Engineering Manager, Acquisition & Activation at Fora Travel

New York CityFull-timeEngineeringPosted about 2 months ago

About the Role

<div class="content-intro"><h2>About Fora</h2> Fora is the modern travel agency, empowering the next generation of entrepreneurs to build thriving travel advisory businesses. We're modernizing the $100B+ travel industry with AI woven through every part of the advisor's workflow, plus global supplier relationships, personalized training, and a vibrant community, all in one place. That's what lets advisors build businesses that scale, while their taste and service create trips no algorithm alone could plan. At the heart of it all is our mission: to help the next generation of travel entrepreneurs turn their love for travel into a fulfilling career, whether full-time or part-time. We're mission-driven and obsessed with our customers, and we believe humans and AI are both essential: the best work here comes from people and technology at their best, together. That's not just a philosophy about our product, it's how we build our team. Everyone at Fora gets hands-on with frontier AI tooling as part of the job. At Fora, you'll learn to be AI-fluent, with real experience applying AI to solve problems day to day, wherever you sit in the company.  Founded in 2021, Fora has grown to a team of 250+ full-time employees based in downtown New York City. In 2026, we closed a $60 million Series D led by Forerunner and Tactile Ventures, with continued backing from Thrive Capital, Insight Partners, and Heartcore Capital. We've been named a LinkedIn Top Startup (2024), one of Fast Company's Most Innovative Companies (2023 and 2025), and one of TIME's 100 Most Influential Companies (2026). Come build something that hasn't existed before.</div><h2 class="p1" style="line-height: 1;">About The Role</h2> Fora Travel is seeking two Engineering Managers to lead and empower cross-functional pods within Fora's engineering organization, one for our acquisition pod and one for our activation pod. Our engineering team's mission is to empower a new generation of travel entrepreneurs by building the products, systems, and workflows that attract, convert, and retain the advisors and travelers who rely on Fora every day. The acquisition pod owns Fora's public-facing web platform and growth surfaces, including foratravel.com, our CMS, SEO and site performance, and advisor visibility, along with the tools that bring new advisors and travelers to Fora. The activation pod owns the advisor lifecycle once someone applies, including onboarding, subscriptions, contracts and commission settings, permissions, and the systems that turn a new sign-up into an active, engaged advisor. Both pods partner closely with Product, Design, and Growth to translate ambitious product goals into scalable, well-executed solutions, and work with stakeholders across the company to get there. The ideal candidate for either role is passionate about developing people, energized by systems and performance at scale, and excited to shape the digital face of a company in hypergrowth. <h2 class="font-claude-response-body break-words whitespace-normal">Key Responsibilities</h2> Shared across both pods: <ul class="[li_&]:mb-0 [li_&]:mt-1 [li_&]:gap-1 [&:not(:last-child)_ul]:pb-1 [&:not(:last-child)_ol]:pb-1 list-disc flex flex-col gap-1 pl-8 mb-3 print:block print:space-y-1"> <li class="font-claude-response-body whitespace-normal break-words pl-2">Manage day-to-day execution of the cross-functional pod, ensuring strong delivery, clear priorities, and sustainable development practices.</li> <li class="font-claude-response-body whitespace-normal break-words pl-2">Provide technical leadership by engaging deeply with architecture, implementation details, and core engineering fundamentals to guide high-quality technical decisions.</li> <li class="font-claude-response-body whitespace-normal break-words pl-2">Coach and develop engineers through regular feedback, mentorship, and career development support.</li> <li class="font-claude-response-body whitespace-normal break-words pl-2">Foster a collaborative and inclusive team environment that reflects the organization's commitment to building diverse and high-performing engineering teams.</li> </ul> For the acquisition pod, also: <ul class="[li_&]:mb-0 [li_&]:mt-1 [li_&]:gap-1 [&:not(:last-child)_ul]:pb-1 [&:not(:last-child)_ol]:pb-1 list-disc flex flex-col gap-1 pl-8 mb-3 print:block print:space-y-1"> <li class="font-claude-response-body whitespace-normal break-words pl-2">Own full-funnel acquisition metrics, including traffic, conversion, and advisor visibility, across foratravel.com and related web surfaces.</li> <li class="font-claude-response-body whitespace-normal break-words pl-2">Oversee the performance, SEO, and CMS capabilities that scale with Fora's growing public web footprint.</li> </ul> For the activation pod, also: <ul class="[li_&]:mb-0 [li_&]:mt-1 [li_&]:gap-1 [&:not(:last-child)_ul]:pb-1 [&:not(:last-child)_ol]:pb-1 list-disc flex flex-col gap-1 pl-8 mb-3 print:block print:space-y-1"> <li class="font-claude-response-body whitespace-normal break-words pl-2">Own sign-up, onboarding, and activation metrics, from application through to first booking.</li> <li class="font-claude-response-body whitespace-normal break-words pl-2">Oversee subscription, contract, commission, and permissions systems that support the advisor lifecycle.</li> </ul> <h2 class="font-claude-response-body break-words whitespace-normal">Requirements</h2> Shared across both pods: <ul class="[li_&]:mb-0 [li_&]:mt-1 [li_&]:gap-1 [&:not(:last-child)_ul]:pb-1 [&:not(:last-child)_ol]:pb-1 list-disc flex flex-col gap-1 pl-8 mb-3 print:block print:space-y-1"> <li class="font-claude-response-body whitespace-normal break-words pl-2">4+ years of experience in engineering management roles with a proven track record of driving successful product deliveries and team growth.</li> <li class="font-claude-response-body whitespace-normal break-words pl-2">8+ years of experience in software development.</li> <li class="font-claude-response-body whitespace-normal break-words pl-2">Demonstrated ability to mentor engineers, effectively manage performance, and build highly motivated, engaged teams.