roles
Staff Software Engineer
Primary Role:
High-leverage IC solving cross-team technical problems
Reporting Relations:
Reports to EM/Director
Decision Making Authority:
Architecture decisions across teams
Stratigic Planning
Influences technical roadmap
Team Management:
None; mentors engineers
Meeting Involvment:
Design authority in technical reviews
Project Management:
Leads cross-team initiatives
Communication:
Communicates with senior engineering leadership
Professional Development:
→ Principal Engineer / Architect
Distinguished Engineer
Primary Role:
Highest IC level; sets enterprise technical direction
Reporting Relations:
Reports to CTO/VP
Decision Making Authority:
Defines technical principles and standards
Stratigic Planning
Defines multi-year technical vision
Team Management:
No direct reports
Meeting Involvment:
Executive + board technical advisor
Project Management:
Oversees transformational initiatives
Communication:
External thought leadership + board-level clarity
Professional Development:
→ Fellow / CTO track
Tech Lead
Primary Role:
Leads technical execution for a single team
Reporting Relations:
Reports to EM
Decision Making Authority:
Day-to-day technical decisions
Stratigic Planning
Translates roadmap into implementation plan
Team Management:
None formally
Meeting Involvment:
Leads technical discussions
Project Management:
Owns delivery coordination
Communication:
Primary technical voice for team
Professional Development:
→ Staff Engineer / TLM