Engineering Manager - Paris - Proton

Description

Overview

Join Proton and build a better internet where privacy is the default. At Proton, we believe that privacy is a fundamental human right and the cornerstone of democracy. Since our inception in 2014, founded by a team of scientists from CERN, we have dedicated ourselves to providing free and open-source technology to millions worldwide, ensuring access to privacy, security, and freedom online.

Our journey began with Proton Mail, the largest secure email service globally, and has since expanded to include Proton VPN, Proton Calendar, Proton Drive, and Proton Pass. These tools empower individuals and organizations to take control of their personal data, break away from Big Tech's invasive practices, and defeat censorship. Our work impacts hundreds of millions of lives, from activists on the front lines defending freedom to leaders in governments protecting sensitive information. In some cases, Proton's services have even been instrumental in saving lives by enabling secure and private communications in high-risk situations.

Proton is a profitable company that does not rely upon VC funding, supporting over 100 million user accounts with a growing team of over 500 people from over 50 different countries, from the world's top companies and universities. We value intelligence, learning potential, and ambition in our hiring process. Adaptability is key as we navigate uncharted territories and redefine how business is conducted online.

Hiring at Proton is highly selective, with less than 1% of candidates hired. We believe smaller teams of exceptional talent will always prevail over larger teams with lower talent density. You will have the opportunity to work with many of the world's top minds in their fields, ranging from former international math and science olympiad winners to chess champions.

We have a global mindset and big ambitions but remain a start-up at heart. We value empowerment and flexibility and keep our structure flat to keep moving fast and avoid unnecessary politics. Tired of blending into the crowd? Join us and do work you can truly be proud of. Check our open-source projects here

The Opportunity

Proton Pass is one of the fastest-growing products in our portfolio, and we're raising the bar to make it the best password manager in the world — not just the most private one. We're looking for an Engineering Manager to lead the frontend teams behind Proton Pass, Proton Authenticator, and SimpleLogin across Web, Android, and iOS.

This is a high-ownership role. You'll inherit a team of skilled engineers already shipping, but there's meaningful work to do: tightening how we operate, raising the quality bar, and scaling our ability to move fast without breaking things. You'll report directly to the Business Unit Lead and work cross-functionally with Product, Design, and platform teams across Proton.

If you've led engineering teams before and you're the kind of person who gets restless when things aren't improving — this role is for you.

What You\'ll Own

Team Leadership & Growth
You'll manage a multi-disciplinary frontend team spanning three platforms. That means regular 1-on-1s with substance, honest performance conversations, and building genuine career paths for your engineers — not just checking boxes. You'll also hire when needed and shape the team's culture over time.

Execution & Delivery
You'll be responsible for how the team plans, prioritizes, and ships. That includes breaking down ambiguous problems into iterative scopes, managing cross-team dependencies, and keeping stakeholders aligned without slowing engineers down. We move fast — your job is to make that sustainable.

Quality & Developer Experience
You'll balance speed with quality and invest in the processes and tooling that make engineers effective. Code reviews, CI/CD, release processes, incident response — you understand the full lifecycle and know where the leverage points are.

Strategic Influence
You'll work closely with the Business Unit Lead and other senior stakeholders to make sure engineering decisions are grounded in business and product context. You have opinions, you share them clearly, and you know how to bring people along.

What We\'re Looking For

Background
You\'ve made the transition from Senior/Staff Engineer or Tech Lead into an EM role and you\'ve done it well. You\'re comfortable in both conversations: architecture trade-offs with engineers and roadmap trade-offs with product and leadership. You don\'t need to be the best coder in the room, but you need to be credible in it — and occasionally willing to get your hands dirty when it counts.

People Management
You\'ve managed individual contributors directly. You know the difference between a performance issue and a motivation issue, and you handle both with care and directness. You\'ve navigated the complexity of cross-team efforts and know how to get alignment without a lot of formal authority.

Product Mindset
You think like a founder. You care about outcomes, not just output. Whether you\'ve been part of a founding team, worked in a startup environment, or simply operated with that mentality inside a larger org — you bring the instinct to ask "does this actually matter for the user?" before committing engineering resources.

Shipping at Scale
You have a track record of delivering software on real timelines. You know how to scope, how to cut scope wisely, and how to lead a team through the uncertainty of building products that millions of people rely on.

Communication
You write and speak clearly. You give context, not just directives. Your team knows what the priorities are and why — because you\'ve made sure of it.

Staying Sharp
You keep up with where software engineering is going — including AI-assisted development — and you actively think about how it applies to your team\'s work.

What Success Looks Like
In your first 90 days, you\'ve built trust with your team, developed a clear picture of where the gaps are, and started making measurable improvements to how the team operates.

By the end of your first year, Proton Pass has shipped meaningful improvements to its core experience, your team is stronger than when you joined, and you\'ve built the cross-functional relationships that let you move fast at scale.

The Team You\'re Joining

You'll lead roughly 8 engineers across Web, Android, and iOS. The team is experienced and motivated — your job isn't to fix a broken team, it's to take a good one further. You'll have the support of the Business Unit Lead and access to platform and infrastructure teams across Proton.

What We Offer

• Office First: Collaboration is easier and more effective in person, which is why we have offices in Geneva, Zurich, Prague, Barcelona, Paris, London, Vilnius, Skopje, and Taipei. You can also enjoy working from home up to 30% of the time, while enjoying great company during our three core days in the office. Depending on the role, fully remote positions may also be available.
• Technology: We provide all the devices and software you need to excel in your role, ensuring you have the best tools at your disposal to achieve your goals.
• Food: Lunch and snacks are provided by Proton every day at our offices.
• Transport: We will always support our employees with transport costs through subsidizing public transport, bike allowances, or parking spaces based on your office location.
• Stock Options: At Proton, we are all owners of the company and you get stock options when you join us.
• Flexible Working: You can define your own working hours as long as it works with team meetings.
• Learning and Development: We are committed to your professional growth. Proton offers various learning opportunities, including training programs, conferences and events, and continual learning.
• Employee Benefits: Comprehensive health insurance plans, competitive retirement savings options, generous vacation and leave policies, and wellness programs.
• Work that Matters: Proton is a community-first organization, started with the support of a crowdfunding campaign and built with community input. To this day, Proton's only source of revenue is user subscriptions. Over 100 million people trust and support Proton, and we put our users and community first in everything we do. Read more about our impact here.

Our Commitment to Diversity and Inclusion

At Proton, we believe diversity drives innovation and strengthens our mission to provide privacy as a default for all. We are committed to fostering an inclusive environment where all individuals, regardless of race, ethnicity, gender, age, sexual orientation, physical ability, or socio-economic background, feel valued and empowered. We strive to create equal opportunities, promote open dialogue, and support continuous learning to ensure every voice is heard and respected.

If you need any extra support or reasonable adjustments during the hiring process, please let your talent partner know.

Candidate Privacy Notice

When you apply for a position, refer a candidate, or are considered for a role at Proton Technologies AG, your information is stored in Greenhouse, in accordance with their Service Privacy Policy. This information is used to evaluate your suitability for the posted position. We also retain this information for consideration for future roles that you may apply for or that we believe may align with your background and skills.

If we no longer have a legitimate business need to process your information, we will either delete or anonymize it. Should you have any inquiries about how we use or manage your information, or if you wish to access, correct, or delete your data, please contact our privacy team at

Proton does not accept unsolicited resumes from any sources other than directly from candidates. We will not pay a fee for any placement resulting from an unsolicited offer, even if the candidate is subsequently hired by Proton.

To learn more about our privacy policy, please visit our privacy policy page.