Engineering Manager, MCP; Model Context Protocol

Position: Engineering Manager, MCP (Model Context Protocol) About Zapier We're humans who simply think computers should do more work. At Zapier , we’re not just making software—we’re building a platform to help millions of businesses globally scale with automation and AI . Our mission is to make automation work for everyone by delivering products that delight our customers . You’ll collaborate with brilliant people, use the latest tools, and leverage the flexibility of remote work. Your work will directly fuel our customers’ success , and as they grow, so will you. Hi there! Zapier is seeking an Engineering Manager to lead our MCP (Model Context Protocol) initiative. MCP is Anthropic's open-source standard that enables AI assistants to securely connect to data sources and tools, and Zapier is positioned to become the leading MCP provider in the ecosystem. This is a unique opportunity to shape the future of AI-human collaboration by building the infrastructure that connects AI assistants to 8000+ applications. You'll be a leader on both the technical execution and strategic direction of MCP at Zapier, working directly with customers, internal teams, and ecosystem partners. As a Player-Coach, you'll spend 50-75% of your time managing an engineering team, and the rest being a hands-on leader: coding, customer connection, architectural decisions, understanding trends, and defining the technical strategy that positions Zapier as the most trusted MCP provider. You'll lead a small, focused team while staying deeply involved in the day-to-day execution. Why This Role Matters MCP represents a fundamental shift in how AI assistants interact with external systems, and we aim to make Zapier the most trusted MCP solution in the industry. This role will directly shape that future, building the technical foundation and market relationships that establish Zapier's leadership position. You'll be working at the intersection of AI advancement and practical business automation, creating tools that make AI assistants genuinely useful for everyday work. The decisions you make and code you write will influence how millions of users interact with AI in their daily workflows. If you're eager to lead high-impact projects at a fast-growing, profitable, and remote-first company, read on!

• Our Commitment to Applicants
• Culture and Values at Zapier
• Zapier Guide to Remote Work
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• Diversity and Inclusivity at Zapier

About You

• You’re familiar with MCP and the AI tooling landscape. You have experience with AI assistant development, integration design, or developer tooling. Bonus points if you've built with MCP, worked with AI model providers, or contributed to open-source protocol standards.
• You're a hands-on technical leader. You enjoy spending a portion of your time writing production code and solving complex technical problems alongside your team. You've led project planning & execution, shaped architectural decisions, and have experience shipping AI-powered products end-to-end.
• You thrive in emerging technology spaces. You're comfortable with ambiguity and rapid change. You can navigate unclear requirements, evolving standards, and shifting market dynamics while building production-ready solutions. You’ve successfully handled the tension of long vs. short-term tradeoffs.
• You're customer-obsessed and strategic. You get energy from engaging directly with customers, understanding their needs, and translating those into technical decisions. You think about both immediate customer value and long-term market positioning.
• You excel at cross-functional collaboration. You work effectively with product, business development, and external partners. You can communicate technical concepts to non-technical stakeholders and represent Zapier in the broader community.
• You have strong engineering fundamentals. You're experienced with our tech stack and comfortable with developer experience design, authentication systems, and distributed systems architecture. You understand AI/ML systems in production and have worked with LLMs to ship products previously.
• You're a people and cultural leader. You have a track record of developing talent and fostering ownership of shared goals. You build cultures where…

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