</li> <li class="font-claude-response-body whitespace-normal break-words pl-2">Strong technical acumen, with experience making informed architectural decisions, addressing technical debt, and setting robust engineering standards.</li> <li class="font-claude-response-body whitespace-normal break-words pl-2">Exceptional project management and organizational skills, including the ability to break down complex projects, anticipate risks, and deliver consistently high-quality outcomes.</li> <li class="font-claude-response-body whitespace-normal break-words pl-2">Excellent communication skills, able to translate technical concepts clearly to diverse stakeholders and facilitate productive, drama-free project launches.</li> <li class="font-claude-response-body whitespace-normal break-words pl-2">Proven recruiting experience, capable of evaluating engineering candidates effectively and representing the company positively.</li> <li class="font-claude-response-body whitespace-normal break-words pl-2">A collaborative, empathetic leadership style that emphasizes humility, openness to feedback, accountability, and continuous learning.</li> <li class="font-claude-response-body whitespace-normal break-words pl-2">Entrepreneurial mindset and comfort working in an early- to mid-stage startup environment where ambiguity and pace are part of the fun.</li> <li class="font-claude-response-body whitespace-normal break-words pl-2">First-principles thinker who carefully evaluates each problem, thoughtfully choosing between established best practices and bespoke solutions, especially when designing team processes and norms.</li> </ul> For the acquisition pod: <ul class="[li_&]:mb-0 [li_&]:mt-1 [li_&]:gap-1 [&:not(:last-child)_ul]:pb-1 [&:not(:last-child)_ol]:pb-1 list-disc flex flex-col gap-1 pl-8 mb-3 print:block print:space-y-1"> <li class="font-claude-response-body whitespace-normal break-words pl-2">Experience leading engineering pods on high-traffic, consumer-facing web platforms, such as CMS, SEO, site performance, personalization, or growth experimentation.</li> </ul> For the activation pod: <ul class="[li_&]:mb-0 [li_&]:mt-1 [li_&]:gap-1 [&:not(:last-child)_ul]:pb-1 [&:not(:last-child)_ol]:pb-1 list-disc flex flex-col gap-1 pl-8 mb-3 print:block print:space-y-1"> <li class="font-claude-response-body whitespace-normal break-words pl-2">Experience leading engineering pods on lifecycle, onboarding, or subscription and billing systems, such as entitlements, account management, contracts, or commission logic.</li> </ul> <h2 class="font-claude-response-body break-words whitespace-normal">Compensation</h2> Compensation range for this role can vary widely depending on experience, and for this role an indicative range is $210k-$235k + equity. Other benefits include: <ul class="[li_&]:mb-0 [li_&]:mt-1 [li_&]:gap-1 [&:not(:last-child)_ul]:pb-1 [&:not(:last-child)_ol]:pb-1 list-disc flex flex-col gap-1 pl-8 mb-3 print:block print:space-y-1"> <li class="font-claude-response-body whitespace-normal break-words pl-2">Unlimited vacation</li> <li class="font-claude-response-body whitespace-normal break-words pl-2">Health Insurance (including an option completely covered by Fora HQ)</li> <li class="font-claude-response-body whitespace-normal break-words pl-2">Dental & Vision Insurance</li> <li class="font-claude-response-body whitespace-normal break-words pl-2">Wellhub Memberships</li> <li class="font-claude-response-body whitespace-normal break-words pl-2">401k plan with company match</li> <li class="font-claude-response-body whitespace-normal break-words pl-2">Commuter Benefits</li> <li class="font-claude-response-body whitespace-normal break-words pl-2">Supplemental Life Insurance</li> <li class="font-claude-response-body whitespace-normal break-words pl-2">Stock Options</li> </ul> This role is based in our beautiful New York City office (Tribeca/Fidi) with lots of natural light and great views.<div class="content-conclusion"><h2>Our Values</h2> We’re forging our own path Fora has always been about driving change within the industry. We’re not interested in maintaining the status quo.  We’re stronger together Community is our cornerstone and collective power is our strength. We believe we can all go further when we operate together, using our combined leverage to unlock better opportunities and outcomes for our advisors, partners, and travelers. We believe in technology We believe technology is an answer to some of the most fundamental challenges the travel industry faces. We believe advancements in AI, bold investments in our platforms, and a world-class data infrastructure will transform the work of our advisors and our partners, while creating better travel experiences for travelers. We’re here to serve We operate in service of our community and believe that when they’re empowered to focus on what they do best, we all win. It’s why we relentlessly advocate for our advisors and prioritize their best interest every step of the way. We mean business Fora is equal parts fun, meaningful work and serious travel business. We’re unlocking opportunities for thousands of travel entrepreneurs, delivering a stream of high-quality guests at scale for our partners, and providing a superior travel experience for our travelers. It’s a better equation for the future of our industry.   <hr>   WORK AUTHORIZATION Authorization to work in the United States is required for full-time roles based in our New York City office. Fora is unable to sponsor or assist with U.S. work authorization. Roles based outside of the United States are not subject to this requirement. EQUAL OPPORTUNITY Fora is committed to an equitable hiring process and an inclusive work environment. BIPOC and traditionally underrepresented candidates are strongly encouraged to apply. We will not discriminate and will take action to ensure against discrimination in employment, recruitment, advertisements for employment, compensation, termination, upgrading, promotions, and other conditions of employment against any employee or job applicant on the bases of race, color, gender, national origin, age, religion, creed, disability, veteran's status, sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression or any other characteristic protected by law.</div>

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