Hire Engineering Managers

TL;DR

Hire engineering managers in 8-12 days: Get vetted, experienced engineering managers from Latin America who work in US time zones, cost 40-60% less than domestic hires, and integrate seamlessly into your organization. Skip months of recruiting, interviewing, and onboarding—meet qualified candidates in 48 hours.

Key Benefits:

• Fast Placement: Meet candidates in 48 hours, fully onboarded in 8-12 days
• Senior Expertise: 8+ years experience, team leadership, technical depth, Agile delivery
• Cost Effective: $6,500-9,500/month vs $14,000-20,000+ for US-based engineering managers
• Time Zone Aligned: 0-3 hour difference for real-time collaboration
• Retention Guarantee: 2x industry average retention; free replacement if it doesn’t work out
• Full Support: We handle payroll, benefits, HR, equipment, and team retention

Why Hire Engineering Managers Through Ideaware?

Finding engineering managers who can actually lead—not just former senior engineers who got promoted—is one of the hardest hires in tech. You need someone who can balance technical credibility with people skills, delivery focus with team development.

Great engineering managers multiply their team’s output. They remove blockers, create clarity, develop talent, and ship. A bad hire doesn’t just underperform—they damage team morale and slow everyone down.

At Ideaware, we’ve spent over a decade building product teams for US companies. We’ve placed engineering managers who’ve led teams from 3 to 30+ engineers, managed distributed teams, and driven significant technical initiatives.

Here’s what makes us different:

We Actually Vet for Management Skills: Not just technical leads who want to try management. We evaluate leadership philosophy, conflict resolution, delivery track record, and the soft skills that make managers effective.

We Move Fast: 48 hours to candidate profiles. 8-12 days to onboarded managers. Not 3-6 months like traditional hiring.

We Handle the Hard Stuff: Payroll, benefits, equipment, HR, retention programs, career development. You focus on building products. We handle everything else.

We Guarantee Results: If a manager doesn’t work out for any reason, we’ll replace them at no additional cost. Our retention rate is 2x the industry average because we’re as invested in success as you are.

What Our Engineering Managers Do

Our engineering managers don’t just “manage people.” They lead teams to ship great software while developing talent. Here’s what they actually do:

• Lead and grow engineering teams of 4-12 direct reports, conducting 1:1s, performance reviews, and career development
• Drive delivery and execution ensuring teams ship on time, manage scope, and hit commitments
• Hire and build teams defining roles, interviewing candidates, and making hiring decisions
• Remove blockers and shield teams from distractions, politics, and unnecessary meetings
• Collaborate cross-functionally with product, design, and stakeholders to align on priorities
• Improve engineering processes implementing or refining Agile practices, code review, and deployment processes
• Maintain technical credibility staying close enough to the code to make informed decisions and mentor engineers
• Handle difficult conversations managing underperformance, resolving conflicts, and making tough calls
• Scale teams and processes building foundations that work for 5 engineers and 50 engineers
• Report to leadership providing visibility into team performance, risks, and progress

When to Hire Engineering Managers

You need engineering managers if you’re:

Scaling Beyond Founder-Led Engineering Once you hit 5-8 engineers, the founder or CTO can’t manage everyone directly. You need dedicated management.

Growing Multiple Teams Multiple product areas or squads need their own leadership to maintain focus and accountability.

Experiencing Delivery Problems Missed deadlines, unclear priorities, or coordination issues signal the need for management investment.

Promoting from Within (and Need a Mentor) If you’re promoting senior engineers to management, they may benefit from an experienced manager to learn from.

Building Remote or Distributed Teams Distributed teams require intentional communication and process. Experienced remote managers know how to make this work.

Preparing for Scale Before a big hiring push, establish management structures that will support rapid growth.

Key Skills & Experience

Our engineering managers bring:

Leadership & People:

• Team leadership (4-15+ direct reports)
• 1:1s and feedback delivery
• Performance management
• Hiring and interviewing
• Career development coaching
• Conflict resolution

Delivery & Process:

• Agile/Scrum facilitation
• Sprint planning and estimation
• Project management
• Risk identification
• Cross-functional collaboration
• Stakeholder communication

Technical Foundation:

• Software engineering background (5+ years)
• Architecture understanding
• Code review capability
• Technical decision-making
• Debugging and incident response

Communication:

• English fluency (critical for this role)
• Executive communication
• Documentation
• Meeting facilitation
• Remote collaboration

The Ideaware Difference

1. Experienced Leaders Only

We only place engineering managers with proven management experience—not first-time managers or technical leads testing the waters. Our managers have led teams, shipped products, and navigated organizational challenges.

2. Time Zone Alignment That Actually Works

Your engineering managers work during US business hours (EST, CST, PST). That means real-time 1:1s, instant availability for escalations, and full participation in leadership meetings. 0-3 hour difference, not 12+ like offshore alternatives.

3. Retention You Can Count On

Our retention rate is 2x the industry average because we invest in our managers’ growth. Leadership development, executive coaching access, community building, competitive compensation. Your manager isn’t a contractor looking for the next gig—they’re a long-term team member.

4. Full-Cycle Support

We’re not a recruiting agency that disappears after placement. We handle:

• Payroll & benefits administration
• HR support & conflict resolution
• Equipment & workspace setup
• Career development & training
• Performance reviews & growth planning
• Team events & culture building

You get an extended team member. We handle everything else.

Pricing & Engagement Models

Transparent Pricing

Experienced Engineering Managers: $6,500-9,500/month Includes: Full-time employment (40 hrs/week), benefits, payroll taxes, HR support, equipment, retention programs

Compare to US-based managers:

• US Engineering Manager Salary: $180,000-240,000/year ($15,000-20,000/month)
• • Payroll taxes (7.65%)
• • Benefits (health, 401k, etc): $1,500-2,500/month
• • Recruiting fees (20-30% of salary): $36,000-72,000 upfront
• • Onboarding & ramp time cost

Your savings: 40-60% compared to US-based hires, without sacrificing quality, communication, or collaboration.

Frequently Asked Questions

Next Steps: Let’s Build Your Engineering Leadership

You’ve made it this far because you’re serious about scaling your engineering organization. We’re here to make that happen.

Here’s how to get started:

1. Book a Discovery Call (30 Minutes)

Let’s talk about your team structure, growth plans, and leadership needs. No sales pitch, just a conversation about whether we’re a good fit.

2. Meet Candidates (48 Hours Later)

We’ll introduce you to 2-4 vetted engineering managers who match your requirements. Full profiles, leadership experience, management philosophy.

3. Interview & Select (Week 1)

You interview directly. Discuss leadership scenarios, evaluate management style, and assess cultural fit. You’re in control.

4. Onboard & Ship (Week 2)

We handle contracts, payroll, and tool access. You run onboarding and introduce them to their team. By day 12, they’re leading.

5. Scale as Needed

Need to add more engineering managers? Build out your leadership team? We’ve got you. We grow with you.