- 1.VP of Engineerings earn a median salary of $169,510 with 15% projected growth (BLS, 2025)
- 2.VPs of Engineering focus on the 'why'—setting vision and strategy—while Directors focus on the 'how' (execution). VPs manage directors (third-line management), set multi-year technical roadmaps, and influence company-wide engineering culture. The phrase 'building the airplane while flying it' captures the VP role during hyper-growth: balancing urgent delivery with sustainable systems.
- 3.Experienced Directors of Engineering ready to move into executive leadership. Requires exceptional strategic thinking, executive presence, and proven track record of scaling engineering organizations. Must be comfortable with ambiguity, organizational politics, and high-stakes decision making.
- 4.Daily work involves diverse technical and collaborative tasks
- 5.Top states: California ($114,750), New York ($97,750), Massachusetts ($95,200)
What Is a VP of Engineering?
Vice Presidents of Engineering are executive leaders who drive the overall engineering strategy, manage large engineering organizations, and ensure technical excellence aligns with business objectives. They serve as the bridge between C-suite strategy and engineering execution, overseeing directors and managing the complete engineering function. VPs typically manage 50-200+ engineers across multiple teams and are accountable for multi-million dollar budgets.
What makes this role unique: VPs of Engineering focus on the 'why'—setting vision and strategy—while Directors focus on the 'how' (execution). VPs manage directors (third-line management), set multi-year technical roadmaps, and influence company-wide engineering culture. The phrase 'building the airplane while flying it' captures the VP role during hyper-growth: balancing urgent delivery with sustainable systems.
Best suited for: Experienced Directors of Engineering ready to move into executive leadership. Requires exceptional strategic thinking, executive presence, and proven track record of scaling engineering organizations. Must be comfortable with ambiguity, organizational politics, and high-stakes decision making.
With 524,800 professionals employed nationwide and 15% projected growth, this is a strong career choice. Explore Computer Science degree programs to get started.
VP of Engineering
SOC 11-3021A Day in the Life of a VP of Engineering
A typical day for a vp of engineering involves diverse responsibilities across different phases of work.
How to Become a VP of Engineering: Step-by-Step Guide
Total Time: 4 yearsChoose Your Entry Path
Select the educational path that fits your situation and learning style.
- Director of Engineering ready for executive scope
- Senior Director managing large organization
- CTO at smaller company seeking larger organization
- Principal/Staff Engineer with exceptional leadership trajectory
Master Core Tools
Learn the essential tools and technologies for this role.
- Executive Dashboards: Custom dashboards for organizational health, delivery metrics, and strategic KPIs
- Portfolio Management: Jira Portfolio, Monday
- Financial Tools: Budget management, headcount planning, and financial forecasting tools
- Communication Platforms: Slack, Teams, Zoom for executive and organizational communication
Build Technical Skills
Develop proficiency in core concepts and patterns.
- Strategic Technical Vision (Critical): Setting long-term technical direction that enables business strategy
- Organizational Design (Critical): Structuring engineering teams for scale, efficiency, and innovation
- Technical Due Diligence (High): Evaluating technical acquisitions, partnerships, and major investments
- Architecture Oversight (High): Ensuring technical architecture supports current and future business needs
Build Your Portfolio
Create projects that demonstrate your skills to employers.
- Complete this step to progress in your career
Advance Your Career
Progress through career levels by building experience and expertise.
