Role report · Leadership
Engineering Manager: what employers ask for
Of 1,322 Engineering Manager postings from 440 employers in the United States and Canada over the last 180 days, 29% ask for Distributed Systems, 19% for AWS, 19% for Agile, 18% for Observability and 18% for Python.
From 1,322 Engineering Manager postings in the United States and Canada, April 23, 2026 to October 20, 2026. Updated October 20, 2026. How we count
- Postings read
- 1,322from 440 employers
- Remote
- 23%of postings
- Most common level
- Manager99% of postings
- Experience asked
- 4 yearsmedian, from 991 postings that state it
- Advertised pay
- $209,000median a year, from 768 postings in US dollars
The skills employers ask for most
The share of Engineering Manager postings that name each skill, and how often a posting that names it lists it as required rather than nice to have.
| Skill | Share of postings | Required when named |
|---|---|---|
| Distributed Systems | 89% | |
| AWS | 69% | |
| Agile | 62% | |
| Observability | 88% | |
| Python | 74% | |
| Machine Learning | 78% | |
| CI/CD | 84% | |
| AI Agents | 80% | |
| Project Management | 79% | |
| Kubernetes | 62% | |
| Testing | 82% | |
| Code Review | 99% | |
| GCP | 72% | |
| Software Engineering | 96% | |
| Incident Response | 95% | |
| Java | 81% | |
| Azure | 70% | |
| REST APIs | 90% | |
| LLMs | 73% | |
| Problem Solving | 87% |
Taking a larger share
Month on month, comparing like with like; only moves clear of noise are named.
Taking a smaller share
Named in fewer of these postings than before, beyond the month-to-month noise.
Seniority
| Level | Share | Postings |
|---|---|---|
| Manager | 1,314 | |
| Director+ | 7 | |
| Mid | 1 |
Professional skills
Asked for alongside the technical ones.
- Leadership85%
- Stakeholder Management65%
- Communication59%
- Collaboration31%
- Technical Leadership30%
Advertised pay
768 of these postings state pay in US dollars. The middle half of their ranges' midpoints runs from $176,000 to $252,000 a year, with a median of $209,000. Pay by level, and what each skill adds to it like for like, is in the app.
Employers with the most postings
- Northrop Grumman69 postings
- Google28 postings
- Eaton Corporation25 postings
- GE Vernova25 postings
- RTX24 postings
- Stripe23 postings
- Amazon18 postings
- Anthropic17 postings
Quick answers
What skills does an Engineering Manager need?
The skills named most often in Engineering Manager postings are Distributed Systems, AWS, Agile, Observability and Python. Distributed Systems appears in 29% of them.
Are Engineering Manager jobs remote?
23% of the 1,322 Engineering Manager postings in the last 180 days were remote.
How much experience do Engineering Manager jobs ask for?
Postings that state it ask for a median of 4 years. The most common level is Manager (99% of postings).
What does an Engineering Manager earn?
Postings that state pay advertise a typical $176,000 to $252,000 a year, with a median of $209,000, from 768 postings in US dollars.
Which skills are growing for Engineering Manager roles?
REST APIs is taking a larger share of Engineering Manager postings, month on month and comparing like with like.