing to get your hands dirty. You thrive in startup-like environments and are comfortable wearing multiple hats. You're scrappy and resourceful, with a bias toward action and shipping value quickly. You have a pragmatic approach to engineering—knowing when to build for scale and when to move fast. You're comfortable with ambiguity and enjoy the process of turning vision into reality

- You are a skilled engineering leader. You have a proven track record of building high-quality, production-level code. You're fluent in our tech stack (Typescript, React, Nodejs, Python, Django) and comfortable learning new technologies.

- You have excellent communication skills. You regularly work with engineers and other stakeholders from various disciplines, balancing engineering concerns, such as technical debt, with product concerns. Ideally, you find solutions that address both the team and user needs, but if not, help build understanding around difficult decisions.

- You stay technically engaged. You regularly pair with engineers to support technical decision-making despite not being an IC.

- You balance architecture with pragmatism. You make informed technical decisions, knowing when to plan meticulously and when to move quickly.

- You prioritize outcomes over process. You implement lightweight processes that drive results without creating unnecessary red tape.

- You champion frequent deployments. You believe in shipping code regularly and improving through real-world feedback rather than seeking perfection.

- You solve problems creatively. You tackle challenges with a can-do attitude, recognizing when to build new features versus strengthening foundations.

- You put users first. Your decisions and leadership are guided by user needs and improving their experience.

- You build relationships across teams. You collaborate effectively beyond your team and influence technical decisions for the company's benefit.

THINGS YOU’LL DO

- Lead and develop a team of 4-6 engineers, providing technical direction, mentorship, and career growth opportunities.

- Work with the engineering team to make, evaluate, and advocate for architectural decisions that align with Zapier's vision and technical standards.

- Collaborate across engineering teams to evaluate and inform their technical decisions, creating alignment and removing blockers for the execution of your roadmap.

- Champion problem-solving by identifying technical challenges and improving engineering processes.

- Partner with key stakeholders to tackle user problems effectively.

- Communicate effectively to lead your team and keep leadership informed on your team’s progress through one-on-ones, team meetings, and leadership updates.

- Review code and provide thoughtful feedback to improve code quality and engineer growth. Contribute to code when needed to fix bugs, improve developer experience, or prototype concepts.

- Foster a culture of experimentation, rapid learning, and continuous improvement

HOW TO APPLY

At Zapier, we believe that diverse perspectives and experiences make us better, which is why we have a non-standard application process designed to promote inclusion and equity. We're looking for the best fit for each of our roles, regardless of the type of companies in your background, so we encourage you to apply even if your skills and experiences don’t exactly match the job description. All we ask is that you answer a few in-depth questions in our application that would typically be asked at the start of an interview process. This helps speed things up by letting us get to know you and your skillset a bit better right out of the gate. Please be sure to answer each question; the resume and CV fields are optional.

Education is not a requirement for our roles; however, if you receive an offer, you will need to include your most recent educational experience as part of our background check process.

After you apply, you are going to hear back from us—even if we don’t see an immediate fit with our team. In fact, throughout the process, we strive to never go more than seven days without letting you know the status of your application. We know we’ll make mistakes from time to time, so if you ever have questions about where you stand or about the process, just ask your recruiter!

Zapier is an equal-opportunity employer and we're excited to work with talented and empathetic people of all identities. Zapier does not discriminate based on someone's identity in any aspect of hiring or employment as required by law and in line with our commitment to Diversity, Inclusion, Belonging and Equity. Our code of conduct https://zapier.com/jobs/zapier-code-of-conduct provides a beacon for the kind of company we strive to be, and we celebrate our differences because those differences are what allow us to make a product that serves a global user base. Zapier will consider all qualified applicants, including those with criminal histories, consistent with applicable laws.

Zapier prioritizes the security of our customers' information and is dedicated to adhering to all applicable data privacy laws. You can review our privacy policy here https://zapier.com/legal/data-privacy.

Zapier is committed to inclusion. As part of this commitment, Zapier welcomes applications from individuals with disabilities and will work to provide reasonable accommodations. If reasonable accommodations are needed to participate in the job application or interview process, please contact [email protected].

APPLICATION DEADLINE:

The anticipated application window is 30 days from the date job is posted, unless the number of applicants requires it to close sooner or later, or if the position is filled.

Even though we’re an all-remote company, we still need to be thoughtful about where we have Zapiens working. Check out this resource https://docs.google.com/document/d/1VzesvLsgVG2RDRPtGvBF8CbcB9ZA-Hsddg0P2ildBb8/edit for a list of countries where we currently cannot have Zapiens permanently working.