Engineering Leadership

Area of Impact

Size and scope of the management challenge, including the number of teams and the budget. Decision-making level and impact

M3

Engineering Manager

Action Area Teams / Track
Decision Level Team / Track Oriented
Team Size Up to 10 people
Primarily focused on team execution excellence, supports team members' growth and development, and works closely with Product, Design and other departments, tracks/teams to align on goals.
Responsible for their team(s) delivery against established roadmaps.
Owns delivery outcomes for their team(s).
Decisions typically have team-level impact and are often reversibleBy reversible we mean that an effort to reverse the decision takes no more than a certain threshold. For now we've chosen it as 1 sprint.. Consults senior peers or directors for more difficult decisions.
Can be a DRI (Directly Responsible Individual), during team/track initiatives.
M4

Senior Engineering Manager

Action Area Teams / Track / Department
Decision Level Track / R&D Oriented
Team Size Up to 10 people
Defines and leads the technical strategy across multiple teams.
Supports multi-team initiatives and fosters a healthy, high-performing culture.
Can be a DRI (Directly Responsible Individual), driving cross-team/track initiatives.
Should be able to manage other managers whenever that is needed on their tracks.
Handles most situations independently. Has a structured process for making decisions.
Decisions have a wider impact, often affecting multiple teams or a functional area. Decisions made on that level are still reversible.

Leadership

Continuously expands the potential as a leader and strengthens as a role model. Reliable and proactive partner

M3

Engineering Manager

Communication & Influence

Communicates with clarity, empathy, and effectiveness, both in writing and verbally, with team members and stakeholders. Translates complex technical topics into understandable information and influences team direction, daily work, to broader business strategy and vision.

Behavioral Examples
Writes clear, concise, and actionable emails, documents, and messages.
Presents updates and technical information to the team and stakeholders in an organized and engaging manner.
Drives communication between Product, Design, and Engineering teams, ensuring that everyone involved in planning and executing initiatives is aligned on expected outcomes and timelines.
Success Indicators
Team members clearly understand their goals and the rationale behind them.
Stakeholders report that communications are clear, informative, and timely.
Leading Organizational Change

Identifies and embeds opportunities for process improvements within their teams or scope of influence. Contributes to or leads small to medium change efforts by collaborating with stakeholders, clearly communicating rationale and outcomes, and supporting a team culture that is open to feedback and learning.

Behavioral Examples
Identifies inefficiencies or bottlenecks and proposes pragmatic improvements with a clear rationale.
Actively contributes to the planning and execution of process or organizational changes, ensuring team alignment and understanding.
Anticipates and addresses early signs of resistance by listening to concerns and adapting approaches.
Success Indicators
Implements small to medium process changes that lead to measurable improvements in team/domain productivity, quality, or collaboration.
Team members are engaged in improvement discussions and feel ownership over change efforts.
Feedback loops (retrospectives, surveys, post-mortems) result in actionable changes.
M4

Senior Engineering Manager

Communication & Influence

Communicates with clarity and impact across all levels of the organization. Simplifies complex technical or strategic topics for diverse audiences. Influences decisions and outcomes beyond their direct reports by driving alignment across teams through clear, persuasive, and empathetic communication.

Behavioral Examples
Presents complex technical information or strategic proposals clearly to non-technical or senior audiences.
Effectively communicate with stakeholders to support key technical or strategic initiatives beneficial to their area and PandaDoc.
Success Indicators
Communicates complex topics clearly and tailors the message appropriately for the audience.
Has influenced cross-team or org-level decisions through strong communication and alignment efforts.
The result of communication efforts is measured by feedback together with the success indicators of influenced initiatives.
Leading Organizational Change

Identifies, implements, and embeds opportunities for significant process or structural improvements within their area of responsibility. Effectively manages medium-scale change initiativesIt's larger than a single-team improvement, but smaller than company-wide restructuring or enterprise transformation. by engaging stakeholders, proactively addressing resistance. Fosters a culture of continuous improvement and learning within their teams.

Behavioral Examples
Develops well-reasoned proposals for process or structural improvements and gains support.
Leads change initiatives, ensuring clear communication, stakeholder engagement, and effective management of resistance.
Success Indicators
Successfully implements change initiatives with measurable improvements in efficiency and quality.
Teams actively participate in continuous improvement efforts, with documented learnings and adaptations.

People Growth

Unlocks people's potential through identifying growth opportunities and enabling the continuous fit of culture, personal development, and business needs

M3

Engineering Manager

Hiring

Contributes effectively to hiring by conducting unbiased interviews that uphold a high talent bar and ensure a positive candidate experience.

