Engineering Manager, Defense

Job Overview

We are looking for a highly technical and strategic Senior Manager, Defense Engineering to lead our engineering efforts across the Middle East region, specifically supporting defense-related projects.

Responsibilities

• Manage and grow the engineering team in the region, driving technical delivery across defense and public sector engagements
• Design, build, and optimize backend services for advanced AI-driven applications, with a strong focus on AI agents, evaluation tooling, and automation
• Lead full stack engineering efforts end-to-end,from system design and architecture through to debugging, testing, and production deployment
• Serve as the senior technical authority on defense-related projects, applying domain knowledge to ensure solutions meet mission-critical standards and security requirements
• Architect and deploy AI agent frameworks and API integrations tailored to defense and government workflows
• Work comfortably cross-functionally across internal engineering teams and external defense and government clients
• Own the full product lifecycle from conceptualization through production, ensuring high-velocity delivery without sacrificing quality
• Deliver experiments and MVPs at a high velocity and level of quality to drive engagement with defense customers
• Influence the culture, values, and processes of a growing engineering team in the region
• Inspire and mentor engineers, fostering a technically excellent and mission-driven team environment
• Collaborate with cross-functional teams to define, design, and ship new product features and experiences tailored to defense requirements

Requirements

• 10+ years of relevant software engineering experience, with a strong emphasis on backend systems and full stack development
• 5+ years of experience managing and leading engineering teams, with a proven track record of developing high-performing teams in complex, mission-driven environments
• Demonstrated domain knowledge in the defense sector,understanding of defense operations, national security priorities, and the regulatory and security requirements unique to defense
• Deep expertise in AI and machine learning, specifically with AI agents, LLM-powered applications, and agentic frameworks
• Hands-on experience designing, building, and integrating APIs in production environments (cloud and on-premises), including experience with AI/ML APIs and third-party defense or government platform integrations
• Full stack engineering proficiency,comfortable across the entire stack including backend services, APIs, data pipelines, and frontend delivery
• Proven success leading, managing, and developing high-performing Engineering teams at scale
• Expertise in identifying product engagement patterns and trends for large-scale applications, ideally in government or defense contexts
• Track record of shipping high-quality products and features at scale in fast-paced, high-stakes environments
• Ability to turn complex defense business and mission requirements into pragmatic, scalable engineering solutions
• Excellent problem-solving skills, and ability to work independently and as part of a cross-functional, international team
• Experience working in or with the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) region is strongly preferred; Arabic language skills a plus