Software & ML Engineering Manager - New Products

About the role:

As Software & ML Engineering Manager – New Products, you’ll lead a small, high-calibre team (starting ~10 SWE/ML engineers, with clear scope to grow) building a new approach to how Samsara turns telematics data into action. The mission: detect anomalies across vast fleets — theft, misuse, suspicious stops, GPS jamming, emerging risk patterns — and surface the right incidents to the right operators, fast, with clear workflows to move from signal to resolution.

This is a 0-to-1 leadership role with real visibility and real-world impact. You’ll partner closely with Product, Firmware, and Design to ship end-to-end capabilities across hardware, firmware, and cloud software — building intelligent detection (ML + heuristics), real-time alerting, and an operator-friendly incident experience at scale.

In this role, you will:

• Recruit, hire, mentor, and grow an inclusive, high-performing team of software and ML engineers.
• Turn ambiguous “new product” bets into a clear roadmap, technical strategy, and shipped customer value.
• Build systems that analyse large-scale telematics data and detect anomalies across fleets — not just per-vehicle troubleshooting.
• Lead delivery of end-to-end security and incident workflows, from detection to investigation to resolution.
• Guide the team in applying ML and modern AI techniques (including LLMs where they add leverage) to create differentiated capabilities.
• Partner deeply with Product, Design, Firmware, and Data Science to deliver cohesive experiences across the stack.
• Champion engineering excellence: architecture quality, reliability, and thoughtful scoping — while keeping velocity high.
• Keep the team close to customers: rapid prototyping, direct feedback loops, and outcome-driven iteration.
• Champion, role model, and embed Samsara’s cultural principles (Focus on Customer Success, Build for the Long Term, Adopt a Growth Mindset, Be Inclusive, Win as a Team) as we scale globally and across new offices.

Minimum requirements for the role:

• 6+ years of professional software development experience.
• 3+ years of formal people management experience in a product-driven engineering environment.
• Degree in Computer Science/Engineering (or equivalent practical experience).
• Strong technical judgement and curiosity — you’re willing to dive into complex systems and messy real-world data.
• Clear, confident communicator who builds trust across engineering, product, and cross-functional partners.
• Passion for developing engineers and building a team culture that raises the bar.

An ideal candidate also has:

• Experience thriving in ambiguity — “startup DNA” in a high-growth environment.
• Hands-on ML experience (building with, deploying, or fine-tuning models) and the ability to guide ML work pragmatically.
• Strong understanding of the data lifecycle and how to maintain integrity across distributed systems without creating silos.
• Track record of shipping and scaling products used by large customer bases.