Job Description

Riva is seeking a strategic and people-focused Senior Engineering Manager to lead and elevate our globally distributed engineering teams. In this role, you'll champion technical excellence, build resilient SaaS architectures, and nurture a high-performing, inclusive team culture. You'll play a critical role in shaping our product delivery, engineering practices, and team success.

WHAT YOU WILL BE DOING

Reporting to the VP of Product Engineering, you will build and support a globally distributed, innovative, and successful engineering team. Your mission will be to drive best-in-class software development practices, deliver reliable and scalable SaaS solutions, and create a collaborative, transparent, and innovative engineering culture.


More specifically, your responsibilities include:

Lead and structure globally distributed engineering teams to deliver against company goals. Provide direct management to Engineering Managers, Team Leads, and QA Leads; conduct regular 1:1s and skip-levels. Oversee performance management, goal setting, development planning, and annual compensation decisions. Ensure delivery of scalable, high-quality features aligned with product and business priorities. Foster an inclusive, supportive team culture rooted in psychological safety and technical excellence. Partner with the Product team to ensure effective resource allocation and strategic execution. Drive engineering roadmap planning and contribute to PI goal achievement. Define and track engineering KPIs (e.g., DORA metrics, quality metrics, velocity, eNPS, budget compliance). Oversee recruitment strategies and lead hiring initiatives in collaboration with HR. Manage engineering budgets and drive SaaS cost optimization through efficient architecture and operations. Champion engineering best practices and continuous improvement across SDLC processes. Lead innovation projects and cross-team technical initiatives that move the business forward. Ensure compliance with data security and privacy standards (e.g., SOC 2, GDPR).

WHO ARE YOU

You're a highly skilled technical leader with deep SaaS experience and a passion for growing and enabling high-performing teams. You value autonomy, transparency, and collaboration. You love solving complex engineering challenges while investing in people, culture, and scalable practices.

WHAT YOU BRING TO THE ROLE

Proven experience managing product engineering teams in cloud-native SaaS environments Track record of building and scaling high-performing engineering organizations Expertise in performance management, coaching, and career development Strong leadership in remote-first and globally distributed team environments Experience partnering with cross-functional teams including Product, HR, and Business Operations Deep understanding of Agile practices and modern SDLC Strong budget management and business acumen Excellent communication, strategic thinking, and problem-solving skills
Hard Skills & Technical Expertise

Deep experience with AWS core services (IAM, EC2, VPC, ECS, EKS, Lambda, RDS, CloudWatch, etc.) Strong knowledge of SaaS architecture, including multi-tenancy, scalability, and uptime strategies Experience with infrastructure as code (Terraform, CloudFormation) Containerization and orchestration expertise (Docker, Kubernetes, ECS) Serverless architecture and microservices development CI/CD pipelines and quality automation frameworks Observability and incident response practices (monitoring, logging, tracing with tools like CloudWatch, Splunk) Modern API design (REST, GraphQL, API Gateway patterns) Secure development practices, including IAM policies, authentication, and authorization Familiarity with compliance and security frameworks (SOC 2, GDPR, HIPAA is a bonus) FinOps principles and experience optimizing cloud infrastructure cost

Bonus Points For:

Experience managing through rapid scale or post-product-market fit growth Background in data engineering, ML/AI infrastructure, or DevOps tooling Experience working with Salesforce, Outlook/Exchange, or CRM integration platforms Experience leading strategic engineering initiatives across multiple teams

CORE COMPETENCIES FOR SUCCESS

Integrity & Accountability:

Acting with honesty and responsibility, taking ownership of actions and decisions. Navigating organizational dynamics.

Collaboration:

Inspires and motivates others, embraces diverse perspectives, and works effectively in teams to achieve shared goals.

Continuous Learning:

Understanding key drivers of company success and applying knowledge to achieve goals.

Design Thinking:

Using creativity, new technologies, and customer-centered approaches to solve complex problems.

Analytical Thinking & Decision Making:

Analyzing data and situations to make well-informed decisions.

Managing Resources & Digital Dexterity:

Combines adaptability to new technologies with effective utilization of time, budget, and talent to optimize outcomes and drive continuous improvement.

Operational Alignment & Coordination:

Ensures that operational activities are coordinated, efficient, and focused on achieving strategic objectives.

Talent Management & Development:

Cultivates talent by providing development opportunities and fostering a high-performance culture.

Innovation:

Drives creative solutions, encourages experimentation, and fosters an environment where new ideas can thrive.

MORE ABOUT RIVA

We are an Edmonton-based software development company with a global footprint. Our Relationship Engine creates seamless data flow between applications like email, calendar, contacts, and tasks and CRM - synchronizing data and eliminating the need for task switching, application toggling, and data entry duplication across platforms.


We offer a work culture that fosters diversity, equity, inclusion, and fun. Where curiosity is rewarded, and each day offers the chance to learn, grow, and contribute to the efforts of people you like, respect, and value.

WHAT WE BRING TO THE TABLE

Total compensation package including:


RRSP/TFSA matching Paid vacation starting with 3-weeks Paid wellness time allowing for flexible discretionary allocation for mental health, personal benefits, and personal time Paid time off to volunteer with charities of your choice Extended health care benefits, dental and life insurance Professional development and training allowance for career advancement Be part of a globally distributed, innovative, and happy team. Work in an inclusive environment where your contributions are valued. Drive strategic initiatives and innovation projects. Collaborate with top talent and industry leaders.
Must hold a valid work permit or be a permanent resident or citizen of Canada.


Riva is an equal opportunity employer. Qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender perception or identity, national origin, age, marital status, protected veteran status, or disability status.


While we appreciate every submission, only those selected to proceed will be contacted.