ServiceNow

Senior Manager - Software Engineering Management - AI Engineering

ServiceNow • $201K — $352K *
Santa Clara, CA 95051In-Person
Information Technology
11 - 15 years of experience
Today
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Job Overview by Ladders

Qualifications

  • 12+ years in software development with 5+ years in AI-native systems or cloud-native architecture
  • 4+ years managing software engineers and developing high-performing teams
  • 3+ years experience with SaaS application development on platforms like ServiceNow
  • Hands-on knowledge of AI/ML systems and responsible AI practices
  • Strong technical skills in Python, Java, JavaScript, and understanding of ServiceNow APIs
  • Exceptional communication and interpersonal skills for influencing stakeholders
  • Experience leading teams through organizational changes or strategic initiatives

Responsibilities

  • Build and maintain a diverse, high-performing team of engineers
  • Set clear performance expectations and business-aligned goals
  • Conduct regular 1:1s and provide tailored coaching for career growth
  • Establish a culture that encourages learning, experimentation, and ownership
  • Define hiring strategies and lead recruitment efforts for engineering roles
  • Work cross-functionally to align product roadmaps and technical strategy
  • Manage team delivery and ensure accountability for business results

Benefits

  • Health plans including flexible spending accounts
  • 401(k) Plan with company match
  • Employee Stock Purchase Plan (ESPP)
  • Flexible time away plan
  • Family leave programs
Full Job Description
Job Description

This role is for a senior engineering manager who leads a high-performing team of software engineers building AI-native and cloud-native applications on the ServiceNow platform. The Senior Manager combines deep technical credibility with strong people management capabilities, fostering a culture of innovation, ownership, and continuous learning. They are responsible for team performance, career development, hiring, and execution of key business initiatives. This role requires the ability to balance people development with business results, think strategically about AI integration and platform architecture, and influence across the organization to enable team success. The ideal candidate brings experience scaling AI-native teams and a passion for building leaders.

Responsibility Area: People Leadership & Development
  • Build, grow, and maintain a high-performing, diverse team of IC2-IC5 engineers; hire and develop talent at all levels
  • Set clear expectations for individual and team performance; establish metrics and goals aligned with business objectives
  • Conduct regular 1:1s with direct reports; provide coaching, feedback, and career guidance tailored to each engineer's growth stage
  • Create a culture of psychological safety, learning, and ownership; encourage experimentation and learning from failures
  • Support engineers through career transitions-from IC2 to IC3, IC3 to IC4, and technical-to-management pathways
  • Identify high-potential engineers and invest in their development; prepare emerging leaders for increased responsibility
  • Address performance issues promptly and professionally; provide clear paths for improvement or transition
  • Sponsor team members for growth opportunities, stretch assignments, and leadership development programs
  • Celebrate wins and recognize contributions; foster a positive, collaborative team environment
  • Model vulnerability, continuous learning, and AI-native thinking; lead by example in your own growth

Responsibility Area: Hiring & Team Building
  • Define hiring strategy and conduct recruitment for open positions; build a pipeline of qualified candidates
  • Lead technical interviews and assessments for engineering candidates at all IC levels; make hiring decisions
  • Partner with HR and recruiting teams on job descriptions, sourcing strategies, and candidate pipeline management
  • Evaluate cultural fit and potential; hire for values and growth potential, not just current skills
  • Onboard new engineers effectively; assign mentors and ensure smooth integration into the team
  • Build a team with diverse backgrounds, experiences, and perspectives; actively work to improve representation
  • Identify gaps in team capabilities (technical depth, domain expertise, AI/ML fluency) and address through hiring or development
  • Build relationships with external technical communities to attract and recruit top talent
  • Participate in employer branding and represent the organization at recruiting events and universities
  • Responsibility Area: Technical Strategy & Product Leadership
  • Work with product, design, and cross-functional partners to define product roadmap and technical strategy aligned with business goals
  • Establish technical direction for the team; make architecture and technology decisions that balance innovation, quality, and delivery
  • Ensure the team's technical approach stays current with AI/ML advancements and ServiceNow platform evolution
  • Champion AI-native thinking across the team and organization; help teammates understand how to build with AI at the core
  • Lead architectural reviews and technical decision-making; provide guidance on complex technical trade-offs
  • Advocate for technical investments (refactoring, infrastructure, tooling) that improve team productivity and code quality
  • Set quality standards for code, testing, and security; establish practices that enable sustainable delivery
  • Partner with IC4/IC5 engineers to set multi-year technical roadmaps and long-term strategic initiatives
  • Represent the engineering team in product and executive discussions; influence organizational priorities

