Software Engineering Manager

City/State: Colorado Springs, CO USA

Type and Schedule: Full-Time, Salary/Exempt, on-site with limited remote work flexibility.

Annualized Salary Range: $170,000 - $215,000 commensurate with experience.

About Us:

Caliola is an award-winning woman-owned small business that is improving and protecting our Nation's way of life through secure collaboration and resilient communications. Our engineers, subject matter experts, and veterans are developing and delivering trusted solutions for mission-critical communications. We seek teammates who share our core values:

I3 for C3 - Insight, Innovation, and Integrity for Command, Control, and Communications

These values guide how we work every day. At Caliola, you will find technically challenging, mission-focused work within a flexible and collaborative culture that is uncommon in the defense industry. We offer flexible PTO, subsidized health insurance, 401(k) matching, professional development, and a competitive compensation structure designed to support long-term growth.

Position Description:

Caliola is seeking a Software Engineering Manager to lead and grow our software team as we scale our business and the mission-critical technologies we deliver. This is an exciting opportunity for a technically strong, people-focused leader who enjoys developing engineers, solving complex problems, and building the processes and practices that help great teams do their best work. You'll lead engineers developing innovative software for mission-critical communications, alternate positioning, navigation, and timing (A-PNT), and secure mesh networking.

As Caliola continues to grow, you'll play a critical role in helping our software team scale with it. Working closely with the VP of Engineering, you'll strengthen development and testing practices, establish consistent and repeatable processes, develop technical talent, and improve how we plan, execute, and deliver software across multiple programs. You'll also help shape our approach to AI-enabled development and quality assurance, identifying opportunities to use emerging technologies to improve efficiency, consistency, and quality.

We're looking for a leader who brings deep technical understanding, sound judgment, and a genuine passion for helping engineers succeed. Someone who can dive into technical challenges, identify and remove roadblocks, coach engineers through complex problems, and bring structure and accountability without sacrificing innovation or collaboration. If you're energized by growing a team, building scalable engineering practices, and helping shape the future of a growing defense technology company, this is an opportunity to make a meaningful and lasting impact.

Essential Responsibilities:

Leadership, Management & Accountability (LMA)

• Provide leadership, management, and accountability for the software engineering team, establishing clear expectations, monitoring performance, removing roadblocks, and ensuring alignment with organizational and program priorities.
• Coach, mentor, and develop software engineers and emerging technical leads, fostering a culture of technical excellence, collaboration, ownership, and continuous improvement.
• Partner with engineering leadership and HR on staffing, hiring, performance management, professional development, and organizational growth.

Resource Planning

• Plan and allocate software engineering resources across active programs, future awards, and internal development efforts, balancing staffing, technical capabilities, schedules, budgets, and competing priorities.
• Monitor team capacity, project dependencies, and resource constraints, proactively identifying risks and adjusting assignments to support program commitments and organizational growth.

Software Development Process

• Define, document, standardize, and continuously improve software development processes across the organization, including Agile practices, coding standards, code reviews, testing, quality assurance, and release management.
• Lead the adoption of consistent development and testing practices, providing training, guidance, and accountability to ensure processes are effectively implemented across teams and programs.
• Oversee software development execution, maintaining visibility into progress, technical risks, and deliverables to ensure software meets requirements, quality standards, and program schedules.

Software Architecture

• Provide technical leadership and direction for software architecture across applications, backend services, and integrated systems, establishing scalable, maintainable, and reusable technical foundations.
• Guide architectural decisions and technical approaches, working closely with engineers to evaluate tradeoffs, resolve complex challenges, manage technical debt, and ensure solutions meet mission and program requirements.
• Support the evolution of customer-funded and internally developed capabilities into sustainable, reusable software products.

DevOps & Software Tools

• Oversee DevOps practices, CI/CD pipelines, development environments, and software engineering tools to support reliable, efficient, and secure build, test, and deployment processes.
• Establish and improve automated testing, code quality controls, and development infrastructure to increase consistency, reduce defects, and strengthen software delivery.
• Collaborate with engineers to evaluate and implement modern development tools, including AI-enabled software engineering practices that improve development efficiency, testing, and quality assurance.

