Building a Scalable Engineering Manager Career Path

At CTO Craft Con, Octopus Electric Vehicles’ engineering leader Katherine Spice presented a framework for creating and scaling engineering‑manager (EM) career paths, helping technical leaders decide whether to develop talent internally or hire externally.

Engineering Management Career Framework

Spice recommends starting with the open‑source Progression.fyi collection of 75 company career frameworks and notes that only a few companies have formal EM tracks.

Typical Technical Hierarchy

Chief Technology Officer (CTO)

VP / Director of Technology

Senior Engineering Manager

Engineering Manager / Individual Contributor (IC)

Four Stages of a Great Engineering Manager

Spice outlines four EM categories:

People : retention, growth, psychological safety.

Culture : collaboration, processes, learning.

Delivery : speed, quality, value.

Technology : reliability, performance, roadmap.

People‑Centric vs. Technical‑Centric EM Roles

Some EMs focus solely on people management, while others also own technical decisions. A balanced EM should engage in technical conversations, unblock pull‑requests, and understand the tech stack without writing critical path code.

Building vs. Buying EM Talent

Organizations can either “build” EMs by developing internal candidates—investing time but preserving cultural fit—or “buy” EMs from outside, gaining fresh perspectives at higher salary cost. Spice proposes a decision‑making framework to evaluate both options.

Signals That a Developer Is Ready for Management

Actively helps teammates.

Provides actionable feedback without prompting.

Wants to facilitate rituals.

Simplifies work to deliver value quickly.

Focuses on delivery.

Builds relationships beyond the team.

Considers business goals when planning work.

Before promoting, confirm the developer’s interest in management and consider a reversible role transition.

Interview Process for External EM Hires

Use a “Background > Action + Result” model, include interpersonal challenge questions, and conduct technical mock interviews with senior engineers.

Onboarding and Measuring Success

Assign a trial period (≈ six months) with a clear path back to IC if needed. Track leading indicators such as delivery speed, quality, value, and team health checks (psychological safety, feedback loops, learning culture).

Supporting New EMs

Provide mentorship from senior EMs, ensure role clarity, and encourage EMs to develop technical roadmaps and improve processes, culture, and collaboration.

Author: Jennifer Riggins