Engineering Manager (Hands-On) – Scale-Up Impact. Tech + Wellness.

Location: Sydney or Melbourne (Hybrid)
Salary: $205K + generous liquid ESOP with zero strike price
Tech Stack: TypeScript, NestJS, Vue, PostgreSQL, AWS
Level: Hands-On Engineering Manager (Ideal for a strong Tech Lead stepping up)

Ready to move into an Engineering Manager role but don’t want to step away from the code?

You wouldn’t be the only one. Lots of people want to take that next step in their career but are worried they’ll be stuck in middle management and have to step away from the whole reason they got into tech in the first place.

Well, good news. Some companies are starting to understand that and want to have a platform for strong technologists to have a wider impact across more people. If you want to be coding day-to-day but also growing team to accomplish things together then this is your chance.

This high-growth Australian scale-up is transforming a traditional industry through smart technology, sustainability, and physical product innovation. With over $60M raised, Series C on the horizon and a $1bn valuation, they’re building a platform that sits at the intersection of eCommerce, logistics, IoT, and personalised customer experiences.

Their mission? Help pets live better, longer lives. They're creating real-world impact through data, product, and purpose-led growth and potentially have a hands-on Engineering Manager hole, potentially with your name on it.

What you’ll be doing?

You’ll be leading a cross-functional squad of 4 engineers, working closely with a dedicated Product Manager and collaborating across Data, IT, and Design. You’ll drive delivery of mission-critical projects that directly impact customer retention and long-term platform scalability.

This isn’t a clipboard role. You’ll be writing code, reviewing architecture, and leading your team through both day-to-day delivery and long-term engineering uplift.

This is ideal for a Tech Lead who’s ready to formally lead people, or an existing EM looking to build in a fast-moving environment where your impact is visible and valued.

What You’ll Be Doing

• Hands-on coding and architecture in TypeScript, Vue, NestJS, Microservices, Postgres, and AWS.

• Leading a team of 3–5 engineers focused on high-impact product outcomes

• Partnering with Product and Design to deliver clear, weekly customer value

• Owning delivery standards, technical quality, and team culture

• Driving cross-functional alignment with IT, Data, and other EMs

• Mentoring engineers and lifting engineering maturity across the org to help reach their goals

• Working within an existing squad structure for 3 months, before helping shape the team restructure post-platform migration

What You’ll Get

• Ownership from Day 1 – this team owns a key growth lever
  
  
• Work in a business with SaaS-level growth metrics
  
  
• ESOP (0 strike price) in a company with $1B+ aspirations
  
  
• Tech + physical product challenges you won’t get in pure SaaS
  
  
• 18 weeks parental leave top-up
  
  
• Dog-friendly, flexible, and forward-thinking work culture
  
  
• Real opportunity to shape the tech org and team structure
  
  

Why This Role Matters

This role exists to fill key leadership gaps left by previous org changes and will drive both engineering maturity and product delivery through a critical phase of transformation. It’s a high-leverage position with a mandate to raise the bar technically, culturally, and operationally.

If you're a high-performing engineer who thrives on complexity, ownership, and purpose-led work this one’s for you. Apply here or reach out to Jon at Onset for a confidential discussion.