As you transition into an engineering management role, it’s helpful to recognise that different leadership archetypes exist, especially in the tech industry.

So, what are the options?

Engineering Managers (EMs) play pivotal roles that vary significantly depending on the size and structure of their teams. Understanding the different archetypes of engineering management is crucial for recognising where your strengths lie, where you might struggle, and how you can grow. If you are transitioning from Individual Contributer to Engineering Manager, you’ll want to read this.

Here, we’ll dive into four distinct engineering managerial archetypes:

1. Tech Lead Manager

Strengths: The Tech Lead Manager typically manages a smaller team of two to five engineers, providing both technical direction and people management. Their deep technical expertise allows them to guide architectural decisions and mentor junior engineers effectively. They excel at hands-on problem-solving and often have a strong grasp of both the codebase and the technical vision for the team.

Watchouts: While the ideal balance is to split time 50-50 between technical work and management, the reality is that one area usually gets more focus, leading to burnout or neglect. If too focused on coding, the Tech Lead Manager can lose sight of people management—coaching, feedback, and career development—leading to a disengaged team. Conversely, leaning too much on management can make it difficult to stay technically sharp.

Example in Career Development: A Tech Lead Manager early in their management career may initially focus heavily on the technical side, but over time they need to learn how to delegate technical responsibilities while fostering the growth and well-being of their team. As they progress, they may need to decide whether to deepen their management skills or move back to a senior individual contributor (IC) role.

2. Team Manager

Strengths: The Team Manager leads a larger team, usually between four and ten engineers. Their role is primarily focused on people management, facilitation, and delivery. They work closely with a Tech Lead or senior IC to provide technical direction while handling team dynamics, communication, and strategy execution. They are excellent at balancing priorities, removing blockers, and ensuring smooth team operations.

Watchouts: Without hands-on technical work, the Team Manager can become disconnected from the engineering challenges their team faces. There’s also the potential risk of becoming overly involved in project management and not spending enough time on team development or personal growth plans. Additionally, if the partnership with the Tech Lead is not strong, there can be a disconnect between technical and strategic priorities.

Example in Career Development: A Team Manager who excels in managing teams and processes may find themselves on a natural progression towards becoming a Group Manager. However, the key to their growth will be developing their leadership skills, such as conflict resolution, mentoring, and strategic planning, while maintaining close alignment with technical leadership.

3. Group Manager

Strengths: A Group Manager oversees multiple Team Managers and provides direction and alignment for several teams. They focus on developing other managers, ensuring consistency in execution across the teams, and aligning with broader organisational goals. With a strong reporting chain, Group Managers have the authority to shape team culture, drive innovation, and influence the company’s technical strategy at a higher level.

Watchouts: In some organisations, the role of a Group Manager can become more bureaucratic, with limited scope for innovation or personal development. They may be bogged down by constant reporting and operational management. Additionally, Group Managers must ensure they are not simply delegating without understanding the day-to-day challenges faced by their teams.

Example in Career Development: Successful Group Managers are those who can empower their managers while staying connected to the technical and strategic challenges of their teams. In a positive environment, they can be a strong advocate for their teams to upper management, but their next step—often to an Executive Manager role—requires honing skills in organisational leadership and cross-functional collaboration.

4. Executive Manager

Strengths: The Executive Manager is responsible for an entire engineering organisation and typically reports directly to the CEO or business leader. They set the long-term vision and strategy for engineering at the company, manage large-scale hiring and retention efforts, and ensure that teams are aligned with business outcomes. Executive Managers are skilled in managing complex stakeholder relationships and balancing technical decisions with broader business goals.

Watchouts: One of the key challenges for Executive Managers is staying connected to the teams they lead. While overseeing the entire organisation, it’s easy to lose sight of the on-the-ground engineering challenges, which can lead to a disconnect between upper management and technical execution. Additionally, Executive Managers need to manage the politics and expectations from both business and technical perspectives.

Example in Career Development: The leap to Executive Manager involves a significant shift from managing individual teams or groups to overseeing an entire organisation’s technical direction. Successful Executive Managers spend a significant amount of time on leadership development, fostering a company-wide culture, and working closely with other executives to align engineering efforts with business objectives. Many also mentor upcoming leaders within the company to create a sustainable leadership pipeline.

Team Structures

In some organisations, teams are structured in various ways to promote agility and efficiency. Setups include:

– Squads: Squads are cross-functional teams, usually comprising engineers, designers, product managers, and QA specialists. Each squad is responsible for delivering specific features or products. For instance, in a large e-commerce company, there might be a “Payments Squad” responsible for the checkout system.

