Engineering Manager, Cloud - Chicago

This is a hybrid role based in our Chicago or Palo Alto office and will require you to be in person Tuesdays and Thursdays. · About the Team: · The Cloud Engineering team is responsible for building and operating the foundational infrastructure that powers Grindr's global platfor ...

Job description

This is a hybrid role based in our Chicago or Palo Alto office and will require you to be in person Tuesdays and Thursdays.

About the Team:

The Cloud Engineering team is responsible for building and operating the foundational infrastructure that powers Grindr's global platform. This team owns core cloud services and tooling across AWS and Kubernetes, enabling product and backend teams to ship safely, reliably, and at scale. Reporting to the Head of Cloud Engineering, this role will manage a team of 4–6 individual contributors and play a key role in improving reliability, security, cost efficiency, and developer experience across the organization. The impact of this role is highly visible, directly influencing uptime, incident response, and Grindr's ability to scale new features globally.

About the Job:

• Lead, coach, and grow a team of 4–5 cloud engineers responsible for core infrastructure and platform services.

• Own the execution and delivery of cloud initiatives that improve reliability, scalability, security, and cost efficiency.

• Partner closely with product, backend, mobile, SRE, and security teams to ensure infrastructure enables, rather than blocks, product delivery.

• Contribute to technical direction and architectural decisions across AWS, Kubernetes, and supporting cloud services.

Role Requirements:

• Experience managing and developing engineers, including performance management, feedback, and career growth.

• Strong hands-on background with cloud infrastructure, preferably in AWS, including managed services and networking concepts.

• Experience operating production systems at scale using Kubernetes (EKS or equivalent) and Infrastructure as Code (e.g., Terraform).

• Proven ability to lead cross-functional initiatives and communicate clearly with both technical and non-technical stakeholders.

• Experience balancing reliability, cost, and velocity in a cloud environment.

Nice to Have

• Experience supporting high-traffic, consumer-facing applications.

• Familiarity with operation and performance management of databases and data stores such as PostgreSQL, DynamoDB, and Redis/ElastiCache.

• Exposure to modern CI/CD and infrastructure workflows (e.g., Atlantis, GitOps-style workflows).

You May Thrive in this Role if You:

• Enjoy leading teams while staying close enough to the technology to guide strong technical decisions.

• Are motivated by improving developer experience and building platforms that help others move faster.

• Are comfortable operating in a fast-paced environment where priorities evolve and tradeoffs are required.

• Take ownership, value accountability, and believe great infrastructure is a force multiplier for product teams.

Benefits and Perks:

• Mission and Impact: Grindr is building the global gayborhood in your pocket. Your role will impact the lives of millions of LGBTQ+ people around the world. Through our success, we are making a world where the lives of our community are free, equal, and just.

• Family Insurance: Insurance premium coverage for health, dental, and vision for you and partial coverage for your dependents.

• Retirement Savings: Generous 401K plan with 6% match and immediate vest in the U.S.

• Compensation: Industry-competitive compensation and eligibility for company bonus and equity programs.

• Queer-Inclusive Benefits: Industry-leading gender-affirming offerings with up to 90% cost coverage, access to Included Health, monthly stipends for HRT, and more.

• Additional Benefits: Flexible vacation policy, monthly stipends for cell phone, internet, wellness, food, and commuting, breakfast/lunch provided onsite, and yearly travel & leisure stipend.

About Grindr:
Grindr is building the global gayborhood in your pocket. With more than 14.5 million monthly active users, Grindr has become a fundamental part of the LGBTQ+ community and is charting a path to make the world more free, equal, and just. In 2015 we introduced Grindr for Equality, our in-house non-profit which has advanced safety, health, and human rights for millions of Grindr users and the global LGBTQ+ community in partnership with more than 100 community organizations in every region of the world.

Our next evolution is underway as a public company that continues to grow and build meaningful experiences for our users. From social issues to product innovations, we're setting audacious goals for our community and the business, and leveraging the latest tech stacks and a culture of engineering excellence to make it happen. At the heart of our work in this new chapter is a shared set of operating principles centered around cultivating curiosity, thinking big, exploring the depths of AI, setting and expediting our ambitious goals, and growing through iteration; all while keeping our users #1.

Grindr is headquartered in West Hollywood, California, with offices in the Bay Area, Chicago, and New York. With a track record of strong financial performance and plans for continued headcount growth, we aim to build a workforce of talented, passionate, and open-minded individuals from different backgrounds, with different abilities, identities, and mindsets. Come be a part of this exciting journey to disrupt the consumer technology space, innovate products, and advance LGBTQ+ culture

Grindr is an equal-opportunity employer.

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