Staff Engineering Archetypes
Source
Tech Lead Focus on partnering with a small amount of Engineering Managers (1-3 generally) Guides approach and execution of technical bits, generally in a focused area Tech Lead Manager may also exists, but is on the Engineering Manager track (not Staff-plus) Architect Combines technical prowess and organizational leadership knowledge to guide direction, quality, and execution in critical paths Solver Digs very deep into arbitrarily difficult or complex problem areas Very strong technical skills are necessary Can focus on a specific area for an extended amount of time, or can jump between “hotspots” Right Hand Generally only present in very large organizations Acts as an extension to an executive, providing additional processing/bandwidth Generally acts on the scope and authority of whom they’re assisting