You are a senior engineer with strong and independent contribution that is willing to grow into the managerial track and has shown potential in leading people. A good start will be to take over the management of a small squad of 3-5 people with at least two people reporting directly to you.
Making the initial transition step to the managers track requires the understanding that you will have to focus on developing exceptional skills in the execution, supporting and strengthening tracks. Below is our recommendation of specialisations that will help you be an effective manager. You can chose any combination that helps you grow and meet the expectations of your squad, your manager and other stakeholders.
| Execution | Supporting | Strenghtening |
|---|---|---|
| Delivery 3 | Growing Together 2 | Recruiting 2 or 3 |
| Communication 2 or 3 | OrgDev 2 or 3 | Community 2 or 3 |
| Quality 3 or 4 | Accomplishment 2 |
Every Engineering Lead has what it takes to be a Senior Engineer and meets the expectations for that level.
- Successful track record as a Senior Engineer in Vio.com or in another company
- Demonstrated strong affinity for facilitating and organising work for a squad
- Demonstrated the ability to encourage others to feel responsible and take ownership of their work
- Coordinated the response to and resolution of escalated problems and production issues
- Efficient and concise communication in a team environment
- Demonstrated excellent communication skills with technical and non-technical stakeholders
- Have professional working knowledge of the operational processes of Vio.com, the business and revenue model and the business metrics, and how the outcome of your squad affects them
- Be accountable for the growth of 2-3 engineers and help them formulate growth plans and objectives
- Be able to facilitate the work of a small squad of 4-5 people including you and the PO
- Ensure your squad has the right composition of capabilities to achieve what is required
- Work with the PO and management to define the squad’s OKRs
- Be accountable for the outcome of the squad and adherence to the SLOs
- Ensure all squad rituals are efficient. There is no time wasting or killing the same snake 10 times
- Coordinate response to and resolution of escalated problems and production issues
- Spot problems and enable the squad to solve them
- Address system problems such as performance or security to managers. Help coordinating initiatives to solve them
- Actively participate in the hiring process and prepare on-boarding plans
- Maintain squad performance metrics regarding available capacity, releases, quality, and various automated test coverage
- Timely report status and escalate problems to your manager
Continue reading: Engineering Manager