Leading 10 engineers across three pods
For clients who need someone to run the team, not just write the code.
Scope
At SDE-3 I lead engineering execution across three pods (web platform, mobile, and infrastructure) covering 10 engineers plus a Data Science team. That means owning architecture and technical direction across backend, frontend, and platform simultaneously, and being accountable for cross-functional delivery rather than for my own output alone.
How I actually run a team
- Architecture and technical direction set explicitly, so engineers can make local decisions without waiting on me.
- Cross-functional delivery coordinated across backend, mobile, frontend, DevOps, and Data Science. The mobile product launch ran this way end to end.
- Hiring and interviewing across both SDE and DevOps pipelines.
- Structured onboarding built through an internal learning platform, so ramp-up does not depend on who happens to be free that week.
- Mentoring across the SDE-1 to SDE-3 range, including engineers who have since taken ownership of their own areas.
Still hands-on
The leadership scope has not replaced the engineering. In the same period I architected the air-gapped deployment package, built the production LangGraph and RAG workflows, and shipped the company's first mobile product. I lead teams as someone who is still writing and reviewing the code, which is usually what clients mean when they say they want a technical lead rather than a manager.
What this looks like for you
This is the profile to hire when you have engineers but no technical direction, when a team needs to ship something cross-functional against a deadline, or when you want someone who can both design the architecture and get a team to build it. Fractional tech lead, engineering manager for an in-house team, or lead of an assembled pod. I've done the equivalent of all three.