Lead Software Engineer

Purpose of the role

Lead Software Engineers are responsible for improving how Redgate builds and maintains software, alongside actively contributing to product development.

About the role

The Lead Software Engineer (LSE) plays a crucial role in driving technical excellence within their engineering team and across their solution group. They are responsible for ensuring and continuously improving the quality of technical practices, exemplifying engineering excellence and pragmatic problem-solving.

At the team level, the LSE supports the development of technical skills, focusing on engineering practices and domain expertise. An LSE is expected to possess a broad range of technical skills spanning multiple domains, as well as deep expertise in particular technologies. By leveraging this wide-ranging expertise and leading through example, the LSE contributes significantly to the pace of delivery and implementation of projects and features.

Beyond their immediate team, the LSE's influence extends across the solution group. They coordinate technical aspects between teams, including what's being built, how it's being approached, and when it's being delivered. This cross-team coordination is vital in identifying and implementing improvements within the solution group, whether by optimizing architectures, reducing complexity, or introducing new practices.

Collaboration is key to the LSE's role. They work closely with architects to implement and uphold technical policies and standards across the solution group. Additionally, they support their peers, including other LSEs and Tech Leads, fostering a culture that enhances the technical capabilities of all teams involved.

The LSE is accountable for maintaining the technical health of the product they work on. This responsibility requires a delicate balance between addressing immediate project needs and considering long-term solution group goals. Their pragmatic approach and broad technical acumen make them a force multiplier for the team, driving both innovation and efficiency.

In essence, the Lead Software Engineer balances hands-on development with technical leadership. They elevate their team's capabilities and output, aligning the solution group's technical direction with business objectives. Through their diverse expertise, collaboration, and leadership, LSEs shape the technical landscape of their products and drive engineering excellence.

A lead software engineer will be doing most of the points below consistently.

Skills

Leadership

Guide team in adopting effective technical practices to improve work quality and speed. Ensure high standards in code, testing, and product robustness. Create clear design documentation and understand product fit in broader solution architecture.
Drive technical change within solution group. Build awareness, provide knowledge, and reinforce positive outcomes. Find pragmatic solutions to challenges and encourage team exploration of new ideas.
Lead by example through hands-on project involvement. Work with other LSEs to maintain consistency across solution group and bridge gap between architectural vision and implementation.
Balance leadership duties with hands-on work. Prioritize tasks, delegate effectively, and encourage skill development that benefits the product.
LSEs communicate technical decisions, risks, and trade-offs clearly to the Product Leadership Team (PLT). They share important innovations with the wider organization and break down work into manageable tasks for the team.
Focus on technical leadership and engineering practices while working with Tech Lead (TL). Contribute to technical aspects of development plans, complementing TL's people management role. Cover PLT responsibilities when needed.

Mentorship

Develop team members' technical skills using situational leadership. Align with personal goals and team needs while creating challenging opportunities.
Provide technical mentorship through constructive feedback, advice, and guidance on new technologies and methodologies.
Support Tech Lead by focusing on technical mentorship, understanding capabilities, and addressing skill gaps relevant to product development.
Balance coding with creating growth opportunities. Recognize potential and adapt mentoring styles to suit different learning preferences and experience levels.
Collaborate with other LSEs to ensure consistent technical mentorship across solution group, supporting engineers' growth.
Offer guidance on soft skills that enhance engineering effectiveness and career progression.

Role-Specific

Maintain broad software engineering knowledge while developing deep expertise in key areas. Be the "go-to" person for specific domains products.
Lead software design and architectural discussions, balancing short-term and long-term needs pragmatically.
Articulate technical decisions clearly, using data and reasoned arguments. Encourage diverse viewpoints and remain open to new evidence.
Identify, investigate, and apply relevant technologies and methodologies. Translate industry trends into actionable insights for Redgate.
Improve engineering processes by introducing appropriate tools and techniques, including effective testing and debugging strategies.
Uphold technical policies and facilitate knowledge sharing. Foster continuous learning and inclusive decision-making.
Balance coding with strategic thinking. Take ownership of technical issues while empowering team members and delegating effectively.

Communication

Foster productive team discussions, ensuring shared understanding of responsibilities, priorities, and decisions.
Collaborate across the organization, promoting engineering practices and solution area goals while balancing technical risks with delivery needs.
Convey complex technical concepts clearly to diverse audiences, effectively communicating team work, progress, and challenges.
Proactively identify and communicate issues, constraints, and dependencies. Escalate concerns to PLT when necessary, proposing solutions.
Encourage diverse viewpoints and facilitate inclusive decision-making and knowledge sharing across teams and solution groups.
Build and maintain a professional network for collaboration and knowledge exchange, including industry conferences.
Balance team and organizational needs, making informed decisions about workload and priorities.
Demonstrate strong written and verbal skills, producing clear documentation, architecture decision records, and technical presentations.

Emotional Intelligence

Create a psychologically safe environment where team members feel comfortable expressing ideas and concerns.
Seek expertise and advice, showing vulnerability without compromising leadership. Ask questions others might hesitate to voice.
Facilitate productive technical debates, ensuring all voices are heard and valued. Resolve conflicts constructively.
Know when to solve problems within the team and when to escalate. Balance direct contribution with enabling team members' successes.
Guide team in developing emotional intelligence. Lead by example and discuss its importance in technical roles.
Provide constructive feedback with kindness and clarity. Adapt communication styles to suit different team members and situations.
Maintain composure during challenges. Recognize and manage emotions while modeling resilience and building trust across the organization.

Delivery

Contribute to technical strategy and roadmap prioritization through PLT participation. Balance feature development with technical debt, infrastructure improvements, and defect fixing.
Ensure product consistency across solution groups. Implement and maintain Architecture Decision Records (ADRs) to document key technical decisions.
Contribute directly to delivery while aligning team on objectives. Hold team accountable and facilitate communication between technical and non-technical stakeholders.
Champion high product quality practices during development and production. Cultivate an easily maintainable and troubleshoot-friendly codebase.
Promote and participate in knowledge-sharing initiatives (10% time, Level Up conference, communities of practice). Encourage continuous improvement in development practices.
Collaborate with architects to translate high-level decisions into actionable plans. Balance short-term delivery with long-term vision and strategy.

Business Knowledge

Understand Redgate's business strategy and product ecosystem. Stay aware of industry trends and competitive landscape.
Demonstrate deep knowledge of product domain, including business model, revenue generation, KPIs, and lifecycle stage. Appreciate goals of other engineering areas.
Align technical innovation with business strategy. Focus on incremental, value-delivering improvements while balancing feature delivery with product health.
Incorporate customer feedback into technical decisions. Articulate product solutions and limitations to various stakeholders, including potential customers.
Communicate technical work in terms of business outcomes to PLT. Reinforce business and customer priorities with engineering team, ensuring alignment between technical efforts and business goals.