– Chapters: Chapters consist of individuals with the same skills across different squads. For example, all frontend engineers may belong to the same chapter. This structure allows for sharing best practices and career growth within the same discipline.

– Cohorts: Cohorts are typically groups of employees at similar levels of experience. Companies may organise junior engineers into a cohort for onboarding and development purposes, helping them learn together while advancing within the company.

– Direct Reports: Traditional direct report structures are also common. Engineering Managers typically have a group of engineers reporting directly to them, with a focus on personal development, performance reviews, and mentoring.

Career Frameworks Examples

Many companies, especially those with large engineering organisations, have developed structured career frameworks to guide the progression of engineers and engineering managers. These frameworks define the skills, responsibilities, and expectations at each level, helping employees understand what is required to advance in their careers. Here, we’ll explore career frameworks from Dropbox, Spotify, and Google, highlighting key aspects of their systems.

1. Dropbox’s Career Framework

Dropbox has developed a transparent and well-defined career framework that outlines clear paths for both individual contributors (ICs) and managers. Their system is focused on providing clarity around expectations at each level, allowing employees to see what is required to move to the next stage in their career. Key highlights of Dropbox’s career framework include:

– Dual Career Paths: Dropbox offers two parallel tracks—Individual Contributor (IC) and Engineering Management (EM). Engineers can advance as ICs without feeling pressured to switch to management.

– Competency Levels: Each level within the framework outlines specific competencies, such as technical expertise, leadership, communication, and collaboration. These are further broken down into measurable behaviours and examples of what success looks like at each level.

– Self and Manager Assessments: Employees participate in regular self-assessments, where they map their skills against the framework. Managers then provide feedback and help employees build a plan for development.

2. Spotify’s Career Framework

Spotify is known for its innovative organisational structures, such as Squads and Chapters, and it has developed a career framework that fits this model. Spotify’s career ladder is designed to provide flexibility, allowing engineers to switch between tracks depending on their interests and skills. Key highlights of Spotify’s framework include:

– Technical vs. Leadership Tracks: Similar to Dropbox, Spotify offers dual career paths, enabling engineers to either stay on the technical track as an IC or move into engineering management. Both tracks are valued equally, allowing engineers to grow in areas where they are most passionate.

– Role-Specific Competencies: Each role has a set of core competencies that outline the expectations. These include technical skills, strategic thinking, leadership abilities, and collaboration within and across teams.

– Tailored Development Plans: Spotify focuses on tailored development plans for each employee, aligning their growth with the company’s needs. Engineers can move across different squads or chapters to gain new experiences, making it easy to pursue a diverse career.

3. Google’s Career Framework

Google has one of the most well-established career frameworks in the tech industry, with detailed paths for both ICs and engineering managers. Their framework is highly structured, with a focus on fostering technical leadership, innovation, and impact at every level. Key highlights include:

– Levels and Tiers: Google’s career framework is highly structured, with well-defined levels for both ICs and managers. Each level is associated with increasing scope, responsibility, and influence. For example, ICs progress from junior engineers to principal engineers, while managers move from leading small teams to overseeing large organisations.

– Impact and Scope of Work: At Google, progression is based on the impact and scope of an engineer’s work. ICs are measured not just by their coding ability but by the complexity and significance of the problems they solve. Managers are evaluated based on their ability to lead teams, drive innovation, and align engineering efforts with business goals.

– Cross-Functional Leadership: Google places a strong emphasis on leadership, even for senior ICs. As engineers advance, they are expected to collaborate across multiple teams and contribute to Google’s overall strategic objectives. Managers are measured by their ability to scale teams and create a positive impact across the company.

Key Takeaways

While the specific details of career frameworks vary by company, there are several common themes that are useful for engineering managers:

– Clear Pathways for Advancement: All of these frameworks provide well-defined paths for both technical and managerial roles, ensuring that engineers can advance in the way that best suits their strengths and career goals.

– Competency-Based Growth: Each framework defines the competencies and behaviours expected at each level, making it clear what skills and qualities need to be developed to progress.

– Regular Feedback and Development: Structured feedback processes—whether through self-assessments or manager feedback—are key to helping engineers understand where they stand and how they can grow.

– Equal Value on Technical and Managerial Tracks: In all three frameworks, there is equal emphasis on technical excellence and management, ensuring that engineers do not feel forced to move into management if they prefer to remain focused on technical work.

These career frameworks not only provide transparency and clarity but also empower engineers to take ownership of their growth and align their career development with the needs of their organisation.