Agreed, unless you're desperate it's madness to accept a job without having had a discussion with your prospective manager. And not just to make sure they're n

Agreed, unless you're desperate it's madness to accept a job without having had a discussion with your prospective manager. And not just to make sure they're not a big jerk, this is your chance to find out what kind of team you're joining. Ask probing questions: What happens when there's a disagreement about how to implement something? What happens when it becomes clear that a major milestone is going to be late? Has that happened recently? What goal are you currently working on for modernizing your tools, and are you making progress on it? etc.