Responsibility Area: Team Execution & Accountability
  • Drive team delivery of committed business objectives and product initiatives; maintain accountability for results
  • Establish clear sprint goals, work-item prioritization, and delivery timelines; remove blockers for team success
  • Track team metrics: velocity, quality, customer satisfaction, incident response, deployment frequency
  • Conduct regular retrospectives; identify process improvements and drive adoption of better practices
  • Manage team capacity; balance new feature development, technical debt reduction, and customer support
  • Ensure team participation in on-call rotation; monitor incident response and post-incident learning
  • Report on team progress, risks, and performance to senior leadership; provide transparent communication
  • Escalate critical issues or resource constraints; collaborate with peer managers to solve cross-team dependencies
  • Foster a culture of ownership where engineers take responsibility for quality, testing, and production outcomes
  • Lead team through organizational changes and initiatives; maintain morale and focus during transitions

Responsibility Area: Customer & Cross-Functional Engagement
  • Build and maintain relationships with key customers and stakeholders; understand their needs and priorities
  • Participate in customer meetings, technical escalations, and business reviews; represent engineering capabilities and constraints
  • Work closely with product management, customer success, and other teams; ensure alignment on priorities and capabilities
  • Lead customer-critical incident response; ensure timely and professional resolution of critical issues
  • Gather customer feedback and translate into product improvements; communicate back to customers how feedback is addressed
  • Advocate for customers' needs within the engineering organization; ensure customer voice is heard in decision-making
  • Build trust and credibility with customers through transparency, responsiveness, and technical leadership
  • Participate in strategic customer discussions and technology roadmap reviews

Responsibility Area: Organizational Leadership & Culture
  • Model the organization's values and desired behaviors; set tone for engineering culture within your team and across teams
  • Contribute to hiring and interview training of other managers; build bench strength in people leadership
  • Mentor junior managers or peers; contribute to manager development and leadership pipeline
  • Participate in engineering leadership meetings; contribute to organizational strategy and policy
  • Promote psychological safety, inclusion, and belonging; actively work to reduce barriers for underrepresented groups
  • Foster knowledge sharing across the organization; encourage your team to contribute to brown bags, documentation, and communities
  • Lead by example in work-life balance, continuous learning, and sustainable pace; prevent burnout
  • Encourage your team to engage with the broader tech community (conferences, open source, speaking, writing)

Responsibility Area: AI-Native Thinking & Innovation Leadership
  • Develop deep understanding of AI/ML capabilities, limitations, and integration patterns; become a thought leader on AI-native development
  • Coach your team on AI-native thinking-how to build systems with AI at the core, not as an afterthought
  • Help engineers understand prompt engineering, retrieval systems, agentic workflows, and responsible AI principles
  • Establish practices for evaluation-driven development, hallucination detection, and model performance monitoring
  • Lead discussions on AI safety, data privacy, and responsible AI; ensure team builds with appropriate guardrails
  • Create learning opportunities for the team to stay current with AI/ML advancements and frameworks
  • Identify opportunities to apply AI to improve internal processes and team efficiency
  • Contribute to organizational conversations about AI strategy and responsible AI practices
  • Stay informed about LLM advancements, new models, and emerging techniques; share insights with your team


Qualifications
  • 12+ years of professional software development experience, with 5+ years in AI-native systems, cloud-native architecture, or equivalent
  • 4+ years of people management experience leading software engineers; track record of developing talent and building high-performing teams
  • 3+ years managing application development on SaaS platforms (ServiceNow, Salesforce, or similar); deep understanding of platform architecture and constraints
  • 3+ years hands-on experience with AI/ML systems, LLM integration, prompt engineering, and responsible AI practices
  • Demonstrated expertise in hiring, team building, and organizational development; ability to attract and develop top talent
  • Expert-level understanding of modern software engineering practices: CI/CD, testing, security, deployment
  • Strong technical credibility; ability to engage in technical discussions with IC4/IC5 engineers; hands-on coding experience still valued
  • Deep proficiency in Python, Java, and JavaScript; understanding of ServiceNow scripting and platform APIs
  • Track record of delivering significant business results through engineering teams; ability to drive accountability and execution
  • Experience scaling teams and organizations; demonstrated ability to work at multiple levels of complexity
  • Exceptional communication and interpersonal skills; ability to influence across technical and non-technical stakeholders
  • Strong coaching and mentoring skills; ability to develop engineers across all career stages
  • Experience with Agile and Scrum methodologies; ability to adapt to team and organizational needs
  • Demonstrated understanding of data security, compliance, and responsible AI practices
  • Strong emotional intelligence; ability to navigate difficult conversations and build trust
  • Experience with performance management, feedback delivery, and difficult personnel decisions
  • Passion for building inclusive, psychologically safe teams where all engineers can thrive
  • Bachelor's degree in computer science, engineering, business, or related field
  • Experience leading teams through organizational change, technical migrations, or strategic initiatives
  • MBA or management certification is a plus; however, demonstrated people leadership capability is more important
  • Track record of developing talent into senior engineering leadership roles or managers
  • Active engagement with engineering and AI/ML communities; thought leadership through speaking, writing, or open source is a plus
  • Experience working with diverse teams and commitment to building inclusive organizations


