Engineering Manager
Location: Bozeman, MT, 59718
Job Description:

The Engineering Manager within the Software organization at Zoot Enterprises is responsible for leading, developing, and supporting a team of engineers and/or QA while ensuring effective execution of software initiatives aligned with organizational priorities.
This role focuses on people leadership, team health, delivery predictability, and operational effectiveness. The Engineering Manager partners closely with Staff Engineers, Project Technical Leads, Product, QA, Platform, and other cross-functional stakeholders to ensure engineering work is well-coordinated, sustainable, and aligned with business objectives.

The Engineering Manager is accountable for cultivating a high-performing, collaborative, and growth-oriented team environment. While this role supports technical execution, architectural authority and technical standards remain within the technical leadership track (Staff and Principal Engineers). Specific team scope is determined based on organizational needs.

The Software team is responsible for development, testing, and release of Zoot's core software tools and services.

Essential Job Functions:

• Team Leadership and Development
  • Lead, mentor, and support a team of engineers across assigned discipline(s).
  • Conduct performance evaluations, career development discussions, and ongoing coaching.
  • Set clear expectations aligned with the Engineering Career Framework.
  • Support growth planning, skill development, and succession planning.
  • Foster a culture of accountability, ownership, and professional growth.
• Delivery Oversight and Execution
  • Ensure engineering initiatives are appropriately staffed and prioritized.
  • Partner with Project Technical Leads and Staff Engineers to support successful execution.
  • Monitor workload, delivery health, and team capacity.
  • Identify and escalate risks impacting timeline, quality, or sustainability.
  • Promote sustainable pacing and prevent burnout.
• Process and Operational Excellence
  • Implement and refine development processes to improve predictability and efficiency.
  • Remove organizational impediments affecting team productivity.
  • Ensure consistent use of development standards, documentation practices, and delivery workflows.
  • Support continuous improvement initiatives across teams.
• Cross-Functional Collaboration
  • Partner with Product, QA, Platform, Architecture, and Operations to align execution with business objectives.
  • Facilitate clear communication across teams to reduce friction and ambiguity.
  • Support planning activities, roadmap alignment, and release coordination.
• Staffing and Organizational Planning
  • Participate in hiring, interviewing, onboarding, and team composition decisions.
  • Contribute to capacity planning and skill distribution strategies.
  • Collaborate with the Director of Software on organizational design and long-term planning.
• Accountability and Quality Culture
  • Reinforce high standards for quality, reliability, and professional conduct.
  • Support teams in delivering secure, maintainable, and well-tested software.
  • Promote transparency, measurable outcomes, and continuous improvement.
• Governance and Compliance
  • Ensure compliance with Zoot's Policies and Procedures, Code of Business Conduct, and Employee Agreement.
  • Promote a service-focused culture emphasizing high-quality results for internal and external customers.

Education, Training, and Experience Requirements:

• Bachelor's Degree in Computer Science, Software Engineering, or related field required.
• 5+ Years of previous work-related experience or an equal combination of education and experience.

Background Check Requirement:

Ability to successfully pass background screening.

Physical Requirements:

All positions at Zoot require the ability to move about inside an office environment which includes the operation of computers and other office productivity machinery and frequently communicates with other employees, clients, vendors, and visitors. This position specifically requires long periods of sitting at a computer workstation.

Working Conditions | Work Hours | Location:

This position will take place primarily in an office setting. To optimize team performance, the workspace for this position is typically a cubicle setting in an open space environment. It is expected that exempt employees, and specifically this position, regularly and consistently report to work on-site, at Zoot headquarters, during normal business hours. Occasional nighttime and weekend work is required within the position. This position may occasionally require travel. The Engineering Manager position is fast paced and ever changing, requiring flexibility, self-initiative, and regular management of changing priorities.

Other Duties:

Please note this job description is not designed to cover or contain a comprehensive listing of activities, duties or responsibilities that are required of the employee for this job which may include helping others in the same or different departments, may be assigned by supervision. Duties, responsibilities and activities may change at any time with or without notice.