APM is a critical part of Datadog’s observability platform. It’s where developers go to understand how their services behave in production. But observability doesn’t start in the UI; it starts at the edge: when telemetry is generated in-process and delivered in a way that’s consistent, reliable, and extensible across every service, language, and runtime. That’s where the APM SDK Capabilities team comes in.
This team builds the core infrastructure that underpins all our tracing libraries: from configuration systems and startup-time validation to extension points and APIs that work seamlessly across both Datadog-native and OpenTelemetry-based instrumentation. Their work enables product features across the entire APM suite while keeping the developer experience smooth, consistent, and predictable, no matter which language or framework our customers use.
As the Engineering Manager for APM SDK Capabilities, you’ll lead a senior, polyglot team working at the heart of Datadog’s instrumentation strategy. You’ll partner with APM and OpenTelemetry product teams, guide technical direction across multiple language SDKs, and help shape how thousands of engineering teams onboard and scale observability with Datadog. You’ll work cross-functionally with teams to ensure that instrumentation isn’t just powerful, but also easy to adopt and built to last.
We’re looking for an experienced engineering leader who thrives at the intersection of infrastructure and developer experience. You should care about well-designed APIs, observability-first thinking, and building systems that empower other developers. This is a high-leverage role that will influence how developers across the industry understand and instrument their applications.
At Datadog, we place value in our office culture - the relationships and collaboration it builds and the creativity it brings to the table. We operate as a hybrid workplace to ensure our Datadogs can create a work-life harmony that best fits them.
What you’ll do:
- Lead a polyglot team of 5-7 engineers and partner closely with Product and Engineering teams across Datadog to deliver industry-leading capabilities that power consistent, scalable, and intuitive instrumentation across languages
- Drive adoption of key features like runtime metrics and startup diagnostics by ensuring they are safe, valuable, and enabled by default
- Shape the strategy and execution for APM configuration management - making it simple, observable, and extensible for customers of all sizes
- Contribute to Datadog’s presence in the OpenTelemetry ecosystem by influencing specifications and aligning SDK infrastructure with industry standards
Who you are:
- An experienced Engineering Manager with a track record of shipping
- Experienced in two or more languages and comfortable building cross-runtime systems.
- Have a passion for libraries and OSS software development
- Deep experience working on or with observability tooling
- You care about developer experience, clean APIs, and reliable systems.
- Highly collaborative
- An ability pivot from high level product narratives to highly technical implementation details (and articulate how one impacts the other)
- Possesses experience with one or more of: SDK or library development, observability tooling, OSS software development
- New hire stock equity (RSUs) and employee stock purchase plan (ESPP)
- Continuous professional development, product training, and career pathing
- Intradepartmental mentor and buddy program for in-house networking
- An inclusive company culture, ability to join our Community Guilds (Datadog employee resource groups)
- Access to Inclusion Talks, our Internal panel discussions
- Free, global mental health benefits for employees and dependents age 6+
- Competitive global benefits
Benefits and Growth listed above may vary based on the country of your employment and the nature of your employment with Datadog.
Datadog offers a competitive salary and equity package, and may include variable compensation. Actual compensation is based on factors such as the candidate's skills, qualifications, and experience. In addition, Datadog offers a wide range of best in class, comprehensive and inclusive employee benefits for this role including healthcare, dental, parental planning, and mental health benefits, a 401(k) plan and match, paid time off, fitness reimbursements, and a discounted employee stock purchase plan.
About Datadog:
Datadog (NASDAQ: DDOG) is a global SaaS business, delivering a rare combination of growth and profitability. We are on a mission to break down silos and solve complexity in the cloud age by enabling digital transformation, cloud migration, and infrastructure monitoring of our customers’ entire technology stacks. Built by engineers, for engineers, Datadog is used by organizations of all sizes across a wide range of industries. Together, we champion professional development, diversity of thought, innovation, and work excellence to empower continuous growth. Join the pack and become part of a collaborative, pragmatic, and thoughtful people-first community where we solve tough problems, take smart risks, and celebrate one another. Learn more about #DatadogLife on Instagram, LinkedIn, and Datadog Learning Center.
Equal Opportunity at Datadog:
Datadog is proud to offer equal employment opportunity to everyone regardless of race, color, ancestry, religion, sex, national origin, sexual orientation, age, citizenship, marital status, disability, gender identity, veteran status, and other characteristics protected by law. We also consider qualified applicants regardless of criminal histories, consistent with legal requirements. Here are our Candidate Legal Notices for your reference.
Datadog endeavors to make our Careers Page accessible to all users. If you would like to contact us regarding the accessibility of our website or need assistance completing the application process, please complete this form. This form is for accommodation requests only and cannot be used to inquire about the status of applications.
Privacy and AI Guidelines:
Any information you submit to Datadog as part of your application will be processed in accordance with Datadog’s Applicant and Candidate Privacy Notice. For information on our AI policy, please visit Interviewing at Datadog AI Guidelines.
Top Skills
Datadog New York, New York, USA Office
We are located in the New York Times building and five-minute walk away from Times Square. The 42 St Port Authority Bus Terminal is right across the street, providing a highly accessible transportation network.
Similar Jobs at Datadog
What you need to know about the NYC Tech Scene
Key Facts About NYC Tech
- Number of Tech Workers: 549,200; 6% of overall workforce (2024 CompTIA survey)
- Major Tech Employers: Capgemini, Bloomberg, IBM, Spotify
- Key Industries: Artificial intelligence, Fintech
- Funding Landscape: $25.5 billion in venture capital funding in 2024 (Pitchbook)
- Notable Investors: Greycroft, Thrive Capital, Union Square Ventures, FirstMark Capital, Tiger Global Management, Tribeca Venture Partners, Insight Partners, Two Sigma Ventures
- Research Centers and Universities: Columbia University, New York University, Fordham University, CUNY, AI Now Institute, Flatiron Institute, C.N. Yang Institute for Theoretical Physics, NASA Space Radiation Laboratory