Behavioral Examples
Acts as hiring manager for the team, understands current team structure, and knows how to fill skill gaps.
Participates actively in interviews, providing calibrated and helpful feedback.
Holds accountability for the hiring pipeline and candidate velocity.
Works with the TA team to fill in the planned headcount.
Ensures new team members have clear onboarding plans and 30-60-90-day goal/s.
Success Indicators
High-quality hires integrate well and meet their performance expectations.
Candidate experience feedback is positive, with candidates reporting fairness and clarity in the process.
Team skill gaps are reduced, and team capacity improves after the hires.
Hiring pipelines are healthy with roles filled within expected timelines w/o sacrificing the quality.
Growth

Helps team members grow by understanding their goals and giving regular, helpful, and actionable feedback. Applies comprehensive performance management practices, raising the bar on teams' productivity. Creates a good learning environment where people can grow in a way that helps achieve PandaDoc's goals. Maintains a healthy, engaged team environment that supports strong retention.

Behavioral Examples
Conducts regular, effective 1-1s, focusing on development, performance, and team/individual well-being.
Addresses performance issues early with constructive action plans.
Evaluates the performance of the team members fairly and shares feedback for their further growth.
Discusses career aspirations with employees at least twice a year, manages their career development plans through IDPs quarterly.
Regularly invites, acknowledges, and acts on the feedback.
Understands different working styles and adjusts team practices to accommodate them.
Success Indicators
Team members show measurable skills improvements.
Engineers report through engagement surveys a supportive, growth-oriented environment and positive experiences.
Underperformance is managed effectively with documented coaching/performance improvement plans.
Internal promotions and role transitions occur regularly and are aligned with business needs.
M4

Senior Engineering Manager

Hiring

Owns and drives hiring strategy for their teams. Makes independent hiring decisions. Coaches ICs in candidate assessment and aligns with best practices in the industry. Elevates hiring processes across their track.

Behavioral Examples
Defines and implements a hiring plan for their area, aligning with skillset needs.
Aligns organisational career framework with best hiring practices and ensures consistent usage of them during the hiring process.
Anticipate future skill needs and partner with the talent acquisition team and peers to proactively build a talent pipeline.
Develops hiring strategy for their teams and makes trade-offs where necessary.
Coaches other ICs and future leaders on advanced interviewing techniques and objective candidate evaluation.
Ensures onboarding programs are effective across teams, driving early productivity and engagement.
Success Indicators
New hires are consistently meeting or exceeding expectations and are integrated well.
New hires show healthy retention in the first 6-12 months.
Teams are staffed with the right mix of skill and experience to meet the business goals.
Growth

Increase development effectiveness by focusing on technical and leadership growth for Senior+ ICs (other EMs whenever it is required) across multiple teams. Creates a culture of coaching, career development, and psychological safety across multiple teams. Ensures people's growth by strengthening both individual potential and PandaDoc's long-term success.

Behavioral Examples
Provides regular, impactful mentorship to Senior+ ICs across multiple teams and other EMs (occasionally).
Creates a coaching culture across multiple teams. Identifies and helps to nurture future leaders.
Embeds and co-designs consistent performance management practices across multiple teams. Helps to improve organizational performance management review processes.
Aligns organisational career framework with best practices and ensures consistent usage of them during career conversations.
Identifies opportunities and encourages team members to increase their impact at PandaDoc.
Success Indicators
Demonstrated growth and skill development of Senior+ ICs through effective coaching/mentoring.
Successors are identified for key roles across the teams.
Increased cross-team initiatives driven bottom upReflects a culture where engineers act as product partners, not just delivery executors — actively shaping outcomes alongside product and design..
Positive and consistent trends in eNPS/Pulse scores across all engagement drivers.
High-performers are recognised and retained.

Leading Teams

Unlocks teams potential to build and grow self-organizing teams: a healthy culture of collaboration, communication, and great maturity

M3

Engineering Manager

Building Team Culture

Builds an inclusive, safe, and high-trust team environment where everyone feels respected and empowered to contribute their best. Actively promotes PandaDoc's LIFE values, encourages mutual respect, and supports a healthy work-life balance.

Behavioral Examples
Proactively monitors team health, mediating conflicts.
Recognizes and addresses early signs of burnout and disengagement.
Ensures the team maintains a healthy work-life balance.
Models the company's LIFE values in day-to-day interaction.
Organizes (or helps with) team activities that boost morale, collaboration, and a sense of belonging.
Success Indicators
Team members report high trust, safety, and inclusion in engagement surveys.
Observed improvements in team collaboration, morale, and conflict resolution.
Effectively leverages conflict management mechanics to de-escalate issues early, ensuring that any necessary escalation is well-timed, transparent, and constructively handled.
The team maintains a sustainable pace without recurring burnout issues.
Team members feel empowered to share ideas and feedback openly.
Cross-functional Collaboration

Builds and maintains strong relationships across functions (Product, Design, Research, Data, Security, etc.). Ensures clear and proactive communication regarding team progress, dependencies, and challenges. Actively works to resolve blockers that span team boundaries.

