Thoughts on Engineering Leadership, Technical Growth, Organizational Structure, Code, and Everything In Between
Thoughts on Engineering Leadership, Technical Growth, Organizational Dynamics, and Code.
This post outlines six essential traits of exceptional software engineers consistent delivery, influential collaboration, upward management, pragmatic decision-making, complexity reduction, and growth mindset. Moving beyond technical skills, these characteristics form the foundation of engineering excellence and can be developed through conscious practice.
In my journey into management, I've found that self-awareness and clear communication are key. Tools like the 'Working with Me' document really help set expectations and make collaboration smoother without micromanaging. Regular check-ins, open feedback, and balancing data-driven insights with gut feelings support both personal and team growth. This post also includes my own 'Working with Me' document as an example, but also to give you a better idea of how I operate.
In this blog post, I share six key lessons I've learned from my journey into management. You'll discover the challenges of transitioning from hands-on work to leading a team, the importance of avoiding micromanagement, and how to prioritize team outcomes.
In this blogpost we delve into the challenges and resilience required in leadership during the tech industry's fluctuating landscape. This post navigates through personal layoffs experiences, offering insights into maintaining team spirit, navigating change, and learning from adversity. From Costa Rica to Berlin, it shares valuable lessons on empathy, resilience, and the continuous journey of growth amidst uncertainty.
Navigating the complex intersection of effort and result, it becomes evident that focusing on the most impactful activities for you and your team is essential.This process-centric mindset resonates deeply within the realm of software development, where creativity, innovation, and focused collaboration intertwine to weave the fabric of groundbreaking products and solutions.
Techniques for leveraging Impostor Syndrome to enhance your role as a manager while emphasizing the significance of embracing discomfort, fostering self-awareness, and cultivating a culture of continuous learning.
I've led high-performing engineering teams across Europe, the United States, and Latin America for over 15 years. My passion lies in mentoring future engineering leaders and cultivating supportive, thriving communities
I'm deeply committed to helping engineers seamlessly transition into leadership roles, all while fostering an environment of growth and support within organizations. I'm an active contributor to open-source projects and a strong advocate for collaboration and knowledge-sharing in the developer community.
Outside of work, I spearhead non-profit initiatives focused on wildlife conservation in Latin America. In my free time, I enjoy photography, running, and cycling—often mixing these hobbies for added fun.
Director of Platform Engineering
Zenjob, Berlin, Germany
2022 - Present
I oversee a diverse team of over 20 engineers, ranging from junior engineers to staff engineers, along with engineering managers. My teams spearheads Zenjob's Core Engineering Infrastructure, focusing on advanced tooling and platform engineering initiatives.
I also helm our security operations, with a particular emphasis on application security and data compliance measures.
Our Corporate IT functions as an integrated engineering team, adopting engineering-centric practices and methodologies.
I'm responsible for the overall strategy and execution of our IT roadmap, including the management of our IT budget and vendor relationships.
Additionally, our AI operations team serve as a strategic asset to all internal departments, automating routine tasks, predicting and mitigating operational challenges, and fueling innovation across the board.
I'm a member of the Engineering Leadership Team, where I collaborate with other leaders to shape our engineering strategy and culture.
Director of Engineering - Core Platforms
SoundCloud, Berlin, Germany
2016 - 2022
Led a dynamic organization of over 50 multi-platform engineers, including 7 Engineering Managers and 4 Platform Leads.
My org operates at the heart of SoundCloud engineering, we build tooling, frameworks, APIs, backend systems.
Developing the best practices that support all the engineering efforts in SoundCloud.
Engineering Manager & Tech Lead
Soin Labs, San Jose, Costa Rica
2011 - 2016
I founded, hired, and led the Soin Labs team, a 25-person cross-platform engineering team.
In charge of our long-term technical strategy, I scaled and restructured the engineering organization to adapt to changing needs.
I prioritized creating an inclusive, empathetic, high-performance culture focused on growth. Under my watch, we built robust mobile engineering teams that launched multiple apps, each attracting hundreds of thousands of users, and expanded both our organization and product line into new platforms.
In partnership with our recruiting team, I revamped our engineering hiring process for better talent acquisition. As the company's senior-most engineering leader, I also played a key role in establishing a remote-first culture, allowing us to draw from a diverse, global talent pool.
Senior Software Developer & Tech Lead
Telcentris - Voxox, San Diego, CA
2006 - 2011
Led the Voxox client team distributed between San Diego CA and Costa Rica.
In charge of award winning multi platform Voice Over IP Software.
My team re-architected and simplified the Client Applications, launched the redesign of voxox.com, and laid the foundation for the iOS and Android Apps.
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