Vice President of Engineering: Role, Skills, Tools, and More

You’ve reached a stage where your engineering teams need more than just direction – they need strong, consistent leadership. Projects are growing, delivery cycles are tighter, and aligning technical strategy with your company’s goals feels more critical than ever.

That’s when having the right person in the right leadership role makes all the difference. A VP of engineering not only manages people but also brings structure, stability, and long-term focus to your entire engineering function.

In this article, you’ll learn what this role involves, why it matters, and how the right VP can transform your team’s output and set your business up for real growth. So, let’s start with the basics and look at what a VP of engineering is.

What Is a Vice President of Engineering?

A vice president of engineering is a senior executive who leads your engineering organization and connects your company’s goals to its technical execution.

It's worth noting that over 69,000 professionals hold this title in the U.S. alone. If you’re scaling quickly, this is typically the missing link.

This engineering VP role typically sits just below the chief technology officer (CTO) and directly oversees director-level leaders, engineering managers, and their teams.

While the CTO sets the broader technological vision, your VP of engineering focuses on running the day-to-day engineering operations. But we’ll discuss that in a few minutes.

Now that you know where the role fits, let’s explain why it matters for your company’s growth.

Why Do You Need a Vice President of Engineering?

If you're scaling your tech company, you'll need more than good engineers; you'll need strong engineering leadership. The demand for this role is on the rise.

Employment for roles such as VP of engineering (grouped under architectural and engineering management) is expected to grow by 6% between 2023 and 2033, faster than in most other fields.

Here are the most common reasons companies bring in a VP:

• You need someone to guide your engineering processes with experience and clarity.
• Your director of engineering is stretched too thin managing rapid growth.
• You’re struggling with project delivery timelines or unclear team responsibilities.
• Your company’s strategy needs a technical leader who can align teams with business goals.
• You want consistent leadership that supports both development workflows and long-term planning.

All of this takes us to the following key question...

What Does a Vice President of Engineering Do?

A VP of engineering is someone who reshapes how your engineering function operates and how it scales.

Farhan Thawar, VP of Engineering at Shopify, has a good explanation of this role:

From high-level strategy to process-level execution, here are the core responsibilities your VP will handle.

Sets the Direction for Technical Execution

The VP of engineering turns your product vision into something that’s buildable. You’ll rely on this person to define a clear technology strategy that supports your company’s growth goals.

They work closely with product leadership to translate big ideas into architecture decisions, delivery timelines, and scalable systems. Your VP connects your broader technical vision to the real-world execution that your development teams lead.

Builds and Leads Engineering Teams

If you’re trying to build high-performing teams, this is where your VP’s leadership skills shine. They manage the hiring process, mentor engineering managers, and create a structure that supports growth.

You’ll see them define clear roles, level expectations, and help team members grow into leadership roles. They also monitor your team's health to catch burnout, recognize top performers, and remove blockers before they become real problems.

Owns the Delivery Process

Your VP owns the engine that delivers your product. They oversee sprint planning, manage day-to-day operations, and ensure consistent delivery cycles. If there’s a delay, dependency issue, or quality concerns, they jump in fast to fix it immediately.

Side note: If you have any quality concerns, this article on software quality metrics can help you find and solve them faster.

They're not only running meetings: they're also responsible for delivering high-quality products on time without letting technical debt pile up. This role is critical for any software company that takes delivery seriously.

Aligns Engineering with the Business

Your VP isn’t buried in the code. Instead, they’re in board meetings, syncing with marketing and sales, and working with the executive team. You’ll need them to connect the dots between technical and business priorities, which is especially important as your company grows.

Their responsibility includes setting engineering goals that support the bigger company strategy and presenting real progress to high-level executives and the board of directors.

Owns Budgets and Resources

From headcount planning to tooling decisions, your VP owns the budget plan for the engineering department. They know where money is being spent, where it's wasted, and where to invest next. You can count on them to prioritize efficiently without slowing your momentum or sacrificing quality.

This role blends deep technical knowledge with seasoned management skills. If you're serious about scaling your software engineering department, this is one of the most critical hires you’ll make.

