ServiceNow

Software Engineering Manager - Build Agent

ServiceNow • $166K — $291K *
Santa Clara, CA 95051In-Person
Information Technology
5 - 7 years of experience
Today
Be an Early Applicant
Job Overview by Ladders

Qualifications

  • Experience leading evaluation systems for LLM-based products, including scoring methodology and failure analysis.
  • Proven track record of driving cross-team accountability without direct authority.
  • Solid understanding of coding agent architecture and its various components.
  • 6+ years of experience with ServiceNow technologies, specifically in coding languages such as Java, C++, Ruby, Shell, or JavaScript.
  • Ability to critically evaluate foundation models and discern true capability differences from artifacts.
  • Proven ability to navigate ambiguous priorities and make decisions based on context, risk, and outcomes.
  • Demonstrated people management experience, preferably leading teams of 8 or more engineers.

Responsibilities

  • Own the evaluation strategy and roadmap, defining key metrics and methodologies.
  • Coordinate with multiple teams to establish quality standards and ensure findings lead to actionable fixes.
  • Lead benchmarking efforts to provide data-driven recommendations for model support choices.
  • Manage daily activities of the engineering team, focusing on staffing, mentorship, and performance.
  • Address complex, cross-cutting issues where evaluation, model capabilities, and platform architecture converge.
  • Present evaluation results and recommendations to cross-functional teams and executive stakeholders.

Benefits

  • Health plans including flexible spending accounts.
  • 401(k) Plan with company match.
  • Employee Stock Purchase Plan (ESPP).
  • Matching donations for charitable contributions.
  • Flexible time away plan and family leave programs.
Full Job Description
Job Description

The team

Build Agent is ServiceNow's AI coding assistant, purpose-built for the platform's metadata-driven substrate - operating natively across ServiceNow's scoped applications, tables, and metadata types. This role leads the team responsible for the Build Agent evaluation framework, model support, and telemetry.

The framework is critical to Build Agent success - it's already driven measurable wins: recovering Build Agent correctness, cutting latency and inference cost ahead of a major release, and catching high-severity defects that manual testing missed before they reached production. The team is 8 engineers and is currently the bottleneck on its own scale - this role exists to convert a high-performing initiative into a durable, scalable function.

Key areas of focus include:
  • Evaluation Infrastructure: Golden prompt sets, Pass[redacted] and functional scoring, failure categorization (plumbing vs. metadata-creation failures), and coverage across ServiceNow metadata types and UI workflows.
  • Model Support & Benchmarking: Structured evaluation of candidate foundation models against the production default, with failure-consistency analysis to separate scaffold/tuning issues from genuine capability gaps.
  • Telemetry: Token usage, cache efficiency, and inference cost tracked alongside correctness as first-class release signals.
  • Cross-Team Arbitration: Prioritizing eval coverage, defining what "good" means across surfaces owned by different contributing teams, and turning eval signal into committed fixes by the owning teams rather than open-ended findings.

What you get to do in this role
  • Own eval strategy and roadmap: prompt set design, scoring methodology, failure-mode taxonomy, and telemetry instrumentation.
  • Coordinate across the multiple teams contributing to Build Agent to arbitrate quality standards and drive eval findings to committed, owned fixes - not just reports.
  • Lead model benchmarking efforts, making data-backed recommendations on model support decisions (e.g., evaluating frontier coding models against the incumbent default).
  • Manage the daily activities of an 8-engineer team, including staffing, mentoring, and performance management, while building the scale (people, process, or automation) to remove the team as its own bottleneck.
  • Solve ambiguous, cross-cutting problems where eval signal, model capability, and platform architecture intersect - and where "correct" isn't obvious until you've defined the bar.
  • Represent eval results and model support recommendations to cross-functional and executive stakeholders, including in response to org-wide benchmark initiatives.


Qualifications

To be successful in this role you have:
  • Direct experience building or leading evaluation systems for LLM-based products - scoring methodology, benchmark design, and failure analysis, not just prompt engineering.
  • Experience driving cross-team accountability without direct authority - getting other teams to own and fix issues surfaced by your data.
  • A working understanding of coding agent architecture: tool use, agentic loops, context management, and the tradeoffs between generic and domain-specific scaffolding.
  • 6+ years of experience with technologies relevant to ServiceNow, including advanced coding skills and fluency in one or more of Java, C++, Ruby, Shell, or JavaScript.
  • Experience critically evaluating foundation models - distinguishing real capability differences from tuning or scaffold artifacts.
  • Ability to execute against ambiguous priorities, weighing context, risk, and desired outcomes - particularly where eval data is incomplete or contested.
  • People management experience is required; experience managing at scale (8+ engineers) or managing managers is a plus.

For positions in this location, we offer a base pay of $166,500 - $291,400, 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.

Keep Up to Date

Stay ahead with career tips, insider perspectives, and industry-leading insights you can put to use today—all from the people who work here.

Job Alert Emails

Customize your subscription to receive job alerts, the latest news, and insider tips tailored to your preferences. Discover the exciting and rewarding career opportunities that await at ServiceNow.

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

Similar Jobs

Ad banner background

Get Ready For Your
Next Interview

More Jobs at ServiceNow

More Information Technology Jobs

Find similar Software Engineering Manager - Build Agent jobs:

NationwideSanta Clara, CA