What We Require:

• Bachelor's degree in Computer Science, Software Engineering, Computer Engineering, Electrical Engineering, or a related technical discipline.
• 10+ years of progressive software engineering experience, including substantial hands-on software development experience and demonstrated leadership of software engineers or development teams.
• Ability to obtain and maintain a U.S. Government Secret security clearance.
• Strong technical foundation in software architecture, design, development, integration, and testing, with the ability to evaluate technical approaches, troubleshoot complex challenges, and provide meaningful technical guidance to engineers.
• Demonstrated experience leading Agile software development teams and establishing or improving consistent engineering practices, including sprint planning, code reviews, automated testing, quality assurance, and continuous improvement.
• Experience delivering software in regulated, security-sensitive, or mission-critical environments, such as defense, aerospace, financial technology, or healthcare, with the ability to manage engineering resources, competing priorities, technical risks, and delivery commitments.
• Strong communication, collaboration, and people management skills, with the ability to build accountability, navigate challenging situations, and work effectively across technical teams and organizational leadership.

What We Value:

• Master's degree or higher in Computer Science, Software Engineering, Computer Engineering, Electrical Engineering, or a related technical discipline.
• 3+ years of formal people management experience at the Software Engineering Manager level or equivalent, including direct responsibility for employee development, performance management, staffing, and team accountability.
• Active U.S. Department of War Secret or Top Secret security clearance.
• Familiarity with technologies such as C++, Python, TypeScript/JavaScript, Vue.js or similar frontend frameworks, Node.js, GitLab, Linux, containers, and CI/CD pipelines.
• Experience developing or delivering software solutions for U.S. Department of War (DoW) programs while working for a federal government contractor.

Minimum Physical Requirements:

• Must possess excellent verbal and written communication skills in English, with the ability to communicate effectively with technical teams, leadership, and other stakeholders.
• Ability to regularly use a computer and other standard office equipment for extended periods.
• Ability to participate in meetings, collaborate with team members, and perform work in standard office and secure development environments.
• Ability to perform work requiring sustained attention, analytical thinking, and review of technical documentation, software designs, and digital information.

Please contact Human Resources (HR@Caliola.com) with questions about ADA accommodations.

More About Us:

Our performance has driven rapid growth and national recognition, being named twice to the Deloitte Technology Fast 500™ and inclusion on the 2026 Inc. 5000 list of America's fastest-growing private companies. We have also been recognized as a Colorado Company to Watch, a ColoradoBiz Top Company in Aerospace & Defense, and the #2 Gazette's Best Workplace (medium size) in 2025.

Headquartered in Colorado Springs, CO, we operate in a leading aerospace and defense hub with proximity to major military installations. Set against the Rocky Mountains, the region offers year-round outdoor recreation and a high quality of life for professionals and families considering relocation.

As a part of our selection process, we ask all applicants to complete a short, 10–12-minute survey from Culture Index. This is a survey, not a test; no passing or failing. The purpose of this survey is to identify your unique strengths as they relate to our open positions. Please copy and paste the following link into a separate browser window to complete: https://go.cultureindex.com/s/5i6Gpe3wge

Expression of Interest: By applying to this job, you are expressing interest in this position and could be considered for other career opportunities at Caliola Engineering. Should a match be identified between your skillset and Caliola's requirements for this or a future opening, you may be contacted.

The posted salary range represents our good faith estimate for this role based on current organizational needs and the qualifications reasonably expected for the position. Final compensation will be determined based on factors such as experience, skills, education, clearance status, and business needs.

This position will remain open until filled, and applications will be reviewed on a continuous basis.

At Caliola, we believe that true innovation can only occur when teammates bring their authentic selves to collaborate in a supportive, encouraging environment. We are an Equal Opportunity Employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability or veteran status, age, or any other federally protected class.

Caliola participates in E-Verify, an internet-based system used to confirm the employment eligibility of all new hires. Upon hire, all employees are required to complete Form I-9 to verify their identity and employment eligibility to work in the United States.