roles
Senior Engineering Manager
Primary Role:
Manages multiple teams or complex org slice
Reporting Relations:
Reports to Director
Decision Making Authority:
Hiring + budget input
Stratigic Planning
Drives org-level planning
Team Management:
Manages EMs or multiple teams
Meeting Involvment:
Department leadership forums
Project Management:
Oversees multi-team delivery
Communication:
Executive-facing updates
Professional Development:
→ Director
Head of Engineering
Primary Role:
Top engineering leader (often in startup)
Reporting Relations:
Reports to CEO
Decision Making Authority:
Final say on technical direction
Stratigic Planning
Owns engineering strategy
Team Management:
Manages EMs/Directors
Meeting Involvment:
Executive team member
Project Management:
Oversees full engineering roadmap
Communication:
Board/investor communication
Professional Development:
→ VP / CTO
Principal Architect / Software Architect
Primary Role:
Defines large-scale system architecture and standards
Reporting Relations:
Reports to Director/VP
Decision Making Authority:
Sets architectural patterns and standards
Stratigic Planning
Long-term platform planning
Team Management:
None
Meeting Involvment:
Architecture councils + exec reviews
Project Management:
Oversees platform evolution
Communication:
Senior technical communication
Professional Development:
→ Distinguished Engineer