Engineering Manager, Acquisition & Activation

About this role

About Fora

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.

The same idea shapes how we work. 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.

Founded in 2021, Fora has grown to a team of 200+ 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.

About The Role

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.

Key Responsibilities

Shared across both pods:

• Manage day-to-day execution of the cross-functional pod, ensuring strong delivery, clear priorities, and sustainable development practices.

• Provide technical leadership by engaging deeply with architecture, implementation details, and core engineering fundamentals to guide high-quality technical decisions.

• Coach and develop engineers through regular feedback, mentorship, and career development support.

• Foster a collaborative and inclusive team environment that reflects the organization's commitment to building diverse and high-performing engineering teams.

For the acquisition pod, also:

• Own full-funnel acquisition metrics, including traffic, conversion, and advisor visibility, across foratravel.com and related web surfaces.

• Oversee the performance, SEO, and CMS capabilities that scale with Fora's growing public web footprint.

For the activation pod, also:

• Own sign-up, onboarding, and activation metrics, from application through to first booking.

• Oversee subscription, contract, commission, and permissions systems that support the advisor lifecycle.

Requirements

Shared across both pods:

• 4+ years of experience in engineering management roles with a proven track record of driving successful product deliveries and team growth.

• 8+ years of experience in software development.

• Demonstrated ability to mentor engineers, effectively manage performance, and build highly motivated, engaged teams.

• Strong technical acumen, with experience making informed architectural decisions, addressing technical debt, and setting robust engineering standards.

• Exceptional project management and organizational skills, including the ability to break down complex projects, anticipate risks, and deliver consistently high-quality outcomes.

• Excellent communication skills, able to translate technical concepts clearly to diverse stakeholders and facilitate productive, drama-free project launches.

• Proven recruiting experience, capable of evaluating engineering candidates effectively and representing the company positively.

• A collaborative, empathetic leadership style that emphasizes humility, openness to feedback, accountability, and continuous learning.

• Entrepreneurial mindset and comfort working in an early- to mid-stage startup environment where ambiguity and pace are part of the fun.

• First-principles thinker who carefully evaluates each problem, thoughtfully choosing between established best practices and bespoke solutions, especially when designing team processes and norms.

For the acquisition pod:

• Experience leading engineering pods on high-traffic, consumer-facing web platforms, such as CMS, SEO, site performance, personalization, or growth experimentation.

For the activation pod:

• Experience leading engineering pods on lifecycle, onboarding, or subscription and billing systems, such as entitlements, account management, contracts, or commission logic.

Compensation

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:

• Unlimited vacation

• Health Insurance (including an option completely covered by Fora HQ)

• Dental & Vision Insurance

• Wellhub Memberships

• 401k plan with company match

• Commuter Benefits

•…