Engineering Manager, Host Pricing - Product UI Foundation

📍 Job Overview

Job Title: Engineering Manager, Host Pricing - Product UI Foundation Company: Airbnb Location: United States (Remote Eligible) Job Type: Full-Time Category: Engineering Management / Frontend Development Date Posted: October 13, 2025 Experience Level: 10+ Years (Overall Software Development) / 3-5+ Years (Management) Remote Status: Remote OK

🚀 Role Summary

• Lead a newly formed, specialized frontend engineering team focused on the Host Pricing product domain, encompassing pricing, availability, and guidance surfaces.
• Drive the architectural vision and technical strategy for client-side experiences across Web, iOS, and Android platforms.
• Establish and advocate for scalable patterns, including GraphQL, and champion modern design system practices to ensure consistency and efficiency.
• Foster a culture of technical excellence, collaboration, and ownership within a diverse team of client engineers.
• Partner closely with product management, design, and other engineering teams to deliver high-quality, performant, and visually cohesive user experiences for hosts.

📝 Enhancement Note: This role is critical for establishing a foundational UI framework for one of Airbnb's core product areas (Host Pricing). The emphasis on a new team, cross-platform consistency, and modern architecture (GraphQL, design systems) indicates a strategic initiative to improve developer velocity and user experience. The "Product UI Foundation" aspect suggests a focus on reusable components and architectural patterns that will scale across multiple Airbnb features and platforms.

📈 Primary Responsibilities

• Build and lead a new team of 10 client engineers (3 Android, 3 iOS, 4 Web), providing clear mission, ownership, and direction for the Host Pricing frontend architecture.
• Define and advance a sustainable frontend architecture across pricing, availability, and guidance surfaces, with a strong advocacy for GraphQL-driven patterns to unify client experiences.
• Lead the development and implementation of Airbnb’s pricing design system, creating reusable, customizable, and cross-platform frontend components.
• Partner with product designers and engineers to define design language systems and ensure consistent UI implementation across Web, iOS, and Android.
• Drive the technical direction for frontend surfaces, balancing critical factors such as performance, scalability, and user usability.
• Coach, mentor, and grow a team of client engineers, actively fostering a culture of ownership, collaboration, and technical excellence.
• Collaborate effectively with cross-functional teams to ensure pricing and availability experiences are reliable, performant, and visually cohesive.
• Work with other senior leaders to define and drive long-term technical strategy and architecture that supports the company’s future vision.
• Establish a clear technical vision and lead efforts to architect, build, and launch reliable, performant, and scalable solutions.
• Lead team technical initiatives and collaborate cross-functionally to identify opportunities for business impact, refine, and prioritize requirements for engineering systems.
• Lead conversations that align technical efforts with business outcomes and product priorities, ensuring clear communication and stakeholder buy-in.
• Nurture a culture of technical quality and engineering excellence, from initial design through code review and production deployment.
• Enable and empower individual contributors (ICs) to grow their impact, creating opportunities for them to lead technical initiatives that span across platforms and organizations.
• Actively participate in talent acquisition by identifying, retaining, growing, and hiring high-performing, diverse engineers.

📝 Enhancement Note: The responsibilities heavily emphasize team building, architectural leadership, and cross-functional influence. The focus on "newly created group" and "Foundation" implies a significant opportunity to shape processes, architecture, and team culture from the ground up. The emphasis on "raising the bar for quality, reliability and availability" points towards a strong need for operational excellence within the team's deliverables.

🎓 Skills & Qualifications

Education:

• Bachelor’s and/or Master’s degree, preferably in Computer Science, or equivalent practical experience.

Experience:

• 3-5+ years of hands-on experience managing an engineering team.
• 9+ years of overall relevant software development industry experience in a fast-paced tech environment.
• Proven experience building delightfully designed, user-centric experiences.
• Experience leading and shipping large initiatives with significant business impact.
• Experience creating a strong culture of operational excellence, focusing on raising the bar for quality, reliability, and availability.
• Strong judgment in making trade-offs to balance short-term business needs with long-term technical quality.
• Experience fostering an inclusive and engaging team environment.
• Ability to identify, retain, grow, and acquire critical talent.
• Strong commitment to fostering diversity, equity, and inclusion within teams.

