No matter if you are an emerging Engineering Manager or VP of Engineering, all managers at AutoUncle needs to adhere to the same guiding principles of being a manager. This includes both the formal responsibilities (like having regular 1:1s) and the soft responsibilities (like leading by example). On top of those expectations we have a special set of competencies we require from managers in Engineering. Below you can find a structured list of competences in different domains which will be used as points of measurement for evaluating a managers performance.
Junior Engineering manager (level 1) is AutoUncle’s entry level manager role. It’s a role which serves as a stepping stone for becoming a manager in AutoUncle’s engineering department. A Team Lead will typically be a senior IC who aspires to formalise their leadership role and evolve it into being a manager. Some special rules applies to this level:
For Engineering Managers overseeing five or fewer reports, we also expect significant contributions at an Individual Contributor (IC) level. The specific interpretation of this expectation will be subject to discussion with the manager, but it generally implies a certain degree of hands-on involvement in technical tasks, alongside managerial responsibilities. This hybrid role helps maintain technical skills while fostering a closer connection with the team's day-to-day work.
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At each level, you are expected to both be developing the competencies listed under the particular level and also master the previous level competencies to a greater extend
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| | Junior Engineering Manager (level 1) | Engineering Manager (level 2) Everything in Level 1 + | Senior Engineering Manager (level 3) Everything in Level 2 + | | --- | --- | --- | --- | | Technical Skills
| Technical Leadership: provide technical guidance and expertise to their team members. They should have a deep understanding of the technology stack, tools, and methodologies used by the team. Code Quality: Ensuring the quality of code produced. This involves supporting the team defining coding standards, guidelines for best practices and making sure they’re enforced. Architecture and Design: Is involved in architectural decisions and design discussions. Ensure that the team's solutions are scalable, maintainable, and aligned with the organisation's goals. | Staying up-to-date with industry trends and technological advancements. Finding the most efficient ways to work together and challenging the status quo. Ensuring that the team follows best practices and maintains high technical standards. Participating in technical discussions and providing expertise when needed. Reviewing and approving technical decisions and architecture designs. Quality Assurance: Support the team in implementing and monitoring quality assurance processes and testing procedures. Identify and addressing any issues related to product quality. | Advanced Technical Leadership: Provide visionary technical guidance and mentorship across multiple teams. Drive innovation and adoption of cutting-edge technologies and practices. Strategic Architectural Planning: Play a key role in long-term architectural decision-making, ensuring scalability, efficiency, and alignment with the broader company vision. Technology Evangelism: Champion the adoption of new technologies and methodologies, internally and externally, to maintain AutoUncle's competitive edge. | | Managerial Skills | Roadmap Management: weigh options, consider trade-offs, and make informed choices that benefit the team and the project. Mitigate risks by addressing potential issues and ensuring the projects stays on track. Risk Management: Identifying and mitigating risks associated with the project. Should be proactive in addressing potential issues and ensuring the project stays on track. Delivery: Ensuring that the team meets project deadlines and milestones. This may involve adjusting plans or resources as needed to keep the project on schedule. Stakeholder Management: Able to clearly and concisely convey ideas, instructions, and information to both technical and non-technical team members and stakeholders. Coaching: ability to identify areas for improvement and help team members grow in their roles by conducting regular performance reviews and setting goals for team members and addressing performance issues and implementing improvement plans. Team Connector: Collaboratively support and advance the company's mission as envisioned by our leadership. This role is key to enhancing team cohesion, fostering open communication and building a sense of unity and shared purpose among all members. | Team management: Be responsible for the overall performance and management of the engineering team including reporting, mentoring, hiring and growing the team. Budget Management: Managing project budgets and resources effectively by handling promotions and salary increases. Roadmap Management: Partner with product owners, product designers and other stakeholders to define a roadmap for your area of the product. Delivery: Drive and be accountable for delivery and work with your team on strategy and execution. Stakeholder Management: Serving as a bridge between engineering teams and upper management. Communicating project status, risks, and opportunities to stakeholders and facilitating cross-functional collaboration with other departments. Incident Management: Proactive supporting issues by providing timely feedback and notifying relevant stakeholders during incidents. Conduct a thorough root cause analysis to identify the underlying issues and prevent similar incidents in the future.
| Cross-Functional Team Leadership: Lead and coordinate across different engineering teams, fostering collaboration and integration of diverse technical efforts. Advanced Project and Risk Management: Oversee large-scale projects with significant complexity, ensuring timely delivery while effectively managing risks and resource allocation. Senior Stakeholder Management: Engage with senior stakeholders (including C-level executives), effectively communicating technical strategy and aligning engineering goals with business objectives. Facilitation of Learning Opportunities: Create and facilitate opportunities for learning and development within the management team. This can include internal workshops, training sessions, or informal knowledge-sharing meetings. | | Interpersonal Skills
| Actively listening: understanding the perspectives and feelings of team members, address concerns, and foster a positive work environment. Conflict Resolution: ability to identify and address conflicts in a constructive manner. This includes mediating disputes, finding compromises, and ensuring that conflicts do not escalate and negatively impact the team's productivity. Leadership: able to set a clear vision, provide direction, and lead by example. Understand what motivates each team member and provide them with the support and encouragement they need to perform at their best. Delegating tasks and responsibilities while providing support and guidance. | Leadership: Facilitate collaboration with other engineers and product owners towards solving interesting and challenging problems across the company. Inspiring and motivating team members to achieve their best. Strategic Planning: Contributing to the development of the engineering department's long-term strategy as well as aligning engineering goals with the overall business objectives of the organisation. Team building: Fostering a sense of belonging and unity within the team. Building diverse and inclusive teams and promoting collaboration and teamwork. | Advanced Conflict Resolution & Negotiation: Handle complex conflicts and negotiations with a strategic approach, ensuring long-term positive outcomes. Mentorship & Coaching: Provide guidance and mentorship to junior and mid-level managers. This involves regular one-on-one coaching sessions, sharing experiences, and providing actionable feedback to aid their professional development. Shaping the future leadership of the engineering department. Inspirational Leadership: Cultivate a strong engineering culture that attracts top talent and inspires innovation and excellence. Managerial Skill Development: Focus on developing the managerial skills of other leaders, including strategic planning, decision-making, team management, and conflict resolution. Encouraging Continuous Learning: Cultivate a culture of continuous learning and improvement within the management team, encouraging managers to stay abreast of new trends and best practices in engineering management. |