
Tim I.
Studied at Haas School of Business (Berkeley)
Hiring Manager at LinkedIn
Available today at 5:30 PM UTC
Questions? Start chatting with this coach before you get started.
About Tim
I spent 15 years in senior engineering leadership roles at Facebook, LinkedIn, and Pinterest. I managed teams, built systems, hired and promoted engineers, and dealt with the real pressure that comes with high-stakes environments. On paper, things were going well. In reality, I saw the same patterns over and over. Smart, capable engineers getting stuck. New managers are struggling without support. People are burning out, doubting themselves, or quietly disengaging because they did not know how to navigate the system. I eventually stepped away from corporate leadership because I realized the part of the work I cared about most was not the systems or the metrics. It was helping people think clearly, regulate under pressure, and make intentional decisions about their careers. I coach engineers and engineering managers who want practical, honest guidance. Not generic leadership advice. Not hustle culture. Real conversations about expectations, power dynamics, communication, confidence, and growth. My approach is structured and direct. We focus on what is actually happening in your role, what is getting in your way, and what specific changes will move you forward. I draw on my experience as a leader inside big tech, along with formal coaching training, to help you build clarity and momentum without burning yourself out. If you are looking for someone who understands both the technical and human sides of engineering leadership and who will tell you the truth without judgment, that is how I work.
Why do I coach?
Coaching matters to me because I saw firsthand how much the right support can change the trajectory of a career. Early in my time at Facebook, I worked with a coach who helped me see things I could not see on my own. Not in an abstract way, but in very practical terms. How I showed up in meetings. How my anxiety influenced my decisions. How to navigate expectations and power dynamics without losing myself in the process. That coaching did not just help me in the moment. It shaped how I led teams, how I handled pressure, and how I made long-term career decisions. Looking back, it was a turning point. It set the trajectory for the leadership roles I later held at LinkedIn and Pinterest. What stood out most was not advice or tactics. It was having a neutral, experienced person who could slow things down, reflect what was really happening, and help me choose intentional next steps instead of reactive ones. I coach now because I know how many capable engineers never get that kind of support. When they do, it changes how they experience their work and what they believe is possible for them. I want to be that steady, practical presence for others, the kind that helped me move forward when it mattered most.
Work Experience

Career & Leadership Coach
Inman Coaching
June 2024 - Present
I’m a coach with 15+ years of experience managing teams at top Bay Area tech companies. I work with new managers, engineers navigating career transitions, and small companies building their first layers of technical leadership. My coaching is grounded in real-world experience and focused on practical, actionable growth. Career Development, Career Support and +3 skills

Senior Software Engineering Manager
November 2019 - June 2024
Hiring Manager
Led a team of Partner Engineers to build and scale LinkedIn’s Developer Platform and Partner Ecosystem, enabling third-party integrations and enhancing the platform’s extensibility. - Drove the development of APIs and developer tools, empowering external partners to innovate and build on LinkedIn’s APIs. - Collaborated with product management and engineering teams to ensure the seamless integration of partner solutions, improving the overall functionality and reach of LinkedIn’s platform. Managed technical relationships with key partners, ensuring their needs were met while driving alignment with LinkedIn’s strategic goals. - Oversaw platform architecture improvements that enhanced the scalability and performance of partner integrations. - Played a key role in leadership strategy meetings, providing technical insights and proposing innovative solutions that aligned with business goals. Partner Engineering, Coaching and +7 skills

Head of Advertiser Experience Engineering
2018 - June 2019
Hiring Manager
Led 5 teams of ~50 full stack engineers that support interfaces for Advertisers at Pinterest. Working closely with a team of engineering managers and tech leads to mentor them as they grow in their careers. While also working closely with Product and Design to shape the longer term product direction and strategy for each of these teams. These teams included: - Advertiser Interfaces: The interfaces that all advertisers use to create ads and understand the performance of their ads on Pinterest. Ads manager, quick promote, bulk uploader, internal tools for sales, etc. - Advertiser API: The API that powers all our advertiser interfaces. - Advertiser Platform: The backend team that builds the service layer that API runs on. - Billing: The team that handles all the monetary transactions of our advertisers. - Advertiser recommendations and notifications: The team that is building out the systems that will drive the next generation of advertiser recommendations and opportunities. Team Leadership

Engineering Manager
November 2015 - January 2018
Hiring Manager
Before I transitioned into the Head of Advertiser Experience I lead a number of smaller teams - Partner notifications - Marketing tools and systems - Advertiser Growth - Billing and Order Management systems - Sales tooling and incubation Team Leadership
VP of Software Engineering
Piazza
December 2014 - June 2015
Hiring Manager
During my time at Piazza I led the entire engineering and product teams to deliver on the CEO's vision for piazza.com/careers. Team Leadership

Engineering Manager
Meta (Facebook)
May 2011 - December 2014
Hiring Manager
Led a team of Engineers at Facebook to build next generation of CRM and Sales Applications. Major initiatives have been: * Building an intern CRM system from scratch on our own platform * Growing a team from 1 engineer to 25 engineers * Facebook.com/buisness * Releasing a whole new generation of sales tools to greatly impact FB's advertising revenue * Rethinking mobile CRM for salespeople
Education

Haas School of Business (Berkeley)
Executive MBA, Business
2012 - 2012
Bethel University
BTS
1997 - 2001