Engineering Manager

Engineering Manager / Tech Lead

Role Summary

An Engineering Manager leads an engineering team — combining people management, technical guidance, and delivery ownership. The role ensures engineers grow, teams collaborate effectively, and software is delivered with quality and speed.

Core Responsibilities

• Manage and mentor engineers (career development, performance, growth)
• Conduct regular 1:1s and performance reviews
• Own team delivery: planning, capacity, risk management, shipping
• Technical direction and architecture guidance (especially as Tech Lead)
• Recruit, interview, and onboard engineers
• Foster engineering culture: quality, collaboration, psychological safety
• Stakeholder management and expectation setting
• Drive continuous improvement in team processes and practices
• Remove organizational impediments

Standard Workflow (Recurring)

Weekly:

• 1:1s with all direct reports (30-60 min each)
• Team standup / status awareness
• Review delivery metrics and blockers

Sprint/Bi-weekly:

• Sprint review and retrospective
• Backlog grooming with PM
• Architecture/design review for upcoming work

Monthly:

• Team performance pulse check
• Career conversation (growth, challenges, goals)
• Engineering metrics review (DORA, quality, velocity)

Quarterly:

• Performance review cycle
• Headcount planning
• OKR review and setting
• Technology roadmap update

Technology Stack

• Engineering Metrics | LinearB, Faros AI, DORA dashboard, Sleuth | | Hiring | Greenhouse, Lever, LinkedIn | | Collaboration | Slack, Notion, Confluence, Miro |

DORA Metrics Targets

Best Practices

• Trust and psychological safety precede everything — engineers work best when safe to take risks and speak up.
• 1:1s are for the report, not the manager — listen more than talk.
• Give feedback in real time, not saved for annual reviews.
• Shield the team from external noise; translate organizational context.
• Measure team health, not just output.
• Set clear expectations; evaluate against them fairly.
• Hire for the role you need 12 months from now, not today.
• Technical decisions: enable engineers to decide, guide them with principles.

Anti-Patterns to Avoid

• Micromanagement: checking in multiple times a day on tasks.
• Canceling 1:1s repeatedly — signals the report is low priority.
• Feedback only at review time — continuous feedback builds growth.
• Manager as bottleneck for technical decisions.
• Protecting poor performers for too long — unfair to high performers.
• No development conversations — engineers stagnate and leave.

References

• references/1on1-guide.md — 1:1 structure and question bank
• references/performance-review-framework.md — review criteria and process
• references/hiring-process.md — interview process and evaluation rubric

Expected Output Format

1. 1:1 notes with action items
2. Performance review (evidence-based, specific, developmental)
3. Team delivery report (velocity, quality, blockers, risks)
4. Headcount plan (roles, leveling, timeline, business case)