Required Skills:

• Strong expertise in leading client teams across native iOS, Android, and Frontend Web domains.
• Solid understanding and advocacy for modern architectural patterns such as GraphQL.
• Experience with or strong understanding of design system principles and implementation.
• Excellent communication and collaboration skills, with proven experience working with multiple engineering teams and cross-functional partners.
• Flexible leadership style, with the ability to adapt to various ways of working depending on the situation.
• Strong communication skill and ability to influence decisions from a wide variety of stakeholders.

Preferred Skills:

• Experience with performance optimization across Web, iOS, and Android platforms.
• Familiarity with component-based UI development frameworks and best practices.
• Experience in building and scaling platform or foundation teams.
• Knowledge of A/B testing methodologies and their application in UI development.
• Familiarity with agile development methodologies and their application in a distributed/remote setting.

📝 Enhancement Note: The requirement for expertise across Web, iOS, and Android is a key differentiator. The emphasis on "product and design instinct" and "delightfully designed experiences" suggests that this role requires an engineering leader who is not just technically proficient but also has a strong user-centric perspective. The blend of management and broad technical oversight is crucial.

📊 Process & Systems Portfolio Requirements

Portfolio Essentials:

• While a traditional "operations portfolio" isn't explicitly requested for this engineering management role, candidates are expected to demonstrate a track record of building and scaling systems. This can be showcased through:
• Case studies of significant technical initiatives led, detailing the problem, architectural decisions, implementation process, and outcomes.
• Examples of how you've driven architectural improvements, such as the adoption of GraphQL or the creation of reusable component libraries.
• Evidence of establishing and maintaining high standards for code quality, reliability, and performance within engineering teams.
• Demonstrations of how you've fostered collaboration and communication across diverse engineering teams and with product/design partners.

Process Documentation:

• Candidates should be prepared to discuss their methodologies for:
• Defining and implementing technical roadmaps and strategies for client platforms.
• Establishing and refining development processes, including code review standards, testing strategies, and deployment pipelines.
• Designing and managing the lifecycle of reusable design system components and architectural patterns.
• Driving operational excellence through metrics, monitoring, and incident response protocols for client-facing features.

📝 Enhancement Note: Given this is an Engineering Manager role, the "portfolio" is less about individual contributions and more about demonstrated leadership in building teams, defining technical strategy, and establishing robust processes and architectural foundations. The focus is on the impact of their leadership on the product and engineering organization.

💵 Compensation & Benefits

Salary Range: $204,000 - $255,000 USD per year.

Benefits:

• Bonus eligibility
• Equity grants
• Comprehensive benefits package (details not specified, but typically includes health, dental, vision, life insurance, disability)
• Employee Travel Credits

Working Hours:

• Standard full-time hours are expected, likely around 40 hours per week.
• The role requires flexibility to manage a distributed team and collaborate across different time zones, potentially requiring some work outside of standard hours for critical meetings or deadlines.

📝 Enhancement Note: The salary range provided is for base pay. The role is also eligible for bonus, equity, and other benefits, which significantly increase the total compensation package. The "Remote Eligible" status with specific state restrictions needs careful attention for candidates outside of listed eligible states.

🎯 Team & Company Context

🏢 Company Culture

Industry: Hospitality Technology / Online Travel Agency (OTA) / Marketplace. Airbnb operates within the rapidly evolving tech sector, connecting hosts and guests globally. Company Size: Large enterprise (implied by the scale of operations and global reach). Founded: 2008. Airbnb has a history rooted in innovation and community building, evolving from a small startup to a global platform.

Team Structure:

• Host Pricing, Product UI Foundation: This is a newly formed team, spun out from existing groups, indicating a strategic focus on strengthening the core Host experience.
• Reporting Structure: The Engineering Manager will likely report to a Director or Senior Director of Engineering within the Host organization.
• Cross-functional Collaboration: The role requires deep collaboration with Product Managers, Designers, and Engineering Managers/Leads from Web, iOS, and Android platform teams, as well as other product-focused engineering teams.

Methodology:

• Data-Driven Decisions: Airbnb leverages data extensively to inform product development, pricing strategies, and engineering investments. Expect a strong emphasis on metrics and A/B testing.
• User-Centric Design: A core tenet is creating delightful and intuitive experiences for both hosts and guests, driven by a deep understanding of user needs.
• Agile Development: While not explicitly stated, fast-paced tech environments like Airbnb typically employ agile methodologies for iterative development and rapid iteration.
• Scalable Architecture: The focus on "Foundation" and "GraphQL" points to a strategic approach to building scalable, maintainable systems that can support future growth and feature expansion.

