Engineering Manager, Defense

About Scale AI

Scale's rapidly growing Global  Public Sector team is focused on using AI to address critical challenges facing the public sector around the world. Our core work consists of:

• Creating custom AI applications that will impact millions of citizens
• Generating high-quality training data for national LLMs
• Upskilling and advisory services to spread the impact of AI

As these applications move from prototype to production, we're investing heavily in the infrastructure and people that keep them reliable, secure, and trusted by our government partners.

At Scale, we're not just building AI solutions - we're enabling the public sector to transform their operations and better serve citizens through cutting-edge technology. If you're ready to shape the future of AI in the public sector and be a founding member of our team, we'd love to hear from you

Role Overview

We are looking for a highly technical and strategic Senior Manager, Defense Engineering to lead our engineering efforts across the Middle East region, specifically supporting defense-related projects. This senior leader will drive delivery of custom AI applications for defense and national security clients, bridging deep domain knowledge in the defense space with cutting-edge AI and full stack engineering expertise.

What You'll Do

• Manage and grow the engineering team in the region, driving technical delivery across defense and public sector engagements
• Design, build, and optimize backend services for advanced AI-driven applications, with a strong focus on AI agents, evaluation tooling, and automation
• Lead full stack engineering efforts end-to-end—from system design and architecture through to debugging, testing, and production deployment
• Serve as the senior technical authority on defense-related projects, applying domain knowledge to ensure solutions meet mission-critical standards and security requirements
• Architect and deploy AI agent frameworks and API integrations tailored to defense and government workflows
• Work comfortably cross-functionally across internal engineering teams and external defense and government clients
• Own the full product lifecycle from conceptualization through production, ensuring high-velocity delivery without sacrificing quality
• Deliver experiments and MVPs at a high velocity and level of quality to drive engagement with defense customers
• Influence the culture, values, and processes of a growing engineering team in the region
• Inspire and mentor engineers, fostering a technically excellent and mission-driven team environment
• Collaborate with cross-functional teams to define, design, and ship new product features and experiences tailored to defense requirements

What We're Looking For

• 10+ years of relevant software engineering experience, with a strong emphasis on backend systems and full stack development
• 5+ years of experience managing and leading engineering teams, with a proven track record of developing high-performing teams in complex, mission-driven environments
• Demonstrated domain knowledge in the defense sector—understanding of defense operations, national security priorities, and the regulatory and security requirements unique to defense 
• Deep expertise in AI and machine learning, specifically with AI agents, LLM-powered applications, and agentic frameworks
• Hands-on experience designing, building, and integrating APIs in production environments (cloud and on-premises), including experience with AI/ML APIs and third-party defense or government platform integrations
• Full stack engineering proficiency—comfortable across the entire stack including backend services, APIs, data pipelines, and frontend delivery
• Proven success leading, managing, and developing high-performing Engineering teams at scale
• Expertise in identifying product engagement patterns and trends for large-scale applications, ideally in government or defense contexts
• Track record of shipping high-quality products and features at scale in fast-paced, high-stakes environments
• Ability to turn complex defense business and mission requirements into pragmatic, scalable engineering solutions
• Excellent problem-solving skills, and ability to work independently and as part of a cross-functional, international team
• Experience working in or with the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) region is strongly preferred; Arabic language skills a plus