Software Engineering Manager

Drive the development of mission-critical software for autonomous aviation

About Avy

Avy pioneers unmanned aviation technology for emergency services, monitoring & security, and life-saving applications. We partner with innovative organizations that are among the first in the world to integrate long-range drone operations into their daily workflows.

We thrive on innovation, agility, and bold ideas and we’ve developed a range of cutting-edge products that are ready to make impact at scale. We’re an award winning scale up in the aviation industry, we pride ourselves for combining an innovative garage startup culture with being a professional and safety minded aviation organisation.

About the role

As Software Engineering Manager, you’ll lead a multidisciplinary team building the software systems that power our drones, mission control platforms and fleet management tools. From embedded Linux and flight systems to mission planning and cloud services, our tech stack is diverse and mission-critical.

In this role, you’ll focus on people leadership, technical alignment and project execution. You’ll manage a team of software engineers, guide their growth and development, and ensure smooth collaboration with embedded, hardware, and product teams. You will also work closely with teams outside of engineering, such as Flight Operations and Production. While you will stay technically sharp and engaged, your main focus will be creating an environment where engineers thrive and great software gets delivered on time.

A Software Engineering Manager at Avy spends the majority of their time (around 40%) on people management, focusing on team growth, hiring, coaching, and performance development. This also includes making sure quality software is built, and that the right technical expertise is available in the team. Another significant portion (approximately 40%) is dedicated to technical project management: defining project scope, allocating resources within the team, and ensuring alignment with other engineering disciplines and teams. The remaining time is spent overseeing software quality and improving team workflows. This includes refining development processes, supporting code reviews, and helping the team adopt best practices in collaboration and delivery.

Key responsibilities

• ✅ Lead, coach, and grow a high-performing team of software engineers
• ✅ Own people management: hiring, onboarding, performance reviews, development planning
• ✅ Ensure technical know-how and quality within the team
• ✅ Ensure robust software development practices, code quality, and scalable team processes
• ✅ Drive team health and engagement and foster a learning culture
• ✅ Collaborate with hardware and embedded teams to ensure system-wide integration
• ✅ Point of contact for teams outside of Engineering (e.g. Flight Operations and Production) for software related work
• ✅ Guide technical decision-making without being a bottleneck; support staff and senior engineers in tech leadership roles
• ✅ Represent software engineering in cross-functional planning and strategic discussions

About you

You’re a strong communicator and thoughtful leader who combines technical understanding with a people oriented approach. You’ve been in the trenches as an engineer and know how to balance delivery, quality, and growth. You thrive in fast-paced environments and know how to keep a team focused, motivated and moving forward.

Requirements

Must haves

• ✔ 2+ years experience in an engineering management role (or tech lead with people responsibilities)
• ✔ several years of experience in software engineering, preferably in systems with hardware/software integration
• ✔ Background in C++ and Python, with good understanding of embedded Linux or robotics systems
• ✔ Experience working in cross-functional engineering teams
• ✔ Strong organizational skills and experience with agile workflows

Nice to haves

• ✔ Experience with PX4, MAVLink, or mission control software (e.g., QGC)
• ✔ Knowledge of aerospace, drones, or other safety-critical domains
• ✔ Familiarity with DevOps, CI/CD, and scalable infrastructure practices

What we offer

• 🚀 Impactful work: be part of a company using technology to save lives and drive sustainability
• ⭐ Leading the drone revolution: work on advanced aerial systems projects that keep you on the front lines of innovation as we shape the future of drone technology
• 💰Competitive salary, if you fulfill all requirements this will be around 6500. If you fulfil most of the requirements or are more senior than requested, this can differ
• 🌴 Unlimited time off: take the time you need to recharge and stay at your best
• 🏢 An inspiring office: work from our awesome space in Amsterdam, featuring a maker space, sauna, and great lunches!
• 🎢 Startup experience: embrace the excitement, freedom, and fast growth of an ambitious tech startup
• 🤝 A great culture: a warm and fun atmosphere with regular get-togethers, drinks, and celebrations plus a work environment built on trust, freedom, and learning from mistakes

EU citizenship or an EU work permit is required for this position (Avy does not offer relocation support).