Software Engineering Manager

A Software Engineering Manager is a technical line-manager who is required to perform software engineering manager tasks (to manage software engineers).

• Context:
  • They can (typically) manage Software Engineers.
  • They can (typically) be associated with a SE Manager Job Description.
  • They can (typically) be associated with a SE Manager Performance Review.
  • They can (often) manage a Software Engineering Team.
  • They can (often) be managed by a Director of Software Engineering (or a Sr. software engineering manager).
  • They can range from being a Software Engineering Line Manager to being a Software Engineering Senior Manager.
  • They can be a Software Engineering Team Tech Lead.
  • …
• Example(s):
  • a Front-End Engineering Manager.
  • a Data-Engineering Manager.
  • a Machine Learning Engineering Manager.
  • a Google Tech Lead Manager (TLM), a TLM is a hybrid role combining the responsibilities of both a technical lead (TL) and an engineering manager (EM). They're a single point of contact for their team, overseeing both the technical direction and the people management aspects.
  • …
• Counter-Example(s):
  • Data Annotation Manager (described by a data annotation manager JD).
  • ...
• See: Team Leader.

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References

2024

• GPT-4
  • ... engineering managers play a crucial role in coordinating between teams, reducing information overload, and representing their teams effectively. This specialization allows for better focus and less context-switching for engineers. ... Effective management ensures the smooth operation and development of the team and organization. ...

2020

• https://www.glassdoor.com/Job/software-engineering-manager-jobs-SRCH_KO0,28.htm
  • QUOTE: What you'll be doing here
    • Lead a full stack scrum team developing features as a player-coach, split between developing and management
    • Take a lead role in steering architecture to scale technology and process to a high scale and quality
    • Work closely with stakeholders in various internal groups to help balance delivery speed and quality
  • About you and your skill
    • Customer focused outlook on software design
    • 2+ years managing software engineering team.
    • 2+ years experience in an Agile environment/framework
    • Experience building solutions for AWS (or other cloud services)
    • Experience working with distributed systems (microservices) a plus
    • Experience with front-end javascript frameworks such as React or Angular a plus
    • Experience with containers and container orchestration systems a plus

2019

• https://venturebeat.com/2019/04/21/good-engineers-can-become-good-leaders/
  • QUOTE: ... engineering management is a full-time job ... Many engineers, including those in management roles, aren’t sure what management is supposed to be. There’s a respect and simplicity that comes along with being a principal engineer that is more challenging to recognize in management roles. In an engineering environment, you’ll hear phrases like:
    • “Oh yeah, she’s a Haskell wizard!”
    • “Nobody knows Kafka better than him.”
    • “She’s definitely your go-to person if you need some ZooKeeper magic.”
  • You are less likely to hear things like:
    • “He prioritizes our roadmap so well; our work is so on strategy.”
    • “She increases team retention rates like you wouldn’t believe.”
    • “That guy really recognizes gaps and foresees risks like a champ.”
  • Much of the job of an effective engineering manager is less technical in nature: prioritization, communication, risk-awareness, connecting silos, inspiring teams, growing new leaders, and so forth. This makes success less visible, or at least less obvious, and pushes the day-to-day of the job away from having immediate and tangible gratification.

2014

• http://www.defmacro.org/2014/10/03/engman.html
  • QUOTE: Welcome to engineering management. It’s fun, it’s exhausting, it’s rewarding — but most importantly it’s new! What worked for you before won’t work now. You’ll have to acquire a new set of skills, and shed some bad habits in the process. Here is a short guide to get you started.

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