Company Website: https://careers.airbnb.com/

📝 Enhancement Note: Airbnb's culture is known for its emphasis on community, belonging, and design. This role, specifically in "Product UI Foundation," suggests a strong alignment with design-centricity and creating robust, user-friendly interfaces that are fundamental to the platform's success. The company's mission to "create a world where anyone can belong anywhere" influences its approach to product development.

📈 Career & Growth Analysis

Operations Career Level: This is a senior individual contributor role with significant leadership responsibilities, often referred to as a "Principal Engineer" or "Staff Engineer" with management duties, or a "Senior Engineering Manager" depending on the specific organizational structure and scope. It sits at a pivotal point, influencing technical direction and team growth. Reporting Structure: The Engineering Manager will lead a team of 10 client engineers and report to a higher-level engineering leader (e.g., Director of Engineering). They will be a key technical voice within the Host Pricing organization. Operations Impact: This role has a direct impact on the core revenue-generating aspects of Airbnb (host pricing and availability) by ensuring a seamless, reliable, and performant user experience. By building a strong foundation and efficient processes, this manager will enable faster feature delivery, improved host satisfaction, and ultimately, increased bookings and revenue.

Growth Opportunities:

• Technical Leadership: Opportunity to shape the technical strategy for a critical product area and influence architectural decisions across multiple platforms.
• Team Building & Development: Lead and mentor a diverse team, fostering their growth and developing future leaders within Airbnb.
• Cross-Functional Influence: Gain experience working with senior leadership across product, design, and engineering to drive strategic initiatives.
• Platform Ownership: Deepen expertise in building scalable client foundations and design systems that have a broad impact across the company.
• Career Progression: Potential to move into Director-level roles, lead larger organizations, or specialize further in platform engineering or specific product domains.

📝 Enhancement Note: This role offers a unique combination of people management, technical strategy, and product impact. The opportunity to build a new team and establish a foundational architecture provides a significant platform for demonstrating leadership and driving tangible results, which are key for career advancement within a company like Airbnb.

🌐 Work Environment

Office Type: This position is designated as "US - Remote Eligible." While remote, there may be an expectation for occasional work at an Airbnb office or attendance at offsites, as agreed upon with the manager. Candidates must reside in a state where Airbnb, Inc. has a registered entity. Office Location(s): Not applicable for a remote role, but Airbnb maintains offices in various global locations. The eligibility to work remotely is tied to specific US states with registered Airbnb entities. Workspace Context:

• Remote Collaboration: The environment will heavily rely on digital collaboration tools (e.g., Slack, Zoom, Confluence, Jira) to maintain communication and productivity across distributed team members.
• Operations Tools & Technology: Access to Airbnb's internal suite of development tools, CI/CD pipelines, monitoring, and analytics platforms will be provided.
• Team Interaction: While remote, there will be structured opportunities for team syncs, one-on-ones, design reviews, and potentially virtual team-building activities.

Work Schedule:

• While typically aligned with standard US business hours, the remote nature and global user base may require flexibility. The manager will need to adapt to team members' time zones and ensure effective collaboration across North America.

📝 Enhancement Note: The "Remote Eligible" status is a significant draw, but the requirement to live in a state with a registered Airbnb entity is a crucial detail. This suggests that while the company supports remote work, there are legal and operational reasons for this restriction. Candidates should verify the current list of eligible states.

📄 Application & Portfolio Review Process

Interview Process:

• Initial Screening: A recruiter will likely conduct an initial call to assess basic qualifications, interest, and cultural fit.
• Hiring Manager Interview: A conversation with the hiring manager focusing on leadership experience, team building, technical vision, and strategic thinking.
• Technical Deep Dive / Panel: This may involve discussions with senior engineers and architects. Expect questions on client architecture, system design, cross-platform development challenges, and your approach to GraphQL and design systems.
• Team Interviews: Meetings with potential team members (Android, iOS, Web engineers) to assess collaboration style, coaching abilities, and ability to foster a positive team environment.
• Cross-Functional Interviews: Conversations with Product Managers and Designers to evaluate collaboration, communication, and ability to translate product/design requirements into technical solutions.
• Executive/Senior Leader Interview: A final discussion with a Director or VP level leader to assess strategic alignment and overall fit within Airbnb's leadership principles.

