Manager, Software Engineering in Chicago, Illinois at Motus

Motus is the industry leader in vehicle reimbursement and risk mitigation solutions for employees who drive. Combining 80 years of expertise with innovative technology, Motus enables organizations to optimize spend and increase productivity across their workforce. With solutions purpose-built to enable data-driven insights and strategic decision making, Motus is the preferred vehicle reimbursement partner to top Fortune 500 companies globally.

At Motus, were dedicated to making WorkLife better for everyone, anywhere. Our team is the heart of our culture, and we live by our WorkLife Pillars every day WorkHappy, WorkHealthy, WorkSmart, WorkAnywhere, and WorkTogether.

The Motus Technology team is seeking an experienced engineering leader to lead two teams supporting our core Vehicle product: a Feature Delivery team and an Operational Excellence (OpEx) team focused on production support and system reliability. You will play a key role in building and developing server-side applications, driving technical strategy, and championing engineer growth.

To thrive in this role, you must excel in a creative, collaborative, and agile development environment. This is an ideal opportunity for someone who has built high-performing, self-organizing engineering teams and delivered complex projects on time and on budget. You operate with a product focus and help define and prioritize technical initiatives while assuming PM tasks. You will also be responsible for standing up and maturing the OpEx team.

Position Duties:

• Lead, mentor, and develop engineers while fostering a high-performing, self-organizing, and collaborative team environment where engineers take ownership and continuously improve how they work.
• Mature the OpEx team, establishing structure, practices, timely incident response, and a culture of continuous reliability improvement.
• Wear a technical product manager hat for engineering-driven initiatives help define roadmaps, shape priorities, and ensure work is aligned with business value.
• Drive team planning, execution, and delivery across both teams; ensure operational rigor across delivery, quality, and documentation.
• Apply metrics to evaluate and respond to team, system, and project health track indicators that drive informed decisions and surface issues early.
• Encourage and facilitate the team in using AI tools and automation to improve development workflows and efficiency.
• Collaborate with stakeholders to communicate priorities, progress, risks, and team needs.
• Participate in technical design discussions and code reviews; occasionally contribute to backend development when bandwidth allows.
• Establish and refine engineering standards, best practices, and development processes.
• Recruit, onboard, and support the ongoing performance and professional development of the team.
• Help shape the evolution of Motus' engineering environment and technical direction.

Desired Skills & Experience:

• Bachelor's degree in Computer Science and/or equivalent work experience preferred.
• 3+ years of experience in a management or technical leadership role.
• 59+ years of experience developing server-side applications (Java/Spring ecosystem preferred).
• Experience with Spring, Spring MVC, Hibernate, and JPA.
• Strong foundation in Object-Oriented Programming (OOP), design patterns, and domain-driven design.
• Familiarity with modern web development: React, AJAX, HTML5/CSS3, and JavaScript frameworks.
• Experience leading and mentoring a fully remote or geographically distributed engineering team.
• Experience working in a Scrum environment with solid understanding of Agile methodologies.
• Ability to define and use metrics to monitor system reliability, team performance, and project health and translate data into action.
• Comfortable working with an approach centered on the product, including defining and prioritizing the roadmap in the absence of a dedicated PM.
• Excellent English communication skills with close attention to detail in planning, documentation, and delivery.
• Ability to work independently and cross-functionally across multiple projects simultaneously.
• Proven experience establishing and streamlining development practices to ensure software quality and operational excellence.
• Experience influencing the strategic direction of a team and aligning with business objectives.
• Shown ability to collaborate effectively with team members and leadership.
• Experience integrating AI-driven tools to enhance team productivity and quality.

Where required by law, Motus provides a reasonable range of compensation for specific roles. The pay range for this role is $160,000 - $170,000 USD. Actual compensation will depend on a number of factors, including the candidates relevant experience, technical skills, and other qualifications. This position is eligible for company benefits including medical, dental, and vision insurance with an employer contribution, flexible spending or health savings account, life and AD&D insurance, short-and long-term disability coverage, paid time off, employee assistance, participation in a 401k program with company match, and additional voluntary or legally required benefits.

Please see below for an outline of the Motus benefits package. Motus supports both the physical and mental health of their employees.

Motus Benefits:

• Medical Insurance, Dental Insurance, Vision Insurance (effective day one)
• Open Paid Time Off
• Flexible Spending Accounts & Health Savings Accounts
• Motus-Fidelity 401K Plan
• Company-paid Short/Long-term Disability & Basic Life Insurance Plans
• Family Planning and Parenting Support Benefits through Maven
• Support your mental, physical, professional and financial well-being through coaching and clinical therapy with Modern Health
• $1000 Home Office Reimbursement Program
• $2000 Internal Referral Program
• WorkAnywhere Reimbursement of Internet and Cellular Costs
• 16 weeks maternity and adoption leave
• 12 weeks paternity leave

Motus champions the power of true individuality, actively celebrating and accepting each team member. We strategically recruit and retain talent reflecting our local communities rich diversity, fostering a culture where innovation thrives. Through dynamic learning sessions, strategic training, and our lively Employee Resource Groups, we kindle substantial dialogues, continuous learning, and ensure every voice is not only heard but celebrated.

Motus, LLC provides equal employment opportunity to all individuals regardless of their race, color, creed, religion, gender, age, sexual orientation, national origin, disability, veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by state, federal, or local law.