For positions in this location, we offer a base pay of $201,300 - $352,300 , plus equity (when applicable), variable/incentive compensation and benefits. Sales positions generally offer a competitive On Target Earnings (OTE) incentive compensation structure. Please note that the base pay shown is a guideline, and individual total compensation will vary based on factors such as qualifications, skill level, competencies, and work location. We also offer health plans, including flexible spending accounts, a 401(k) Plan with company match, ESPP, matching donations, a flexible time away plan and family leave programs.

Compensation is based on the geographic location in which the role is located and is subject to change based on work location.

Additional Information

Work Personas

We approach our distributed world of work with flexibility and trust. Work personas (flexible, remote, or required in office) are categories that are assigned to ServiceNow employees depending on the nature of their work and their assigned work location. Learn more here. To determine eligibility for a work persona, ServiceNow may confirm the distance between your primary residence and the closest ServiceNow office using a third-party service.

About ServiceNow

ServiceNow provides cloud-based solutions that define, structure, manage, and automate services for enterprise operations in North America, Europe, the Middle East, Africa, the Asia Pacific, and other countries. The company offers service management solutions, including incident, problem, change, request, and cost management as well as service catalogs; and IT, HR, facilities, and field service management solutions. It also provides IT operations management solutions covering service mapping, delivery, and assurance solutions; business management solutions such as financial management, project portfolio suite, vendor performance management, and performance analytics as well as governance, risk, and compliance; and application development services.

ServiceNow Careers

Join the dynamic team at ServiceNow, a global leader in digital workflow solutions, where innovation and leadership converge to shape the future of work. At ServiceNow, we offer more than just job opportunities; we provide a platform for professional growth and a chance to be part of a culture that values diversity, creativity, and continuous learning.

Work You’ll Do

Embark on a career journey with ServiceNow and contribute to the world’s leading enterprises' digital transformation. Our team is at the forefront of developing cutting-edge technologies that improve how people work. With ServiceNow, you will use your skills to impact businesses and industries profoundly, driving efficiency and innovation.

Join Our Market-Leading Team

ServiceNow is not just another technology company. We are a team that thrives on diversity and leadership, fostering an inclusive environment that promotes growth and development. Our commitment to diversity training ensures that every team member can achieve their potential.

Innovative Work

ServiceNow is home to more than 10,000 dedicated professionals who lead the charge in digital workflows and enterprise solutions. As part of our team, you will engage in projects that merge technology with practical applications, creating revolutionary products that advance how services are delivered and managed.

Career Development

At ServiceNow, your career trajectory is filled with boundless opportunities. We support your growth with robust training programs, leadership development courses, and access to global challenges. Whether you are looking for an internship, full-time position, or leadership role, ServiceNow equips you with the tools to excel.

Be Part of a Great Team

Working at ServiceNow means being part of a community that values teamwork and innovation. Our collaborative environment encourages networking and sharing ideas, making our workplace vibrant and dynamic. The benefits of joining ServiceNow extend beyond comprehensive health and wellness; they include fostering professional connections and friendships that last a lifetime.

Explore Job Opportunities and Internships

Whether you’re a seasoned professional or a recent graduate, ServiceNow offers a range of employment options to suit your career goals. From internships that provide real-world experience to full-time positions that challenge you to leverage your expertise, we are committed to hiring the best talent.

Stay Connected

Join Our Team Search open positions that match your skills and interests. At ServiceNow, we look for passionate, curious, and solution-driven team players. Explore the possibilities that await you at a company that is committed to your professional success.

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ServiceNow Careers

Empowering professionals to achieve more, ServiceNow is where careers are future-proofed, and ambitions are realized. Join us in our journey of growth and innovation.
Learn more about ServiceNow
Size
16,881 employees
Market Cap
$76.5 billion
Industry
Information Technology
Net Income
$118.5 million
Founded
2004
5 Year Trend
+33.5%
Revenue
$4.5 billion
NASDAQ
NOW
* Ladders Estimates

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