They work hand-in-hand with the CTO to discuss the feasibility of new ideas and the VP of Engineering to determine how they’re going to get there. Anu Shukla had found the perfect VP of Engineering to help her build her latest startup, a company called RewardsPay.By that point, she had founded or … Putting together a working backwards plan to become a CTO and executing to that plan helps. Published on September 17, … Are there any nuances within your organization? This person will usually have the engineers (if less than 10) or the engineering managers reporting to her. If you can identify with this scenario, the advice from these entrepreneurs, founders and advisors can help you decide how much equity to give a CTO. The third bracket are … These number are rough estimates based on numerous searches we have completed and conversations we have had with industry leaders. Around the B round or when the engineering team reaches ~15—whichever comes first. The VP of Engineering is a manager with technical background. 1. A VP Engineering is ideally a great manager and a great team builder. Years of experience or CTO background: The rule of thumb is that more experience equals higher pay and equity. The VP Engineering may personally serve as a systems architect, or may assign another engineer to assume that role. In most startups while you are small … For a small to mid-sized company, compensation for a CTO typically includes: The VP of Engineering has a strong operational mindset and thinks about the balance between higher production and quality of code. If you’re a startup with a strong technical component, one of your founders is generally a CTO. The second bracket is Director level managers and key people (engineering and design superstars for sure). How much should you plan to invest in a Chief Architect? Some CTOs may be in a place and have an interest where they are willing to trade salary for equity, some won’t be. How much should you plan to invest in a VPE? and helping close tier-1 … They take the prototype and build it for commercial use. The VPE is generally more tactical and very team/productivity focused. One challenge of writing about these roles is that different companies define VP Engineering (VPE) and CTO roles very differently. If a VP of Engineering is involved before the B round, they may be rolling up their sleeves and possibly even doing some code reviews. As the company grows, the VPE becomes a maestro to a growing technical team, so they need to be able to effectively manage teams without getting too far in the weeds. They position companies to take great leaps forward—take Amazon CTO, Werner Vogels, or Uber CTO, Thuam Pham, for example. Enter your email address to subscribe to this blog and receive notifications of new posts by email. Having been a serial startup CTO let me offer you a slightly different perspective. Just like an architect building a house, they design a product that lasts versus one that has to be rebuilt three years down the road. As a result, they’re always building the next great solution. Usually, a startup will either have a VP of Engineering (R&D) or CTO -- having both can be overkill but does happen, especially if the technical founder needs help in implementing. In two words: they ensure execution. After 20 years of hiring these types of roles, I often get the same questions: I’ll cover the answers here and include “back of the napkin” compensation information for the average small to mid-sized company (obviously, it can vary extensively from an emerging Series A round company to a large company). Scope of the role: CTOs are expected to be technical leaders, but many organizations also expect them to play the role of VP of Engineering and CIO in certain cases. The first bracket is the senior management team; the CFO, Chief Revenue Officer/VP Sales, Chief Marketing Officer/VP Marketing, Chief Product Officer/VP Product, CTO, VP Eng, Chief People Officer/VP HR, General Counsel, and anyone else on the senior team. On occasion, the CTO is more operational than innovative. That question is best answered situationally and if you want to setup time with me for some advice feel free to email me. Where might I find data on … If you have decided that your goal is to become a CTO, then I recommend you direct your career towards that goal. A CTO is a visionary—plain and simple. Some companies … The CTO is generally more concerned with long-term technology strategy, architectural decisions, participating in fund-raising (pitching tech story etc.) They establish focus for the engineering team as its leader and make sure that deadlines are met. VPE vs CTO. The difference between a CTO and a VP Engineering Published on June 15, 2014 June 15, 2014 • 3,935 Likes • 178 Comments I was at $220K + >=3% at my last two startups. Early on, this role is typically played by either a senior developer or the CTO. A strong VP of Engineering understands how to build systems and processes that are appropriate for the size of their team and are always considering how to evolve them as the team scales. The data is above is very subjective and has many nuances. One thing I’ve learned working with many tech companies is that regardless of their technical prowess, a great CTO doesn’t necessarily equate to scalable business growth. The answer to this is generally tied to product complexity and the skills you have within your current engineering organization. Ronan McGovern Translational Fellows Program at MIT and Co-chair of the International Desalination Association Young Leaders Program March 23rd, 2015 We're shortly planning to raise a seed round of about $750k and are hiring a VP of engineering and a technical advisor. What roles do I need? Bonus: Less opportunity for bonus, more opportunity for equity. Share; answered Oct 25 '11 at 23:53. If you are interested in learning more about the specifics, please feel free to reach out to me directly: pmanning@bowdoingroup.com, When You Can’t Meet In-Person: 4 Tips for…, Is the Person You Know the Best Person for…. What's the right compensation for a VP of engineering at a seed stage company (~$750k invested)? | Best Engaging Communities. How much should you plan to invest in a CTO if hiring from outside the company? Technical leadership – the VP Engineering is responsible for co-developing the technical strategy with the CTO, and for developing and maintaining a technical roadmap that will continue to innovate from a technical standpoint. The Chief Architect typically reports in to whoever is running engineering. CTOs are always thinking about innovation and new product directions. This person makes sure that technical roadmap is executed, that the people that needs to be hired are hired and that the technical team has everything it needs to build and maintain the product. Chief Architect? The next question is how can I get on the more or show that I deserve more than the guideline range? He or she will be an excellent recruiter, a great communicator, and a great issue resolver. The VP of Engineering is often an executive leadership position, and generally reports either to the CEO (70% of the time) or CTO (30% of the time). 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