roles
Distinguished Engineer
Primary Role:
Highest IC level; sets enterprise technical direction
Reporting Relations:
Reports to CTO/VP
Decision Making Authority:
Defines technical principles and standards
Stratigic Planning
Defines multi-year technical vision
Team Management:
No direct reports
Meeting Involvment:
Executive + board technical advisor
Project Management:
Oversees transformational initiatives
Communication:
External thought leadership + board-level clarity
Professional Development:
→ Fellow / CTO track
Tech Lead
Primary Role:
Leads technical execution for a single team
Reporting Relations:
Reports to EM
Decision Making Authority:
Day-to-day technical decisions
Stratigic Planning
Translates roadmap into implementation plan
Team Management:
None formally
Meeting Involvment:
Leads technical discussions
Project Management:
Owns delivery coordination
Communication:
Primary technical voice for team
Professional Development:
→ Staff Engineer / TLM
Solutions Architect
Primary Role:
Designs technical solutions for customers or enterprise clients
Reporting Relations:
Reports to Eng/CTO/Sales Eng
Decision Making Authority:
Technical design authority for implementations
Stratigic Planning
Limited internal strategy; supports GTM strategy
Team Management:
None
Meeting Involvment:
Client meetings + pre-sales calls
Project Management:
Oversees solution implementation
Communication:
Customer + sales communication
Professional Development:
→ Principal Architect