Senior Software Engineering Manager, Rakuten Kobo
Offers performance based annual bonuses, stock options
Digital bookseller
Job no longer available
Digital bookseller
501-1000 employees
Job no longer available
Offers performance based annual bonuses, stock options
501-1000 employees
Company mission
To bring the power of reading to the world.
Role
Who you are
- Several years of experience in a leadership role within a Software Engineering team, preferably in an eCommerce setting
- Extensive experience in managing individuals, including providing feedback and conducting performance reviews
- Experience as a Software Engineer, preferably in .NET stack
- Experience with modern front-end applications, particularly with ReactJS, and in creating custom component libraries
- Skilled in optimizing the performance of large-scale websites
- Understanding of databases technologies. Both SQL & NoSQL (ideally RavenDB)
- Excellent written and verbal communication skills, enabling effective collaboration within and between teams in a distributed environment
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What the job involves
- We are seeking a passionate individual to lead our talented engineering teams in creating exceptional outcomes for Kobo and our customers
- As an experienced Engineering Manager, you’ll have the exciting opportunity to guide a dynamic team tasked with evolving our digital bookstore using a modern tech stack
- Your leadership will be pivotal in delivering a seamless and engaging experience for our customers, ensuring they receive a personalized experience that delights and exceeds their expectations
- Leading two Agile teams of engineers and testers focused on modernizing and improving Kobo’s store
- Actively participate in technical delivery activities from system design through to monitoring & incident response, providing technical leadership at every stage
- Providing mentorship and coaching to team members, actively seeking opportunities for their professional development & providing feedback in 1:1s and other settings
- Cultivating a collaborative atmosphere where individuals are encouraged to be their authentic selves and reach their full potential
- Collaborating with Cross functional peers in Product, Design & Architecture to guide initiatives from conception to production
- Continuously enhancing and evolving team processes to achieve optimal outcomes
- Optimizing delivery value by balancing business needs, system and code health, and team capacity
- Coordinating with other delivery team leaders to ensure seamless cross-team collaboration on larger projects
Our take
Long-form content is having a resurgence. That’s great news for the e-reader industry, of which Rakuten’s Kobo battles with Amazon’s Kindle for ownership.
The e-reader giant has changed tack in recent years to pursue growth via integrations and partnerships. A notable example is its native device integration with Pocket, a wishlist app loved by millions of readers.
The company is hoping that these partnerships and product improvements will allow it to finally break the US market where it most struggles for market share with Kindle.
Amazon has consistently shown its willingness to drop prices to protect its position in any market it plays in. That means that Kobo will have to demonstrate true product superiority to make a dent while protecting its margins.
Steph
Company Specialist at Welcome to the Jungle
Insights
Company
Company benefits
- "Work from anywhere" policy
- Flexible hours
- Internet/phone/commuting allowance
- Daily meal allowance when in the office
- $500 CAD flexible spending account
- Parental leave top-up
- Unlimited sick and mental health days
- 4-day summer holiday weekends
- RRSP matching, bonus and stock options
- Free Kobo eReader
- Free weekly book of your choice
- Volunteer time off
Company HQ
Liberty Village, Toronto, ON
Leadership
Michael Tamblyn
(CEO)Part of the founding team of Kobo, Michael previously held the role of Chief Content Officer. Michael has also been the founding CEO of the supply chain agency, BookNet Canada and co-founded Canada’s first online bookstore, Bookshelf.ca, purchased by Indigo Books & Music in 1998.
Anna Giagkou
(CFO)Prior to joining Rakuten Kobo in 2021, Anna was the CFO of Cox Automotive Canada.
Nimod Narayanan
(CTO)Nimod joined Rakuten Kobo in 2022 as VP of Technology, he then became the SVP of Technology in 2023, and CTO in 2025. Prior to this, he spent nearly 4 years at Rogers Communications joining as a Senior Development Manager before becoming a Director of eCommerce & Personalization and then Senior Director of Digital Platforms & Services.
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