- Engineering Manager (5-8 years) - Foundation in people management
- Director of Engineering (10-12 years) - Operational excellence, manage managers
- Senior Director (12-15 years) - Larger scope, strategic involvement
- VP of Engineering (15-20 years) - Executive leadership, organization strategy
VP of Engineering Tools & Technologies
Essential Tools: VP of Engineerings rely heavily on these core technologies:
- Executive Dashboards: Custom dashboards for organizational health, delivery metrics, and strategic KPIs
- Portfolio Management: Jira Portfolio, Monday.com Enterprise for multi-team visibility
- Financial Tools: Budget management, headcount planning, and financial forecasting tools
- Communication Platforms: Slack, Teams, Zoom for executive and organizational communication
- Strategy Tools: Miro, Figma for strategic planning and roadmap visualization
Also commonly used:
- OKR Platforms: Lattice, Ally.io, WorkBoard for objectives and key results
- Engineering Metrics: Jellyfish, Waydev, LinearB for organizational performance
- Presentation Tools: PowerPoint, Google Slides for board and executive presentations
- HRIS Systems: Workday, BambooHR for organizational management
- Recruiting Tools: Greenhouse, Lever for executive recruiting oversight
Emerging technologies to watch:
- AI-Powered Analytics: Predictive tools for organizational planning and risk assessment
- Engineering Intelligence: Comprehensive platforms for engineering organization insights
- Automated Board Reporting: AI-driven executive summary generation
- Strategic Planning AI: Tools for scenario planning and strategic analysis
VP of Engineering Skills: Technical & Soft
Successful vp of engineerings combine technical competencies with interpersonal skills.
Technical Skills
Setting long-term technical direction that enables business strategy
Structuring engineering teams for scale, efficiency, and innovation
Evaluating technical acquisitions, partnerships, and major investments
Ensuring technical architecture supports current and future business needs
Implementing engineering practices that scale across the organization
Ensuring engineering meets regulatory and security requirements
Soft Skills
Commanding respect in boardrooms, with customers, and in the industry
Connecting technical decisions to business outcomes over multi-year horizons
Aligning cross-functional peers and stakeholders toward common goals
Translating complex technical concepts for diverse audiences
VP of Engineering Certifications
Certifications can increase your earning potential and demonstrate expertise to employers.
Building Your Portfolio
Must-have portfolio projects:
- See detailed requirements in the sections above
VP of Engineering Interview Preparation
Common technical questions:
- See detailed requirements in the sections above
Behavioral questions to prepare for:
- See detailed requirements in the sections above
VP of Engineering Career Challenges & Realities
Like any career, vp of engineerings face unique challenges in their daily work.
VP of Engineering vs Similar Roles
VP of Engineering vs Director:
VP of Engineering vs C T O:
VP of Engineering vs S V P:
Salary Negotiation Tips
Research market rates and be prepared to demonstrate your value during salary negotiations.
VP of Engineering Salary by State
VP of Engineering Job Outlook & Industry Trends
6% job growth projected 2023-2033, faster than average for all occupations. Tech companies continue to invest in engineering leadership. Competition for VP talent remains intense, especially in AI, fintech, and growth-stage companies. Non-tech companies increasingly hiring VPEs as they digitize.
Hot industries hiring vp of engineerings: Big Tech - Google, Meta, Amazon, Microsoft with massive engineering orgs, AI/ML Companies - OpenAI, Anthropic, Scale AI scaling rapidly, Fintech - Stripe, Plaid, Ramp with complex technical challenges, Enterprise SaaS - Snowflake, Databricks, ServiceNow at growth stage, Healthcare Tech - Epic, Cerner, Health-tech startups digitizing healthcare
Emerging trends: AI Transformation - Leading organizations through AI adoption and integration, Platform Engineering - Building internal developer platforms at scale, Engineering Efficiency - AI-powered tools increasing developer productivity, Remote-First Organizations - Managing distributed engineering at scale
Best Computer Science Programs
Explore top-ranked programs to launch your vp of engineering career.
VP of Engineering FAQs
Data Sources
Official employment and wage data for vp of engineerings
Research and industry insights
Research and industry insights
Research and industry insights
Research and industry insights
Research and industry insights
Related Resources
Taylor Rupe
Co-founder & Editor (B.S. Computer Science, Oregon State • B.A. Psychology, University of Washington)
Taylor combines technical expertise in computer science with a deep understanding of human behavior and learning. His dual background drives Hakia's mission: leveraging technology to build authoritative educational resources that help people make better decisions about their academic and career paths.