The role now
A Head of Engineering (or VP Engineering) runs the engineering organisation: hiring, managers, delivery, ways of working, and the health of the team. Where there is a CTO, the CTO usually sets technical direction and the head of engineering makes the organisation able to deliver it.
It is a people and systems job more than a technical one, although strong candidates keep enough technical depth to be trusted by senior engineers.
Hiring a Head of Engineering: settle these first
How does the role split with the CTO?
Write down who owns architecture decisions, hiring, and delivery commitments. Overlap between the two roles is a common reason a hire doesn’t last.
What size is the team now, and in two years?
Running 25 engineers and running 250 are different jobs. Say where you expect to be.
What is broken?
Slow delivery, attrition, quality, or a team that has outgrown its structure. The answer decides who you need.
Stepping up to Head of Engineering
Engineering managers who step up to head of engineering move from running a team to running a system of teams. Your work is now managers, structure and decisions about how work flows.
Manage managers, own a hiring plan, and be accountable for a delivery commitment across more than one team.
The techexec network is built for this step. Members get a monthly briefing, small roundtables and a confidential career conversation with Aaron. Join the network.
What we ask candidates about
- The largest engineering organisation you have run, and how it was structured.
- How you have hired and developed engineering managers.
- A delivery problem you fixed and how you knew it was fixed.
- How you work with product and the CTO.
Questions
Head of Engineering or VP Engineering?
The titles are mostly interchangeable in Australia. Scope, team size and reporting line matter more than the title.
Is head of engineering a step towards CTO?
Often, yes. Many members are heads of engineering working towards a CTO role, and the network is built for that step.