On Thu, Nov 7, 2013 at 10:38 PM, Erik Moeller <erik(a)wikimedia.org> wrote:
2) We don't award Architect as a job title beyond
the original
triumvirate, but we _do_ introduce a Senior Software Engineer II (same
band as the Architect band), and would define some criteria for that,
among which proven architectural leadership could be one. We can
choose to still recognize any continued membership in something like a
core maintainers groups etc. in a person's role, but that's decoupled
from the salary band and can change, consistent with the idea that it
should be OK for an architect to spend time doing other fun &
important things, rather than being locked into one set of
responsibilities forever.
I think the second is more consistent with the tenor of the discussion
here so far, because in the first case, the coupling between job
titles and responsibilities in our community might be too tight to
maintain flexibility and openness. It would also recognize that
technical leadership doesn't _just_ mean taking on broad architectural
responsibilities. So for example development of unique and
mission-critical domain expertise might be another way to progress
into Sr. II.
I personally think this route (separating the role of architectural
leadership from the title/pay band of WMF employees) is the most
reasonable way forward. I also think it fits well with the concepts of
role flexibility that Erik has been expressing. Being given the title
of Architect was a nice recognition of my value to the organization at
my last employer, but it was actually a bit of a hindrance during my
recent job search. Many recruiters were initially reluctant to put my
resume forth for positions that required hands-on software development
because they equated the Architect title with strategic planning more
than top-tier development. I don't think that Tim, Brion or Mark would
have any trouble demonstrating their abilities to anyone they decided
they would rather work for, but it's something to be cognizant of.
I think that picking the title "Senior Software Engineer II" may be
underselling the value of this highest tier to the outside world. In
my recent job search I saw a bit of the tech ladder side of the org
chart for several companies. Most of the ladders I saw had a title of
"Principal Engineer" for the top level of non-management engineers.
Bryan
--
Bryan Davis Wikimedia Foundation <bd808(a)wikimedia.org>
[[m:User:BDavis_(WMF)]] Sr Software Engineer Boise, ID
irc: bd808 v:415.839.6885 x6855