The competencies for Principal Engineer (Individual Contributor) in Engineering are outlined below. Before reviewing them, it is helpful to review how to use these competencies.
Effectively manages activities within the available people, resources and keeps to expected or communicated timelines. Includes contributing to task break-down and estimating.
Leads large-scale planning initiatives, ensuring technical and business alignment. Prepares estimates and costs across large projects, factoring dependencies and risks.
Works independently as an individual at each level, showing self-reliance and initiative, and takes responsibility for completing tasks and seeing them through to completion.
Operates as a self-sufficient leader in the organisation, driving strategic initiatives and solving complex problems with little to no supervision.
Makes well-judged and timely decisions, identifies problems, and creates effective solutions.
Identifies systemic problems, develops long-term solutions, and makes critical technology decisions impacting strategy, including use of vendors. Effectively consults and seeks data to support decision-making.
Recognises the broader business context and strategically aligns actions to support organisational goals.
Initiates and leads projects that drive significant business outcomes, often spanning multiple teams or products or systems. Demonstrates high degree of awareness and applies context of the business areas they work with. Champions quality of technical solutions and architecture. Contributes to financial and vendor management to achieve desired results.
Effectively listens, understands, and conveys messages in a way that is appropriate to the audience - including verbal, written, use of diagrammes. Uses a range of techniques to influence and make persuasive arguments. Adopts a patient, empathic style, avoids jargon, and checks for understanding in others.
Role models clear, concise, effective communication, assists teams in active listening, communicates difficult messages, and uses feedback to drive improvements, adapts communication to engage diverse audiences.
Collaborates effectively across the organisation.
Influences cross-functional collaboration and knowledge sharing, influences and requires input from multiple teams, and promotes an inclusive culture where different opinions are heard.
Continuously seeks and creates opportunities for learning and growth.
Encourages continuous learning and innovation by solving complex problems, experimenting with new approaches, and fostering a culture of improvement, both for themselves and for the development of others.
Guides oneself and inspires & develops others to achieve common goals. Reflects on their personal growth to identify areas to enhance their performance and for further development.
Leads change across a broad technology domain, shaping and defining a technical vision, and fostering a climate of trust across teams. Guides teams in developing reliable, maintainable software that aligns with the company’s strategic objectives. Provides close technical leadership and support to engineering teams, particularly tech leads.
Demonstrates and shares technical and domain expertise, and develops high-quality, secure and reliable software solutions following industry standards.