Manager Software Development

Here at Appian, our values of Intensity and Excellence define who we are. We set high standards and live up to them, ensuring that everything we do is done with care and quality. We approach every challenge with ambition and commitment, holding ourselves and each other accountable to achieve the best results. When you join Appian, you’ll be part of a passionate team dedicated to accomplishing hard things, together. Manager, Software Development Are you an elite technical leader who thrives as a hands-on contributor while simultaneously coaching, mentoring, and scaling a high-performance software engineering team? At Appian, engineering managers don’t just oversee. They build, shape, and grow the people and technology that power AI automation for the world’s largest enterprises and governments. Location: Chennai, India | Work Model: On-site (5 days/week) About the Team Our Engineering team is revolutionizing how Appian resolves customer issues by building AI-powered diagnostic tools and internal platforms that dramatically reduce resolution time. We combine deep technical expertise with AI innovation to empower support engineers to identify root causes faster, ensuring our customers experience uninterrupted business-critical operations. This team operates with high autonomy and directly impacts customer satisfaction and retention across Appian's enterprise client base The Opportunity Appian is at an inflection point where intelligent automation meets customer success, and we need a technical leader who can architect and ship the next generation of diagnostic platforms. This role exists because our growing enterprise customer base demands faster, smarter issue resolution, and AI agents are the key to unlocking that scale. You will shape both the technical direction and the team culture while delivering tools that become essential to how Appian supports thousands of mission-critical deployments worldwide. What You’ll Do Lead the design and delivery of a scalable AI-powered triage platform that reduces mean time to resolution by leveraging AI agents, LangChain frameworks, and intelligent diagnostics Architect quarterly releases of diagnostic tools on AWS infrastructure, balancing innovation velocity with production stability and security requirements Build and grow a high-performing engineering team through effective people management, technical mentorship, and career development focused on AI and cloud-native technologies Partner with Customer Success and Product leadership to translate support pain points into engineering roadmaps that drive measurable improvements in customer satisfaction Drive technical excellence through hands-on code reviews in Python and AI frameworks while establishing engineering best practices for the team Execute stakeholder management across engineering, product, and customer-facing teams to align priorities and communicate progress on platform capabilities Required Qualifications Education: Hold a Bachelor's degree or higher in Computer Science, Computer Engineering, Data Science, Information Systems, or a related STEM field Experience: 8+ years of experience in software engineering with at least 2+ years in engineering management or technical leadership roles AI Fluency: Proven fluency in AI and LLMs, encompassing both the strategic development of AI-powered platform capabilities and the hands-on application of AI tools to accelerate daily workflows Python Expertise: Strong proficiency in Python with demonstrated experience building production-grade applications and diagnostic tools Cloud Infrastructure: Hands-on experience designing and deploying scalable systems on AWS with knowledge of cloud-native architectures AI Agent Development: Experience building AI agents and working with frameworks such as LangChain or similar orchestration tools People Leadership: Proven track record managing engineering teams, including hiring, performance management, and technical mentorship Technical Collaboration: Active participation in code reviews and ability to balance hands-on technical contributions with leadership responsibilities Stakeholder Management: Strong communication skills with experience managing cross-functional stakeholders and translating business needs into technical solutions Preferred Qualifications Customer Support Domain: Experience building tools or platforms for customer support, site reliability, or operations teams Diagnostic Systems: Background in observability, monitoring, troubleshooting tools, or root cause analysis platforms Enterprise SaaS: Experience working in enterprise software companies with complex multi-tenant architectures Ecosystem Experience: We value experience with enterprise platforms such as Salesforce or ServiceNow, as these skills translate well into our Enterprise-Grade Orchestration environment What We Equip You With High-Impact Autonomy: A leadership environment where you will have real ownership over your team’s direction, the latitude to make meaningful decisions, and participation in broader Engineering discussions. Continuous Enablement: Access to premier learning resources, sponsored certifications, and dedicated learning time focused on both your continued technical growth and your evolution as an engineering leader. #AIAgents #Python #AWS #EngineeringLeadership #CustomerSuccess Tools and Resources Training and Development: During onboarding, we focus on equipping new hires with the skills and knowledge for success through department-specific training. Continuous learning is a central focus at Appian, with dedicated mentorship and the First-Friend program being widely utilized resources for new hires. Growth Opportunities: Appian provides a diverse array of growth and development opportunities, including our leadership program tailored for new and aspiring managers, a comprehensive library of specialized department training through Appian University, skills based training, and tuition reimbursement for those aiming to advance their education. This commitment ensures that employees have access to a holistic range of development opportunities. Community: We’ll immerse you into our community rooted in respect starting on day one. Appian fosters inclusivity through our 8 employee-led affinity groups. These groups help employees build stronger internal and external networks by planning social, educational, and outreach activities to connect with Appianites and larger initiatives throughout the company. Benefits Appian offers a comprehensive benefits package designed to support your health, wellbeing, and financial future. Benefits may include health coverage, Employee Assistance Program (EAP) with free mental health support, life and disability insurance, an Employee Stock Purchase Program (ESPP), a retirement/pension plan, wellness dollars, tuition reimbursement, family-forming benefits and more. Benefits vary by country—please ask your Talent Acquisition contact for details specific to the location you are applying to. About Appian Appian provides AI automation for the most important business processes at the world’s largest organizations. Our platform is known for its unique power, reliability, and scale. We’ve been automating processes for more than 25 years and have proven expertise in enterprise operations. For more information, visit appian.com. Follow Appian: LinkedIn, YouTube, Instagram, Facebook, and X. Appian is an equal opportunity employer that strives to attract and retain the best talent. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to any characteristic protected by applicable federal, state, or local law. Appian provides reasonable accommodations to applicants in accordance with all applicable laws. If you need a reasonable accommodation for any part of the employment process, please contact us by email at ReasonableAccommodations@appian.com. 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