Manager, Software Engineering - Payload

About the role

The Payload team is building the future of content infrastructure at Figma. Payload is Figma’s open-source CMS and application framework, enabling developers and organizations to create websites, digital products, internal tools, asset management systems, and content-driven experiences at scale. As Engineering Manager, you'll lead the engineering team responsible for Payload’s evolution as both a thriving open-source platform and a foundational part of Figma’s future.

Responsibilities

• Lead the engineering team behind all of Payload
• Develop and execute on a strategy to leverage Payload to accelerate Figma’s suite of offerings
• Engage directly with open-source community members, contributors, and enterprise customers to understand their needs, gather feedback, and help translate insights into product and engineering priorities
• Provide hands-on technical leadership to your teams and others that collaborate with your teams to ensure a cohesive product experience and the right technical abstractions
• Lead, coach, and grow a team of engineers through hiring, mentorship, performance management, and career development, fostering a culture of ownership, collaboration, and technical excellence
• Persistently partner closely with the product and technical leaders of Payload to align team priorities, support roadmap execution, and ensure engineering investments are focused on the highest-impact opportunities

Requirements

• 3+ years of experience leading and developing software engineering teams within a technical product company
• Strong technical background building modern web applications and platforms using technologies such as Node.js, TypeScript, React, Next.js, or similar frameworks
• Experience building or leading teams responsible for developer platforms, application frameworks, or other highly extensible software systems
• Excellent product and technical judgment, with experience shaping developer-facing APIs and collaborating closely with design teams to deliver intuitive user experiences

Qualifications

• Hands-on knowledge of CMS systems, particularly Payload and its ecosystem
• A track record of contributing to, maintaining, or leading teams behind open-source projects, with a strong grasp of community-driven product development
• A background in supporting enterprise customers and balancing the needs of large organizations with broader community priorities
• Comfort working with AI-assisted development workflows, agentic coding tools, or developer productivity platforms

Skills

• Strong leadership and management skills
• Experience with open-source project management and community engagement
• Ability to balance technical expertise with business acumen

Benefits

At Figma, we offer a competitive package of additional benefits, including health, dental & vision, retirement with company contribution, parental leave & reproductive or family planning support, mental health & wellness benefits, generous PTO, company recharge days, a learning & development stipend, a work from home stipend, and cell phone reimbursement.

Pay

Annual Base Salary Range: $258,000 - $376,000 USD

Schedule

This is a full time role that can be held from one of our US hubs or remotely in the United States.