Senior Manager, Developer Relations

This is a fully remote position, open to applicants in United States, +1 more country.

📋 Description

• Take full ownership of Tailscale’s Developer Relations function, overseeing all aspects from strategy to execution.

• Ensure alignment of programs and priorities with Tailscale’s market positioning, product strategies, and business objectives.

• Create and lead a high-performing Developer Relations organization.

• Recruit, mentor, and develop both senior and junior technical talent.

• Design and implement scalable programs across various developer-facing channels, including technical content, product integrations, YouTube, presentations, workshops, events, and community engagement.

• Manage the portfolio of Developer Relations investments, resources, and priorities effectively.

• Act as a prominent technical representative through videos, presentations, demos, integrations, workshops, and community involvement.

• Cultivate technical voices and contributors both within and outside of Tailscale.

• Spearhead community-driven technical initiatives while supporting strategic partnerships and emerging use cases.

• Maintain a comprehensive Developer Relations roadmap and activity calendar featuring owners, timelines, target audiences, and desired outcomes.

• Ensure that Developer Relations efforts are technically precise, engaging, relevant, and consistent with product positioning.

• Collaborate with Product, Engineering, Growth, Content, Sales, and Customer Success teams on launches, education, feedback, and product opportunities.

• Serve as the senior Developer Relations partner for significant launches and strategic initiatives.

• Define, monitor, and report on key performance indicators related to Developer Relations, including audience growth, engagement, product activation, integration adoption, and self-serve funnel contributions.

• Utilize developer insights and performance metrics to prioritize initiatives and showcase the value of investments.

• Oversee Developer Relations budgets, vendor relationships, tools, capacity planning, and resource allocation.

⛳️ Requirements

• 8+ years of experience in Developer Relations, developer advocacy, engineering, or a closely related field.

• 4+ years of experience in managing, mentoring, or leading technical contributors and scaling Developer Relations or similar functions.

• A robust technical foundation with the ability to communicate effectively with developers, engineers, and technical decision-makers.

• Experience in building and managing multi-channel Developer Relations programs.

• Capability to make portfolio-level trade-offs effectively.

• Proven track record of aligning Developer Relations strategy with measurable product or business outcomes.

• Strong program management abilities, including planning, prioritization, delegation, and proactive risk communication.

• Excellent product instincts and experience in creating developer-focused technical content such as videos, demos, talks, workshops, tutorials, or written materials.

• Exceptional written and verbal communication skills, adept at explaining complex technical concepts in a clear and engaging manner.

• Experience in cross-functional collaboration with Product, Engineering, Marketing, Growth, Sales, or Customer Success teams.

• Ability to balance hands-on execution with team leadership and long-term program development.

• Strong judgment regarding audience needs, communication channels, technical depth, and required level of polish.

• Experience in defining and reporting on Developer Relations metrics, program performance, or product and business outcomes.

• Comfortable working in a fast-paced, ambiguous environment and creating clarity through straightforward communication and documented plans.

• A collaborative mindset characterized by low ego and a “yes, and” attitude.

• Familiarity with and experience using Tailscale.

🏝️ Benefits

• A welcoming, flexible environment that encourages you to be your authentic self.

• A competitive total compensation package that includes a base salary and equity incentive plan.

• Comprehensive group benefits that have no waiting period, including health, vision, and dental coverage for you and your family.

• A remote-first work environment with flexible working arrangements.

• Opportunities for virtual and in-person social events.

• Access to a corporate co-working program.

• Employer-funded retirement contributions that match contributions dollar-for-dollar, up to 0.75% of eligible compensation annually.

• Annual company retreats and team off-site events.

• Opportunities for team travel and distributed collaboration.

• An annual budget of $1500 USD for professional development.

• Access to mentorship, coaching, and internal promotion opportunities.

• A flexible paid time off program.

• A company-owned laptop (Mac or PC) provided for your use.

• Monthly reimbursement for home internet expenses.

• A $500 USD allowance for customizing your home office workstation.

• Paid parental leave top-ups: 20 weeks for birthing parents and 16 weeks for non-birthing parents.