Vice President of Engineering Job Description

If you're wondering what a vice president of engineering does day-to-day, you're not alone. This role sits at the intersection of people, process, and product.

It’s all about ensuring your engineering team delivers high-quality work that supports your company’s goals. While the exact scope of responsibility can vary, here are the key parts of a typical job description for a vice president of engineering (and their basic “day in the life”):

• They define and drive your technology strategy in line with your product vision and long-term company goals.
• They lead, mentor, and scale development teams, including their direct reports across multiple engineering functions. They may also need to find and hire talented engineers.
• They oversee sprint planning, system architecture, and overall product delivery with a sharp focus on execution.
• They create structure across engineering roles and improve internal processes so your team can move faster and smarter.
• They collaborate cross-functionally with product, design, and operations to ensure all teams work toward shared outcomes.
• The VP owns the budget plan for your software engineering department, from headcount to tooling to resourcing.
• They ensure the timely delivery of high-quality products and features without sacrificing technical integrity along the way.

As you can see, a VP of engineering’s day-to-day centers on strategic planning, sprint execution, performance reviews, and ensuring your team of engineers stays focused and motivated through clear leadership skills.

Vice President of Engineering Salary

If you’re hiring a VP of engineering, you should expect to offer a competitive salary that reflects the weight of the role.

As of March 2025, different sources report slightly different figures for the average salary of a vice president of engineering. For example, Salary.com reports the U.S. average to be around $247,523/year for candidates with 8+ years of experience.

That said, compensation can vary widely by source depending on the data set used. Some pull from self-reported salaries, others from job listings or proprietary benchmarks.

For instance, Salary.com shows entry-level VPs earning $234,527, while a Senior-Level Vice President of Engineering may earn around $238,972. Meanwhile, Glassdoor reports a median package of $262,185, which typically includes base salary plus bonuses or equity. Smaller tech companies and early-stage startups may offer less, while enterprise firms or those using cutting-edge technology typically pay at the higher end for executive-level talent.

Of course, pay depends heavily on what skills and qualifications a great VP of engineering brings to the table. So, let's talk about that for a second.

VP of Engineering Skills and Qualifications

Hiring a VP of engineering means finding someone with a rare mix of technical expertise and leadership instincts. Here are the skills and qualifications you should be looking for.

• Hard skills: Deep knowledge of software architecture, cloud platforms, DevOps workflows, and security best practices. Experience with scaling software technologies and optimizing technical processes.
• Soft skills: Strong leadership, communication, and decision-making abilities. A strategic focus that aligns engineering with your business goals.
• Certifications: Certified ScrumMaster (CSM), AWS Certified Solutions Architect, Certified Information Systems Security Professional (CISSP), and PMI Program Management Professional (PgMP) are some certifications this role may need.

The VP of engineering at Qualtrics has more advice on the skills that help a person in this role grow:

Pro tip: Look for someone with a strong background in engineering management and strategic planning. They’ll bring clarity to your team and momentum to your roadmap.

How to Become a Vice President of Engineering

If you're aiming to fill a VP of engineering role internally or wondering how candidates typically get there, it's all about growth (both in skills and scope). This isn’t a climb that comes with years of experience, smart decisions, and showing leadership under pressure. Here are the common steps:

• Start as a software engineer, then move into engineering management roles, such as team lead, tech lead, or engineering manager. This is where you begin overseeing other developers and influencing technical decisions.
• Progress into a director role, where you lead teams and shape strategy.
• Take on leadership roles that include cross-functional collaboration and ownership of core responsibilities.
• Pursue certifications such as PMI Program Management Professional or executive-level training programs in tech leadership.
• Develop a strategic focus and a strong background in tech and business alignment.

Emily Nakashima, VP of Engineering at Honeycomb.io, explains:

Knowing where the VP of engineering fits in your leadership structure is also worth knowing to fully understand the role.

Who Does the VP of Engineering Report To?

