VP Engineering: skills & capabilities the market requires
Based on 7,118 real VP Engineering job postings, here is what companies actually require for this role today: the capabilities that define it, the hard skills named most often, the scope expected, typical experience and pay. The market leans hardest on Technical Depth (76%) and Executive Communication (41%).
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Core capabilities for a VP Engineering
- Technical Depth — required in 76% of postings
- Executive Communication — required in 41% of postings
- Strategic Leadership — required in 33% of postings
- Cross-functional Leadership — required in 30% of postings
- People Leadership — required in 28% of postings
- Risk, Security & Compliance — required in 22% of postings
- Operational Excellence — required in 22% of postings
Most-required hard skills
- Software Engineering
- Software Development
- System Design
- Performance Optimization
- Software Architecture
- Api Design
- Python
Leadership & soft skills
- Communication
- Problem-Solving
- Collaboration
- Leadership
Scope, experience & pay
VP Engineering roles expect deal / M&A experience in 0% of postings, IPO or capital markets in 1%, and transformation in 9%. Typical stated experience: 8 years. Pay signal from postings (base): $201K–$243K.
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