Portfolio Review Tips:

• Focus on Leadership Impact: Instead of showing individual code contributions, highlight projects where your leadership directly led to significant improvements in team performance, product quality, or architectural robustness.
• Structure Case Studies: For key initiatives, prepare to discuss:
  • The business problem or technical challenge.
  • Your role and leadership actions.
  • The architectural decisions made (e.g., why GraphQL, how design systems were implemented).
  • The development process and team dynamics.
  • The measurable outcomes (e.g., improved performance, reduced bugs, faster release cycles, increased developer velocity).
• Demonstrate Cross-Platform Thinking: Be ready to articulate how you ensure consistency and share best practices across Web, iOS, and Android.
• Showcase People Management Skills: Be prepared with examples of how you’ve coached, mentored, and grown engineers, managed performance, and fostered an inclusive team culture.

Challenge Preparation:

• Technical Strategy Discussion: Be ready to discuss your approach to defining a technical roadmap for a new team, prioritizing work, and making architectural trade-offs.
• Team Building Scenarios: You might be presented with hypothetical team challenges (e.g., low morale, technical debt, inter-team conflict) and asked how you would address them.
• Product/Design Collaboration: Prepare to walk through how you would collaborate with product and design on a new feature, from initial concept to launch.

📝 Enhancement Note: The interview process is designed to assess leadership, technical depth across multiple client platforms, strategic thinking, and cultural alignment. Candidates should prepare specific examples that demonstrate their ability to build and lead high-performing teams while driving significant technical initiatives.

🛠 Tools & Technology Stack

Primary Tools:

• Programming Languages: Swift (iOS), Kotlin/Java (Android), JavaScript/TypeScript (Web).
• API Technologies: GraphQL is a key focus for this role, indicating a strategic shift towards a more unified client-server communication paradigm. REST APIs will likely also be in use.
• Frontend Frameworks: React (Web), Native iOS SDKs, Native Android SDKs.
• Design Systems: Airbnb's internal design system and component libraries.
• Version Control: Git.
• CI/CD: Tools like Jenkins, CircleCI, or internal equivalents for automated builds, testing, and deployments.

Analytics & Reporting:

• Analytics Platforms: Google Analytics, Amplitude, internal analytics tools for tracking user behavior, feature adoption, and performance metrics.
• Monitoring Tools: Tools for real-time performance monitoring, error tracking (e.g., Sentry, Datadog), and logging.
• Dashboard Tools: Tableau, Looker, or internal BI tools for visualizing key metrics and KPIs.

CRM & Automation:

• While not directly managing CRM systems, the role will involve understanding how client-side experiences integrate with backend systems that might support CRM functions or data collection for host management.
• Internal Tools: Airbnb will have its own suite of internal tools for project management, documentation, and communication.

📝 Enhancement Note: The explicit mention of GraphQL and "design systems" points to specific technical areas of focus. Candidates should be prepared to discuss their experience and strategic thinking around these technologies. Familiarity with building reusable components and understanding the nuances of cross-platform development is essential.

👥 Team Culture & Values

Operations Values:

• Community & Belonging: A core Airbnb value, fostering an environment where everyone feels welcome and empowered to contribute.
• Design Focus: Prioritizing user experience and elegant solutions, with a strong emphasis on aesthetics and usability.
• Data-Driven: Using insights from data to inform decisions and measure impact.
• Ownership & Accountability: Encouraging individuals and teams to take full responsibility for their work and its outcomes.
• Innovation & Iteration: Embracing new ideas and continuously improving products and processes.
• Operational Excellence: Maintaining high standards for quality, reliability, and performance, especially critical for a foundational team.

Collaboration Style:

• Cross-Functional Partnership: A highly collaborative approach, working closely with Product, Design, and other engineering teams to achieve shared goals.
• Open Communication: Encouraging transparency and direct feedback to foster learning and continuous improvement.
• Empowerment and Trust: Creating an environment where engineers are empowered to make decisions and trust is built through consistent delivery and collaboration.
• Knowledge Sharing: Promoting the sharing of best practices and learnings across teams, especially relevant for a foundational team impacting multiple platforms.

📝 Enhancement Note: The emphasis on "Community," "Belonging," and "Design" are key cultural pillars at Airbnb. Candidates should articulate how they embody these values in their leadership and team management approach. The "Foundation" aspect implies a culture of enabling others and building robust, scalable solutions that benefit the broader engineering organization.

