Engineering Manager - Python in Berlin, Deutschland

Kaiko Systems is a Berlin-based maritime technology company making global shipping safer and smarter. Our AI-powered platform helps shipping companies digitalize vessel inspections, compliance, and fleet health, and is trusted by 40+ customers worldwide. In 2026 we joined forces with UniSea, a leading Norwegian maritime software provider, combining startup pace with the strength of an international group. We are now looking for a Tech Lead to run our Berlin engineering team day-to-day: a hands-on engineer who prototypes the hard problems, allocates the right people to the right work, mentors the team, and turns architectural direction from our CTO and VP Engineering into a plan the team can execute on. You will report directly to the CTO. You hand the load-bearing core to the team, stay in the loop while they scale it, and defend the architectural choices that came out of the prototype. Allocate engineers to projects based on real knowledge of their strengths, weaknesses, and where they need to grow. Extract architectural guidance from the CTO and VP Engineering and turn it into a plan the team can execute on. Stay hands-on: write production code, review the hard MRs, defend simplicity over premature abstraction, push back on shipping blockers. Continuously improve how we work — engineering process, tools, standards — as we grow within the UniSea Group. Genuinely hands-on. Strong on at least one of: Python, Django, HTMX, ReScript, infra (Docker / Postgres / cloud). Fluent English. German is not required. Nice to have Maritime, logistics, or other physical-world-meets-software domains. Computer-vision or LLM-agent product experience. Benefits Real ownership of a ~10-engineer team shipping to global shipping operators. The stability of an international group (UniSea) combined with the speed and ownership of a startup. Direct exposure to the CTO and CEO; A diverse, international team of maritime experts, engineers, and commercial talent. Competitive salary, meaningful equity, modern equipment. Regular team events, offsites, and a culture that takes itself seriously without being stiff. Send us your CV plus a short paragraph telling us: (a) the hardest team-management call you have made, (b) a project where you prototyped something and handed it off, and (c) an engineer who grew under you and what they are doing now. Our process is fast and respectful of your time: an intro call with the VP Engineering or CTO, a deep technical conversation with the CTO, two team conversations with senior engineers, and a final chat with the CEO.