What Is a Vice President of Engineering? How to Become One, Salary, Skills.

A vice president of engineering guides and provides resources to ensure engineering teams are successful. Here’s what to know about a vice president of engineering’s salary, needed skills and how to become one.

What Is a Vice President of Engineering?

A vice president of engineering is the executive leader responsible for an organization’s engineering operations. Their oversight ensures the engineering team has what they need to carry out an efficient and informed product development process.

What Does a Vice President of Engineering Do?

The VP of engineering oversees a variety of duties for engineering teams, including recruiting, product development, quality assurance, budgeting and strategizing.

Vice President of Engineering Responsibilities

• Developing training and strategy to guide engineers in the product development process.
• Managing the engineering budget.
• Overseeing recruiting and hiring of engineers.
• Conducting market and product research.
• Presenting research and strategy to management and executive leadership.
• Ensuring product development deadlines are met.

VP of Engineering Within a Company

A vice president of engineering is the top executive at the head of a company’s engineering function. They manage a strategy that directs the daily activities for all members of the engineering team. This role will usually report to the chief executive officer (CEO) or chief technology officer (CTO).

Importance of the Vice President of Engineering

The vice president of engineering is key to the success of an organization’s engineering operations and product development. The hiring, training, budgeting and strategic planning they oversee enables their direct reports to meet their individual and team goals.

What Skills Are Needed to Be a Vice President of Engineering?

Qualifications to Be a VP of Engineering

• Relevant technical experience and expertise.
• Ability to manage teams to meet deadlines.
• Experience with recruiting and hiring.
• Knowledge of how to prepare, present and implement a budget.
• Understanding of best practices for conducting and applying research.
• Comfortable communicating with executive leadership as well as direct reports.
• Familiarity with the tools and software used by engineers under their oversight.

VP of Engineering Prerequisites

• A bachelor’s degree is typically required, and in some cases, a master’s degree may also be needed.
• Technical courses and bootcamps that cover topics like coding, software development and UX design can bolster an aspiring VP of engineering’s skills.

Vice President of Engineering Hard Skills

• Expertise in relevant technical fields, such as software development and quality assurance.
• Conducting product and market research.
• Budgeting for money and resources.
• Knowledge of relevant laws and policies related to recruiting and hiring.

Vice President of Engineering Soft Skills

• Analytical and strategic mindset.
• Balancing multiple responsibilities.
• Strong communication and leadership skills.

How to Become a Vice President of Engineering

Vice President of Engineering Education and Experience

A vice president of engineering typically has a bachelor’s degree in a relevant field like computer science, and sometimes a master’s degree is required. To reach this leadership position, professionals usually need a minimum of 10 years of experience, which should include time spent as a manager. 

VP of Engineering Certificates and Courses

• Certified Professional in Engineering Management
• Coursera Leadership Principles for Software Engineers
• Engineering Management Graduate Certificate

Vice President of Engineering Career Path

Recent graduates commonly begin their careers as an entry level software developer or engineer and then move on to upper level roles such as senior software engineer, engineering manager or director of engineering in preparation for becoming a VP of engineering.

Vice President of Engineering Salary and Job Outlook

The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics estimates the job outlook for top executives, such as a vice president of engineering, will grow by 6 percent between 2021 and 2031.

The full compensation package for a vice president of engineering depends on a variety of factors, including but not limited to the candidate’s experience and geographic location. See below for detailed information on the average vice president of engineering salary.