Engineering Manager, Agent

About the role

You will lead the design and delivery of production-grade AI agents that are central, mission-critical, and directly drive Sierra's growth across industries such as finance, healthcare, and commerce. You will manage and grow a team of engineers building highly performant, reliable, and intuitive AI agents that serve as powerful, scalable systems rather than temporary prototypes. You will ensure technical excellence, operational reliability, and high customer impact through rigorous standards and thoughtful execution. You will partner with leadership to translate complex business challenges into clear technical strategies for your team. You will guide the full lifecycle of agent development, from initial pilot through deployment and continuous iteration, embedding best practices at every stage. Your work will directly shape the future of Sierra's platform by surfacing unmet customer needs and prioritizing high-impact initiatives.

Key facts

What you'll do

Define and lead the architecture of production-grade AI agent systems, ensuring they meet stringent requirements for performance, scalability, and reliability in enterprise environments.

Own the Agent Development Life Cycle (ADLC), guiding your team through pilot, deployment, and continuous iteration while maintaining strict standards for delivery and operational stability.

Partner with large enterprises and startups to uncover pressing business challenges and translate them into technical specifications for AI agents that drive measurable outcomes at scale.

Shape the evolution of Sierra's core platform by analyzing customer feedback and collaborating with research, product, and platform teams to define long-term agent capabilities.

Evaluate and integrate emerging tools for AI agents, including eval frameworks, agent tooling, RAG pipelines, and prompt engineering techniques, to maintain technical leadership.

Lead scoping and prioritization efforts that balance customer demands, technical complexity, and business impact in a fast-paced, ambiguous environment.

Mentor engineers by coaching them on best practices for building, testing, and deploying reliable AI systems that meet professional standards.

Work closely with customers and external stakeholders to lead technical projects, ensuring alignment between Sierra's solutions and real-world business needs.

Leverage your experience with modern tech stacks by utilizing React, TypeScript, and/or Go to build responsive and efficient agent interfaces and services.

Champion craftsmanship and intensity by driving your team to deliver high-quality, reliable, and customer-obsessed solutions that uphold Sierra's values.

Requirements

Must hold a degree in Computer Science or a related field, or possess equivalent professional experience that demonstrates comparable knowledge and skills.

Bring proven experience leading engineering teams that design, build, and scale end-to-end production systems from conception through sustained operation.

Show strong technical problem-solving abilities and the capacity to guide teams through fast-changing, ambiguous, and high-stakes challenges.

Exhibit a leadership style that balances high standards with empathy, fostering an environment that drives both speed and quality.

Demonstrate excellent communication skills when interacting with both technical and non-technical audiences, including executives, engineers, and customers.

Have a history of working closely with customers and translating business requirements into clear, actionable technical deliverables.

Possess the ability to own complex projects end to end, coordinating across teams and stakeholders to ensure successful outcomes.

Commit to upholding Sierra's values of trust, customer obsession, craftsmanship, intensity, and family in daily work and decision-making.

Nice to have

AI-related experience, particularly in developing or deploying AI agents, is a significant advantage.

Background in building or deploying AI or LLM systems in production environments.

Experience as a founder, engineering lead, or startup builder with a high sense of ownership and urgency.

Familiarity with eval frameworks, agent tooling, RAG pipelines, and prompt engineering practices.

Prior experience with React, TypeScript, and/or Go.

Track record of interfacing with customers or leading technical projects involving external stakeholders.

Practical notes

This role is based in New York, NY, and operates on a full-time basis during standard business hours.

Candidates must be authorized to work in the United States without sponsorship for this position.

Relocation details and specific hours will be discussed directly if the candidate progresses in the hiring process.