⚡ Challenges & Growth Opportunities

Challenges:

• Building a New Team: Establishing a cohesive team culture, clear mission, and efficient processes from scratch requires strong leadership and strategic planning.
• Cross-Platform Consistency: Ensuring a unified and high-quality experience across Web, iOS, and Android presents complex technical and organizational challenges.
• Architectural Evolution: Driving the adoption of new architectural patterns like GraphQL and modern design systems across established codebases requires influence and careful execution.
• Balancing Velocity and Quality: As a foundational team, there will be pressure to deliver core components quickly while maintaining a high bar for quality, scalability, and maintainability.
• Remote Team Management: Effectively leading and engaging a distributed team requires deliberate communication strategies and fostering a sense of connection.

Learning & Development Opportunities:

• Advanced Architecture: Deepen expertise in client-side architecture, GraphQL implementation, and scalable design systems.
• Leadership Development: Hone management skills, including coaching, performance management, and strategic planning, within a leading tech company.
• Cross-Functional Impact: Gain broad exposure to product strategy, design thinking, and business operations at a global scale.
• Industry Trends: Stay at the forefront of mobile and web development trends, contributing to Airbnb's innovation.
• Mentorship: Opportunities to mentor junior engineers and be mentored by senior leaders within Airbnb's engineering organization.

📝 Enhancement Note: This role presents significant opportunities for growth by tackling complex challenges. The ability to navigate ambiguity, drive consensus, and deliver results in a dynamic environment will be key to success and career advancement.

💡 Interview Preparation

Strategy Questions:

• Team Building & Leadership: "Describe a time you built a high-performing engineering team from scratch or significantly improved an existing one. What were your key strategies?" "How do you foster a culture of technical excellence and operational rigor within your team?" "How do you balance the needs of individual engineers with the strategic goals of the product and company?"
• Technical Vision & Architecture: "How would you approach establishing a GraphQL-driven architecture for a new product foundation across Web, iOS, and Android?" "What are the key considerations when building a cross-platform design system? How would you ensure its adoption and effective usage?" "Describe your process for making architectural trade-offs between short-term delivery and long-term technical health."
• Cross-Functional Collaboration: "How do you partner effectively with Product Managers and Designers to translate requirements into technical solutions? Provide an example." "Describe a situation where you had to influence stakeholders across multiple teams to adopt a new technical direction."

Company & Culture Questions:

• "What interests you about Airbnb and this specific role on the Host Pricing, Product UI Foundation team?"
• "How do you align with Airbnb's values of Community, Belonging, and Design?"
• "How would you foster an inclusive and engaging environment for a remote engineering team?"

Portfolio Presentation Strategy:

• Focus on Impact: For each example, clearly articulate the business problem, your leadership actions, the technical solution, and the quantifiable results (e.g., performance improvements, adoption rates, developer efficiency gains).
• Structure Your Narrative: Use a STAR method (Situation, Task, Action, Result) for behavioral questions and a clear problem-solution-outcome structure for technical initiatives.
• Highlight Cross-Platform & Foundation Aspects: Emphasize your experience in building scalable, reusable solutions that impact multiple platforms or serve as a foundation for other teams.
• Be Prepared for Whiteboarding: Expect to draw diagrams to illustrate architectural concepts, system designs, or team structures.

📝 Enhancement Note: Preparation should focus on demonstrating leadership, strategic thinking, deep technical understanding of client platforms, and a strong cultural fit with Airbnb's values. Quantifiable achievements and specific examples will be crucial for success.

📌 Application Steps

To apply for this Engineering Manager position:

• Submit your application through the Airbnb Careers portal link provided.
• Resume Optimization: Tailor your resume to highlight experience in engineering management, cross-platform client development (Web, iOS, Android), architectural leadership, GraphQL, and design systems. Use keywords from the job description.
• Portfolio Preparation: Prepare 2-3 detailed case studies showcasing your leadership in building teams, driving architectural initiatives, and delivering impactful client-facing features. Focus on quantifiable results and your role in enabling others.
• Interview Practice: Rehearse answers to common interview questions, focusing on leadership scenarios, technical strategy, and collaboration. Practice articulating your vision for the Host Pricing UI Foundation team.
• Company Research: Familiarize yourself with Airbnb's mission, values, product offerings, and recent news. Understand their approach to technology and user experience.

⚠️ Important Notice: This enhanced job description includes AI-generated insights and operations industry-standard assumptions. All details should be verified directly with the hiring organization before making application decisions.

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