Your VP of engineering usually reports to the CTO, but depending on your company’s structure, they might also report to the CEO or COO. Early-stage startups typically work directly with the founding teams or executive officers and may take on dual responsibilities until the leadership bench grows.

In larger enterprises with more specialized roles, they typically report to the CTO and focus on aligning engineering efforts with long-term product goals. No matter the setup, this reporting line shapes how well your VP can drive executive-level alignment and turn your technical department into a structured, high-performing unit.

CTO vs. VP of Engineering

The CTO focuses on vision and innovation – what’s next, what’s possible, and how to stay ahead. Your VP of engineering, on the other hand, leads the execution and delivery – how things get built, how teams remain productive, and how delivery happens on time.

Cloud computing technology executive Marc Ferrentino has a unique view on this:

You'll usually need both when your company hits a certain size or complexity. In early-stage startups, one person might handle both roles, but over time, splitting them brings sharper focus and executive-level alignment across your technical org.

Is a CTO Higher Than a VP of Engineering?

Yes, typically. Your CTO often sits at the executive level, guiding long-term direction and leading with a technical edge. However, in smaller companies, the VP of engineering can be the top technical leader, especially if your current needs lean more toward execution than vision. It’s all about what your team needs right now.

Director of Engineering vs. VP of Engineering

Directors are tactical since they focus on managing teams, overseeing technical processes, and driving daily execution. Your VP, on the other hand, is strategic. They lead the entire engineering organization, own the roadmap, and ensure alignment with company goals.

While both are critical roles, the VP brings longer-term planning, executive-level alignment, and broader oversight. If you need someone to shape direction and not just manage delivery, VPs of engineering bring that extra layer of leadership.

Now, let’s look at how this role drives company growth.

How Does a VP of Engineering Contribute to Company Growth?

When you're thinking about scaling your engineering organization, the VP of engineering plays a huge role in making that happen. They're managing people and shaping the future of your product, process, and performance. Here are a few specific ways they drive real growth:

• They improve engineering processes so your team can ship faster, reduce roadblocks, and scale delivery as your business grows.
• They attract and retain top engineering talent by creating a culture where engineers can thrive, grow, and do their best work. Of course, they’re involved in the hands-on recruiting process, too.
• They align your tech investments with business expansion to connect your roadmap to real goals and customer value.

You can see this in action across some of the biggest names in tech. At eBay, Raji Arasu helped scale infrastructure for massive e-commerce traffic while building internal mentorship for women in tech.

At Apple, John Ternus helped drive innovation across flagship hardware such as AirPods and iPads. Tesla’s Michael Schwekutsch led the engineering push behind the Model 3's production system, which was the key to making electric vehicles mainstream.

Your VP of engineering is a growth driver, a problem solver, and someone who turns your company strategy into real momentum.

Tools that Vice Presidents of Engineering Need

As a VP of engineering, the right tools give you a clear view of what’s working, what’s lagging, and where your teams need support. Axify allows you to get real-time insights into engineering efficiency, delivery speed, and team health (all in one place).

You can track progress, spot blockers early, and keep your roadmap moving without the guesswork. It’s built for engineering leaders who want clarity and impact.

We specifically recommend the Value Stream Mapping tool for VPs of engineering because it provides a bird's-eye view of the entire SDLC.

Apart from Axify, you might also need tools that help automate deployment metrics or visualize sprint planning. Anything that reduces status meetings and gives you actionable data is a win.

If you want a clearer view of your team’s performance and better outcomes without micromanaging, Axify is built exactly for that.

Conclusion: Empower Your VP of Engineering with Axify

If you’re bringing in a VP of engineering to lead your tech organization, don’t leave them guessing. With Axify, they get the insights they need to make smarter decisions – faster. From tracking delivery performance to increasing developer productivity, optimizing resource allocation, and predicting software delivery dates, Axify turns raw data into clarity that your VP can act on.

You don’t need more dashboards; you only need the right ones. Axify is built for engineering leaders who want results, not just reports. If you're serious about scaling your company, give your VP the data and context to lead well.

Book a demo with Axify and see how it fits your team.