Application Guide

How to Apply for Senior Engineering Manager (f/m/x) - remote

at refurbed

🏢 About refurbed

refurbed is on a mission to make sustainable tech accessible by selling high-quality refurbished devices. As a certified B Corp, they combine environmental impact with a fast-growing marketplace, offering a unique opportunity to drive engineering excellence while contributing to a circular economy.

About This Role

As Senior Engineering Manager, you'll lead Platform and Data Engineering teams, shaping the infrastructure that powers refurbed's marketplace. Your work directly impacts developer productivity, system reliability, and data-driven decision-making, enabling the company to scale sustainably while reducing e-waste.

💡 A Day in the Life

A typical day might start with a stand-up with your Platform team, followed by 1:1s with direct reports to discuss career growth. You'll then review a design doc for a new CI/CD pipeline, join a cross-team sync with Data Engineering, and end the day by analyzing reliability metrics to prioritize next sprint's work.

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🎯 Who refurbed Is Looking For

  • A seasoned engineering manager with 8+ years in platform, infrastructure, or data teams, who has successfully scaled systems and teams in a cloud-native environment.
  • Deeply experienced with GCP (GKE, Cloud Run, BigQuery) and Kubernetes, including CI/CD, observability, and secrets management.
  • A servant leader who prioritizes mentorship, 1:1s, and creating a healthy team culture, while also facilitating technical decisions.
  • Passionate about sustainability and the circular economy, and motivated by refurbed's mission to make refurbished tech mainstream.

📝 Tips for Applying to refurbed

1

Highlight specific examples of leading platform or data engineering teams, including metrics you improved (e.g., uptime, deployment frequency, developer satisfaction).

2

Emphasize your experience with GCP and Kubernetes; mention specific projects like migrating to GKE or building observability stacks.

3

Show your alignment with refurbed's mission by mentioning any personal or professional sustainability initiatives.

4

Tailor your resume to include remote leadership experience, as the role is fully remote across Europe.

5

Include a brief note on how you've fostered inclusion and growth in distributed teams, as the job ad stresses healthy processes.

✉️ What to Emphasize in Your Cover Letter

['Your motivation for joining a mission-driven company in the circular economy space.', 'Concrete examples of managing platform/data engineers and improving reliability or developer experience.', 'Your technical depth with cloud infrastructure, especially GCP and Kubernetes.', "How you've conducted 1:1s and mentored engineers to achieve both personal and team goals."]

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🔍 Research Before Applying

To stand out, make sure you've researched:

  • → Read refurbed's sustainability reports and B Corp certification details to understand their impact metrics.
  • → Explore their tech blog or engineering talks (if available) to learn about their current stack and challenges.
  • → Check out their product range and customer reviews to understand the platform's scale and user expectations.
  • → Review their careers page and Glassdoor to get a sense of company culture and values.

💬 Prepare for These Interview Topics

Based on this role, you may be asked about:

1 How would you approach defining and tracking success metrics for a Platform Engineering team?
2 Describe a time you had to make a difficult technical decision (e.g., choosing between Kubernetes distributions) and how you facilitated the discussion.
3 How do you balance reliability improvements with feature velocity?
4 Tell us about a time you mentored an engineer who was struggling; what was your approach?
5 What's your experience with BigQuery and data pipelines? How have you ensured data quality and scalability?
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⚠️ Common Mistakes to Avoid

  • Don't focus solely on management without demonstrating technical depth; they need a leader who can engage in architecture reviews.
  • Avoid generic statements about 'passion for sustainability' without connecting it to your experience or actions.
  • Don't overlook the remote aspect—failing to mention how you've managed distributed teams or communicated asynchronously can be a red flag.

📅 Application Timeline

This position is open until filled. However, we recommend applying as soon as possible as roles at mission-driven organizations tend to fill quickly.

Typical hiring timeline:

1

Application Review

1-2 weeks

2

Initial Screening

Phone call or written assessment

3

Interviews

1-2 rounds, usually virtual

✓

Offer

Congratulations!

Ready to Apply?

Good luck with your application to refurbed!

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