ABOUT SOTHEBY'S
Established in 1744, Sotheby’s promotes access and ownership of exceptional art and luxury objects through auctions, private sales and retail. Our deep expertise across 70 selling categories is supported by a leading technology platform and a global network of specialists spanning 40 countries. Selling categories include Contemporary Art, Modern and Impressionist Art, Old Masters, Chinese Works of Art, Jewelry, Watches, Wine and Spirits and Design, as well as collectible cars and real estate through RM Sotheby’s and Concierge. Sotheby’s Financial Services is a leading art lender and provides capital solutions for collectors around the world, having originated more than $12 billion in loans since its inception. Sotheby’s new global headquarters is now open at the iconic Breuer building at 945 Madison Avenue in New York City.
THE ROLE
Established in 1744, Sotheby’s is the world’s premier destination for art and luxury. The engineering that powers it today reflects that same ambition, built on modern technologies and modern practices.
The Engineering Manager will play a critical role in leading the technical delivery of a new platform initiative, owning engineering execution from concept through launch. This individual will partner closely with product, design, and cross-functional stakeholders to translate business objectives into scalable technical solutions, define engineering priorities, and drive delivery across multiple workstreams. The role requires a hands-on leader who can navigate ambiguity, build and mentor high-performing teams, establish strong engineering processes, and ensure the successful delivery of a premium product on an ambitious timeline. The ideal candidate is a pragmatic, detail-oriented operator with a track record of managing complex software development efforts, balancing technical excellence with execution, and fostering collaboration in a fast-paced, high-growth environment.
We’re looking for engineering managers who can build and lead the team that owns this system. People who care as much about the engineers they work with as the software those engineers produce, and who are curious enough to learn a domain that will surprise them.
Our engineering teams are globally distributed. We’re not async-only. There are regular calls, cross-team meetings, and plenty of direct collaboration alongside the written communication you’d expect from a distributed organisation. The balance works because the people here are good at both.
IDEAL EXPERIENCE & COMPETENCIES
You’ve done this before. 3+ years managing teams of five or more engineers. You’ve hired, developed and retained good people. You know what a healthy team looks like and you know how to get there when it isn’t.
You have real technical depth. You don’t need to write code every day, but you can engage credibly with architectural decisions, review trade-offs, and spot when something is going sideways before it becomes an incident. Your engineers trust your judgment because you’ve earned it.
You deliver through others. You’re measured by what your team ships, not what you build yourself. You care about outcomes, not activity.
You communicate clearly and adapt to your audience. Whether that’s giving context to your team, presenting a plan to leadership, writing up a post-mortem, or navigating a difficult conversation with a direct report. You’re comfortable in all of those.
You create clarity in ambiguity. Priorities shift, dependencies tangle, and plans change. You’re the kind of leader who absorbs that complexity and gives your team something they can actually act on.
Required:
Proven engineering management experience with distributed teams across multiple time zones
A strong technical background in software engineering, with enough depth to guide architectural and infrastructure decisions
Experience taking at least one 0-to-1 product to launch, ideally at an early-stage startup
Comfortable working against a fixed launch date across several…