Senior Engineering Manager, Retention
Our mission at Duolingo is to develop the best education in the world and make it universally available. It’s a big mission, and that’s where you come in!
At Duolingo, you’ll join a team that cares about finding innovative solutions to complex technical problems, running countless experiments (300+ at a time!) with our massive user base to make data-driven decisions, and educating our users and employees alike. You’ll have limitless learning opportunities, mentorship and collaboration with world-class minds, and a variety of projects with large scopes — while doing work that’s both fun and meaningful.
Join our life-changing mission to develop education for our half a billion (and growing!) learners around the world.
About the role
As a Senior Engineering Manager at Duolingo, you will own mission-critical projects from end to end, contribute to product strategy, and lead a team of world-class engineers at our company HQ in Pittsburgh.
Listen to why Basim Baig, one of our Senior Engineering Managers, loves Pittsburgh!
Below you can find more information about the team we're hiring for:
You will lead and develop a team in the Retention Area, a collection of teams within the Growth Pillar at Duolingo.
Retention Area teams are dedicated to making the app more engaging, rewarding, and fun. They build and evolve classic features like the Streak or our infamous notifications, and newer in‑app events (Friends Quest, Daily Quests) that keep learners motivated and coming back. As part of one of the most experiment‑driven groups at Duolingo, these teams play a key role in driving daily active users through playful, habit‑forming experiences.
Engineering Managers at Duolingo wear two hats: team lead and role manager.
As a team lead, you will...
- Form a dynamic duo with your product counterpart to co-lead a cross-functional team. Teams at Duolingo operate with a high degree of autonomy and collaboration. What this means: product, design, and engineering in the same room, coming up with solutions together, instead of product specs landing on engineers’ desks fully formed. If a team needs other roles to do their best work (data scientists, user researchers), we embed them on the team.
- Provide both technical and product perspectives on new product ideas to ensure we find the fastest way to test a hypothesis. Rather than MVPs, we launch focused V1s. We keep them lean and double down on what works.
- Own the planning, execution, and success of projects that directly improve our top-line business metrics like daily active users, and identify which metrics to optimize for at the team level.
- Set clear expectations around engineering quality and promote practices that enhance code quality, scalability, and maintainability. Make sure tech specs are written and of high quality.
- Identify best practices, tools, and services that allow us to ship faster and keep our habit-building features as reliable as they can be, while also increasing the team’s velocity and cutting the right corners when it makes sense.
As a role manager, you will...
- Develop your team, deeply understanding each engineer’s strengths and career goals, and proactively providing mentorship and stretch opportunities to help them grow their impact.
- Set clear expectations and hold a high bar for performance, regularly providing candid feedback, addressing challenges decisively, and maintaining a supportive environment where engineers feel valued, engaged, and empowered.
- Provide clarity and alignment, transparently communicating the “why” behind decisions, thoughtfully guiding your team through changes, and ensuring everyone understands their role in achieving team and company goals.
- Invest in your own leadership growth by participating in Duolingo’s Role Manager Program, peer coaching circles, the Growth Engineering Leads assembly, and ongoing development opportunities to continuously elevate your impact as a leader.
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We post a multi-level salary range for all of our roles.
This is not inclusive of the rest of our awesome portfolio that includes equity compensation and world-class benefits. Our salary ranges are the same for all US locations. Your recruiter can share more details about the range for a specific level during the hiring process. The actual salary within the range is determined by many factors including but not limited to, skills, experience, education, and internal equity.
Take a peek at how we care for our employees' holistic well-being with our benefits here.
We will do everything we can within reason to make sure that your interview takes place in an environment that fairly and accurately assesses your skills. If you need assistance or accommodation, please contact accommodations@duolingo.com.
Duolingo is proud to be an Equal Employment Opportunity employer. We do not discriminate based upon race, religion, color, national origin, gender (including pregnancy, childbirth, or related medical conditions), sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, age, status as a protected veteran, status as an individual with a disability, or other applicable legally protected characteristics.
By applying for this position your data will be processed as per the Duolingo Applicant Privacy Notice.
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Perks and Benefits
Health and Wellness
- Health Insurance
- Dental Insurance
- Vision Insurance
- FSA
- Short-Term Disability
- On-Site Gym
Parental Benefits
Work Flexibility
- Flexible Work Hours
Office Life and Perks
- Commuter Benefits Program
- Casual Dress
- Pet-friendly Office
- Happy Hours
- Snacks
- Some Meals Provided
- Company Outings
Vacation and Time Off
- Paid Vacation
- Paid Holidays
- Personal/Sick Days
Financial and Retirement
- 401(K) With Company Matching
- Company Equity
- Performance Bonus
- Relocation Assistance
Professional Development
- Learning and Development Stipend
- Promote From Within
- Mentor Program
- Access to Online Courses
Diversity and Inclusion
- Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Program