We’re looking for a hands-on Engineering Manager to lead a team of around 10 engineers on one of our longest-running and most successful projects, working with an East Coast-based US client. This is a hybrid role: you’ll spend roughly 75% of your time coding as a senior Java engineer, while also leading the team, organizing delivery, mentoring engineers, and acting as the primary day-to-day technical point of contact for the client. If you enjoy staying close to the technology while also taking ownership of a team and its relationship with the client, we’d love to hear from you.
Our Mission, Vision, and Values
At Space Inch, we prioritize alignment with our clients and team, ensuring a deep understanding of their needs. We are committed to delivering exceptional work while supporting the personal and professional growth of our team members.
Our Stance on AI and Technology Transitions
We don't just "accept" AI; we encourage its usage to enhance productivity and code quality . We’re looking for engineers who are comfortable incorporating AI into their everyday workflow while still applying strong technical judgment knowing how to validate, challenge, and improve AI-generated output.
About Working at Space Inch
Our team is around 85 people, primarily based in Croatia, with members across South America, Serbia, and the US; our product team is mostly in the US, with engineering primarily in Croatia and Brazil
We are remote-first, though occasional travel may be required, e.g. for our annual company retreats
We work on end-to-end projects with a long-term vision
We prioritize work-life balance, even with a globally distributed team
Requirements
2+ years leading an engineering team of 5 or more while remaining actively involved in the codebase and technical decision-making
7+ years of professional software development experience
5+ years of hands-on experience with Java, Spring, and Spring Boot
Strong backend engineering and software architecture fundamentals, with experience building and maintaining production systems and microservices
Strong experience with relational databases, particularly PostgreSQL
Experience with Docker and cloud environments
Familiarity with CI/CD, Kubernetes, and modern cloud infrastructure
Comfortable owning the full software development lifecycle, from design through production
Experience mentoring engineers, providing technical guidance, and supporting their professional growth
Comfortable organizing priorities, tracking delivery, and unblocking a team
Experience acting as the main technical contact for a client or external stakeholders
Comfortable discussing technical decisions, delivery, risks, and priorities with non-engineering stakeholders
Familiarity with AI-assisted engineering tools such as Claude, Cursor, or similar, with the ability to validate and improve AI-generated output
Strong ownership and accountability
Fluent professional English, written and spoken
This role is only open to candidates currently based in Brazil
Key Responsibilities
Engineering (~75%)
Build and maintain backend applications and microservices using Java, Spring, and Spring Boot
Own technical decisions across architecture and system design
Write production-ready code, participate in code reviews, and maintain engineering quality
Debug and improve performance, reliability, and scalability
Work across databases, cloud infrastructure, CI/CD, and DevOps
Use AI-assisted development tools thoughtfully to improve productivity and code quality
Team Leadership & Client Communication (~25%)
Coordinate planning, prioritization, delivery, and unblocking for a team of around 10 engineers
Provide technical guidance, mentorship, and feedback
Act as the primary day-to-day technical point of contact for the client
Communicate progress, risks, priorities, and dependencies proactively
Translate client requirements into clear, actionable work and keep the client, team, and Space Inch aligned
What Will Make You Successful
You enjoy keeping…