Behavioral Examples
Creates an environment to ensure regular communication with PMs, Designers and other departments regarding project status, risks, and dependencies.
Works effectively with other EMs to resolve issues impacting multiple teams.
Success Indicators
Positive 360 feedback from cross-functional partners (Design, Product, Research, Infrastructure, Security, etc), highlighting effective collaboration.
Dependencies and blockers are proactively identified, tracked, and resolved.
M4

Senior Engineering Manager

Building Team Culture

Drives the development of a healthy, inclusive, and high-performing engineering culture across multiple teams or an entire area. Proactively addresses inter-team dynamics and conflict, psychological safety, and coaches their teams to uphold the PandaDoc values.

Behavioral Examples
Proactively identifies and addresses cross-team or organizational cultural issues (silos, lack of collaboration, etc.).
Coaches Senior+ ICs (other EMs occasionally) on strategies for building a positive, productive, and inclusive environment.
Able to change and influence the team's culture.
Ensures cultural alignment in decision-making, rituals, and leadership behaviors.
Success Indicators
Improvements in trust and psychological safety, confirmed via feedback or surveys and cross-team collaboration.
Multiple teams report strong psychological safety and trust in engagement surveys across the managed area.
EPD collaboration improves, with fewer conflicts escalating.
Cross-functional Collaboration

Enables smooth and effective collaboration between their engineering teams and other functions like Product, Design, Research, Data, Marketing, Sales, and other engineering groups. Manages complex stakeholder dynamics. Resolves misalignments and navigates dependencies effectively.

Behavioral Examples
Establishes clear processes and expectations for collaboration between their engineering teams and other departments.
Represents engineering perspectives persuasively and constructively in cross-functional planning or review meetings.
Success Indicators
The teams have clear collaboration processes that work effectively with other functions/engineering tracks.
Successfully resolves cross-team or cross-area conflicts and misalignments, fostering positive working relationships.
Cross-team initiatives and bottom-up contributionsReflects a culture where engineers act as product partners, not just delivery executors — actively shaping outcomes alongside product and design. increase, showing empowered and engaged engineers.

Value Delivery

Contributes to the business vision goals and translate it into value delivery execution through teams

M3

Engineering Manager

Execution & Delivery Excellence

Ensures the team consistently delivers high-quality work on time by using effective agile and engineering practices. Helps the team remove delivery blockers early, monitors key metrics, and accounts for operational stability for team-owned services. Often acts as the Directly Responsible Individual (DRI) for team initiatives and can act as DRI on the track initiative level.

Behavioral Examples
Facilitates (or ensures effective facilitation of) team planning and PBR to create realistic commitments aligned with priorities.
Monitors team progress, swiftly addressing blockers and risks to delivery.
Success Indicators
Consistent on-time delivery of quality work by the team.
Measurable improvements in team delivery metrics (cycle time, bug rates, etc.).
Consistent achievement of team product and technical goals.
Product Focus

Develops a deep understanding of the product domain, user needs, and pain points. Collaborates effectively with PM and Design (Research, Data, Security, etc) partners to define features, refine user experience, and ensure technical feasibility, always keeping customer needs in mind when making technical decisions.

Behavioral Examples
Actively participates in product discussions, offering technical insights and advocating for user needs.
Helps the team understand the "why" behind features by connecting work to customer problems and value.
Success Indicators
Constructive collaboration with PM/Design positively influences product decisions for impact.
Technical decisions demonstrably consider and align with user needs and product goals.
Strategic Thinking

Collaborates with PM to support team-level prioritization across new features, technical quality, operational needs, and technical debt, using a clear and transparent framework to maximize impact. Makes data-informed trade-off decisions and clearly communicates the rationale, consulting senior team members for complex or higher-impact choices.

Behavioral Examples
Uses a consistent framework to guide team prioritization.
Clearly communicates priorities and their underlying rationale to the team and stakeholders.
Success Indicators
A documented and consistently applied prioritization framework is used by the team.
Decisions reflect a balance between short-term deliverables and long-term technical health using a data-driven approach, with learnings documented.
M4

Senior Engineering Manager

Execution & Delivery Excellence

Ensures predictable, high-quality execution across multiple teams by tracking and improving delivery OKRs. Acts as the DRI for complex, cross-functional initiatives. Improves team autonomy and operational efficiency through targeted process and tooling enhancements within their area.

