How to get the most out of staff+ engineers

Staff+ engineers have years of technical knowledge stored away, but often have their skills overlooked or undermined.

The engineering function plays a critical role in providing the technical strategy and engine that supports business goals. A strong slate of senior engineers can help create features, but to develop a solid technical strategy and a scalable system, you need experienced staff+ engineers. However, staff+ engineers are highly sought after and we don’t always leverage their full potential.

Why org dynamics sometimes stifle staff+ engineers 

Staff+ engineers are often viewed as multipliers, helping companies level up their technical capabilities to meet market demands, delivering on goals, and achieving the wider org mission. But sometimes businesses fail to get the most out of their staff+ team members, viewing them only as super engineers who ship code faster. While the role varies according to company and business phase, in general, the role of staff+ engineer is to support the technical system, build capacity in other technical staff, solve gnarly code and system issues, understand the business, and provide advice on technical strategy and architectural decisions.

Organizations reasonably support the career paths of individual contributors up to a senior engineering level. However, beyond this point, role expectations become murky due to a lack of company clarity on role parameters or the required skills to be effective. Consequently, staff+ engineers can’t contribute their full value as their career track, in contrast to the richly detailed management track.

The IC track tends to focus on hands-on coding, which changes at the staff+ level. While staff+ engineers do ship code, their strength is in their deep knowledge of various languages, frameworks, and programs. While companies often prioritize feature building, leading to brittle and hard-to-navigate codebases, staff+ engineers think holistically. Their understanding of socio-technical systems allows them to see beyond the latest feature to be built, making them ideal for upholding large parts of the system or even the entire system itself. 

These technical leaders can readily locate weak spots in the system and predict future outcomes. Their understanding of human behavior, particularly of engineers building the individual components, means that they’re proficient at unraveling thorny problems. Ultimately, their abilities allow them to shore up code hastily strewn together by other engineers. 

Staff+ engineers act as guardians of the technical system powering the business. As guardians, they know where to invest in your technical infrastructure and what actions will endanger it. They help the company find a balance between shipping the features of today’s business and safeguarding its future.

They act as a technical bridge between the engineering team and the company’s leadership. They act as guides and mentors to less experienced engineers, leveling up the entire engineering team.

How to get the most out of your staff+ engineers

There are three things we can do to help staff+ engineers be multipliers for the business.

Regard staff+ as technical leaders

Their astute observations of technical systems and how to transform them for long-term sustainability and scalability provides critical information to senior business leaders. This means even though they don’t manage others, they are leaders. While the chief technical officer (CTO) may have overall responsibility for technical strategy, staff+ engineers are often closer to the code and system, which means they have more context.

Staff+ engineers work deep within the architecture, ensuring the sustainability of systems.  As agents of change, they need access to business-level information and strategy conversations – technical systems play a crucial role in both aspects. Invite them to those conversations; in sharing information about key strategic priorities you enable them to align tech strategies effectively. 

Create specific career ladders for staff+

Don’t assume staff+ engineers are just senior engineers with more time on the keyboard: they bring a distinct skill set and value to the org. 

Build specific career ladders for staff+ that include leadership skills like influence, navigating relationships, conflict resolution, and mentoring. Highlight abilities like getting buy-in for technical strategies, building strong cross-functional relationships, and upskilling less experienced engineers.

Managers can use these career maps to guide 1:1 conversations, helping them provide feedback and guide senior engineers on areas for improvement. These clear expectations ensure both the company and the individual know when they are ready to be promoted.

Treat them as experts in the organization

When these technical leaders point out organizational obstacles we tend to ignore them or even treat them like complainers. Rather than write off their frustrations as an individual problem, listen with an open mind. Better yet, ask them where points of friction or dysfunction exist inside the org; they’ll pinpoint it with accuracy, providing a chance to resolve underlying causes. 

Don’t forget to look at reporting structures. Too often staff+ engineers report to engineering managers (EMs) who may not be best placed to support the initiatives of staff+. Given their need to work organizationally, staff+ engineers should look to report to directors at larger companies and vice presidents of engineering (VPs) or even CTOs at smaller companies. If this isn’t possible, EMs can raise technical issues with senior leadership or connect their staff+ reports with them. 

Final thoughts

The best way to get the most out of your staff+ engineers is to go directly to the source. These technical leaders are experienced and self-aware enough to know what they need. Be open to what they ask for, whether it’s tools, access to the right conversations, time, or dedicated staff to support important initiatives – and then help open doors for them. Asking them what they need to be most effective will also show that you understand the role and build trust. When engineering leaders have solid relationships with the staff+ engineers, the result is a technical strategy and system that meets business goals.