Berlin

November 4 & 5, 2024

New York

September 4 & 5, 2024

StaffPlus

StaffPlus

All the latest content for Staff Engineers

Who are staff, principal, and distinguished engineers?

Understand the differences between staff, principal, and distinguished engineers. Job description and salaries included.

On our StaffPlus playlist

How to master the four Staff archetypes and elevate your impact

While the specifics of the job can vary widely, Will Larson has famously categorized the Staff+ experience into four archetypes: Tech Lead, Architect, Solver, and the Right Hand.

Understanding the role as a Staff engineer

How to define, develop and deliver in your role on the technical track.

How to balance technical direction and leadership work

But as is often the case in business, priorities constantly shift and where you focus your efforts will too. So how do you strike the right balance between working on the technical direction of the business and those tasks that require you to put your leadership hat on?

Start with an exit in mind: How to be effective by being selfish as a staff engineer

Staff engineers often get overwhelmed by long-term ownership of critical projects. This talk explores how to avoid burnout by starting every project with an exit strategy—whether transferring ownership, pausing or bootstrapping a team.

Refactoring at scale

Maude Lemaire in conversation

festival of engineering leadership

London • June 16 & 17, 2025