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CV keywords · Engineering manager · Europe

What engineering manager job descriptions in Europe ask for

We read 210 open engineering manager roles at 88 companies, straight from their careers pages. These are the skills and phrases they name, how often, and how to show each one on your CV.

Counted 13 Nov 2026 · recounted daily

open engineering manager roles in Europe
210
open engineering manager roles in Europe
companies hiring
88
companies hiring
remote (63 of 210)
30%
remote (63 of 210)
publish a salary (35)
17%
publish a salary (35)
The keyword list

Every keyword, by how many job ads name it

Open a keyword to see how a line that only names it differs from one that proves it. Write only what you have done: a keyword with no evidence is what keyword-stuffing checks look for.

In half the job ads or more

Expected. Missing one of these needs a reason.

In one job ad in five, or more

Common. These separate a match from a near miss.

Specialist

Named by fewer job ads, often decisive where they are.
Free check

Which of these does your CV already name?

Paste your CV text. It is checked in your browser against the keywords in at least a fifth of these job ads; nothing is sent anywhere.

3of 23 common keywords named

Named on your CV

Roadmap1:1s & performance reviewsPayments

Not named, but common in these job ads

MentoringStakeholder managementPrioritisationOwnershipAI tools in your workReliability & SLOsScalabilityHiringObservability & monitoringCross-functional workDistributed systemsPeople managementAPIs (REST)Metrics & KPIsSystem designWritten communicationFintech & bankingIncident response & on-callCode reviewB2B / SaaS

A missing keyword is a question, not an instruction: add it only where you have used it. The full check reads your CV against one real job description, the way an applicant tracking system and a recruiter would.

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The market behind the list

Where these 210 jobs are, and at what level

Country

Top six, by open roles

  • United Kingdom64
  • Europe-wide or not stated36
  • Sweden15
  • Germany14
  • Spain13
  • Netherlands13

Level named in the title

No level word counts as mid

  • Senior37
  • Mid129
  • Lead / staff43
  • Junior / graduate1

Only 1 of 210 are junior or graduate roles by their title. For a first job, search wider than this title.

Where you work, and the pay

35 of 210 job ads publish a salary

£105.5k to £135k

median range, 16 job ads in GBP

€85k to €120k

median range, 15 job ads in EUR

  • Remote63
  • Hybrid53
  • On-site8
  • Not stated86

Hiring engineering managers now

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How we counted

One job ad, one vote

Which job ads
Open roles with "engineering manager", "head of engineering", "VP engineering", "director of engineering", "CTO" or "engineering lead" in the title, based in Europe or remote within Europe, read on 13 Nov 2026 from each company's own applicant tracking system (Greenhouse, Lever, Ashby and others).
What counts as a mention
The keyword appears at least once in the job description, as a whole word. A job posted in several cities counts once, and each company's own name is taken out of its job descriptions first.
What is left out
Words job descriptions use about the employer rather than the job are not counted: “security” in a company name, “healthcare” in the benefits. Keywords in fewer than 5% of the job ads are not shown. Domain words such as payments are partly companies describing their own product.
Questions

Using this list well

Should I add every keyword to my CV?

No. Add the ones you have used, in the line that shows what you did with them. A skills list full of keywords with no evidence behind them reads as padding to a recruiter, and some applicant tracking systems flag it.

Where on the CV should the keywords go?

In your experience bullets first, then the skills section. A search matches either, but a recruiter believes the bullet.

Is this list the same for every company?

No. It is the average of 210 job ads. The job description you apply to is the one that matters, which is why the full check compares your CV with that job description, requirement by requirement.

Other roles

CV keywords for other roles

Your CV, against the job you actually want

Paste a engineering manager job description and upload your CV. See what the ATS reads, what a recruiter reads, and the first line to fix. Free, about a minute.

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