For companies hiring an engineering manager
Interim Engineering Manager while you hire
I cover the engineering manager seat you've posted so the team still has a manager while you search.
What I do
The problem
The engineering manager seat is empty. People still need 1:1s, a release bar, and someone who can make the hard call. The founder is still managing engineers.
- Cover the engineering manager seat while you hire.
- Sit with the team on execution, people, and the release bar.
- Bring architecture judgment when the work needs it.
- Build the team up so dependency never grows on me.
- Hand the seat to your hire cleanly.
Who this is for
- Mid-market companies whose engineering manager left, or was never hired, and delivery is slipping.
- The owner, founder, VP or head with the budget.
Who this isn’t for
- Companies that only want another full-time employee and have no appetite for coverage.
How AI fits
AI does drafting and synthesis. I own judgment, people, and the outcome. A person signs off on anything that goes out.
Where I’ve sat
I've held IC seats in product and engineering, up through the executive seat. I work across engineering, product and program at once. What people I've worked with say is on LinkedIn.
Notes
These seats overlap. If you need the org-level product-engineering seat, see interim Head / VP of Product Engineering.
At a glance
- Seat
- Engineering Manager
- Who it is for
- Mid-market companies with an empty engineering-manager seat and a team that still has to ship. Buyer is an owner, founder, VP or head with the budget.
- Engagement
- Conversation, then a time-boxed covering trial with one success check, then coverage while you search and a clean handoff. Coverage runs month-to-month while you search.
- Availability
- Open now for new engagements, as of October 2026.
- Location
- Irvine, CA, working with US startups remotely. Core hours 1–9pm PT (Pacific).
- Cost
- We work it out in the first conversation, scoped to the seat.
- Contact
- rick@datasaa.com
Questions
Do we stop the engineering manager search?
No. You keep searching. I cover the seat in the meantime.
Is this hands-on?
Yes. I sit with the work and with the people. The seat is still judgment, people, and the outcome.
What does it cost?
We work it out in the first conversation, scoped to the seat.
Related
Start with an email.
Posted an engineering manager seat you can't afford to leave empty? Let's talk about covering it while you hire.
Subject: “Engineering Manager seat - via datasaa.com/cover-the-seat/engineering-manager” (the link above fills it in).
Include
- the engineering manager seat, and the job post link if it is posted
- the team shape and what is slipping
- any hard date
- who owns the budget for it
I reply by email within one business day. Core hours 1–9pm PT (Pacific). There is no form and no booking link.