Behavioral Examples
Implements and monitors OKRs to improve delivery across teams.
Leads complex, cross-functional initiatives, ensuring clear communication, coordination, and risk management.
Success Indicators
On-time, high-quality delivery of cross-team initiatives.
Clear efficiency and quality gains from process or tooling enhancements implemented in their area.
Owns at least one key business or product metric with demonstrable impact on users, revenue, SLA's or customer satisfaction.
Product Focus

Demonstrates a deep understanding of the product and its business context. Understanding and being able to share how the engineering works in their area adds value to the customer and the business. Collaborates effectively with product/design/data partners to shape product/engineering strategy and roadmaps for their area of responsibility.

Behavioral Examples
Engages in strategic discussions with Product Managers, contributing insights on technical feasibility, opportunities, and risks.
Helps teams connect their technical work to the broader product vision and customer impact.
Success Indicators
A clear connection exists between the engineering output of their area and measurable impact on business (via product metrics or internal processes improvements).
Makes strong, influential contributions to the product strategy and roadmap for their area, measured by EPD feedback and area success metrics.
Strategic Thinking

Owns engineering strategy and priorities within their area. Makes sound trade-offs between short-term needs and long-term goals. Proactively anticipates future risks and roadblocks for their area's objectives and develops effective mitigation plans.

Behavioral Examples
Ensures engineering strategy alignment between their area and overall business goals.
Makes well-reasoned data-driven trade-off decisions (speed vs. quality, new features vs. tech debt) for their area, documenting rationale.
Works on budget execution and recommendations/cost control in the area and procurement management.
Success Indicators
Is an active and influential contributor to strategic planning processes for their area (together with Product and Design counterparts).
Documented risk mitigation and long-term impact considerations are part of their area's initiatives.

Technology

Has a strong technical background and acts as the Technical Product owner, and drives the engineering excellence: compliance with standards, effective production practices, and quality assurance. Leads technology alignment with company strategy

M3

Engineering Manager

Strategy & Vision

Drives/able to drive technical vision and architecture at the team level. Demonstrates solid understanding of the team's technology stack, architecture, and technical challenges enough to make a decision. Is actively involved in architectural discussions and decisions, ensuring solutions are well-designed, scalable, align with best practices, and consider long-term impact. Proactively manages and prioritizes technical debt. Able to choose any framework to build a high-performing team(s).

Behavioral Examples
Participates in technical design reviews, advocating for robust and scalable solutions.
Works with the team to identify, prioritize, and make progress on reducing technical debt.
Success Indicators
Understand and be able to explain the team's architecture and tech stack decisions.
Solutions delivered meet near-term design and scalability needs, with regular reduction of impactful technical debt.
Quality

Builds a quality-first mindset within the team(s) by promoting robust testing strategies, automation, and effective observability. Takes ownership of the team's operational health, including proactive system monitoring, leading effective incident response, and driving preventative actions from postmortems.

Behavioral Examples
Ensures the team adheres to established quality assurance practices (code reviews, testing).
Leads or contributes significantly to incident response, focusing on rapid resolution and clear communication.
Ensures vulnerabilities/postmortem action items owned by the team(s) are addressed according to the company's strategy.
Success Indicators
Reduced incident recurrence due to effective postmortems and preventative actions.
M4

Senior Engineering Manager

Strategy & Vision

Defines, communicates, and drives technical strategy for their area of responsibility (multiple teams), ensuring alignment with broader organizational goals. Balances tactical execution with long-term technical vision, helps teams apply shared best practices consistently, and proactively identifies and mitigates architectural and technical risks within their scope.

Behavioral Examples
Implements and works with a technical roadmap for team(s), linking it to business objectives.
Leads architectural discussions and decisions that impact multiple teams within their area.
Success Indicators
A well-documented technical strategy is addressed across the team(s)/track.
Proactive identification and mitigation of technical risks within the functional area.
Quality

Promotes a strong culture of engineering excellence, reliability, and operational health across their team(s). Identifies and addresses systemic reliability gaps. Leads efforts to enhance monitoring, alerting, and incident response capabilities for their area, leveraging metrics and data to guide improvements.

Behavioral Examples
Leads efforts to improve overall system reliability and reduce operational burden.
Uses data from incidents to identify trends and drive impactful preventative actions.
Success Indicators
Noticeable improvements in quality metrics (defect rates, system uptime, etc.) across the area.
Reliability and incident management initiatives that improved uptime or reduced incidents.
Noticeable improvements in vulnerability close rate.

Glossary

Reversible decision
By reversible we mean that an effort to reverse the decision takes no more than a certain threshold. For now we've chosen it as 1 sprint.
Bottom-up contributions
Reflects a culture where engineers act as product partners, not just delivery executors — actively shaping outcomes alongside product and design.
Medium-scale change initiative
It's larger than a single-team improvement, but smaller than company-wide restructuring or enterprise transformation.