Engineering Lead
An Engineering Lead is the engineer who leads Exalynt's work for one client. They manage the project, lead communication with the client, and orchestrate the work of the other engineers on it. They look after Exalynt's relationship with the client and with the engineers on their team, and they keep writing code. This page explains when Exalynt offers the role, what it involves, and how it's paid.
Engineering Lead is a role, not a promotion. An engineer of any level can hold it, and their level and Engineer Share stay the same.
When Exalynt offers the role
Most engagements don't need an Engineering Lead. When a client buys a few blocks at a time, the engineer on each block confirms the goal, raises risks, and talks through outcomes at the checkpoint (details).
That changes when a client buys enough capacity, and enough engineers are working on its project, that coordinating the work becomes work in its own right. Then Exalynt offers one engineer on the engagement the Engineering Lead role, so someone owns the project as a whole.
- Any level can lead. The role goes to the engineer best placed to lead that engagement, whether they are Junior, Mid, Senior, or Principal.
- It's an offer. The engineer decides whether to take it on.
- It belongs to one engagement. An engineer leads a particular client's work. On other engagements they work as they normally would.
What an Engineering Lead does
Manage the project
- Keep a clear picture of the whole project: what's done, what's in progress, what comes next, and the stability level of each piece.
- Keep the project's estimate, Features, and Assumptions current as the team learns more.
- Watch for risks that span more than one block, such as dependencies between engineers' work, shared infrastructure, or an assumption that is starting to look wrong.
Lead communication with the client
- Be the client's main point of contact for the engagement, so they always know who to ask.
- Lead the checkpoint: present what changed across every engineer's blocks, what the team learned, and what the team recommends next, including which blocks to buy and what size they should be.
- Raise risks and bad news early, as soon as the team sees them.
Other engineers still talk with the client about their own work. The lead makes sure the client hears one coherent story instead of several separate ones.
Build the relationship with the client
The lead is the person the client knows best at Exalynt, and part of the role is keeping that relationship good.
- Get to know the client. Learn their business, their goals, the people involved, and how they like to work and hear from us.
- Stay in touch between checkpoints. A short note when something ships, changes, or gets stuck goes a long way.
- Ask how it's going, and act on what you hear. Notice early when the client is unhappy or their priorities are shifting, and adjust before it becomes a problem.
- Do what you said you'd do. Trust comes from following through, especially on small things.
- Be honest, even when it's unwelcome. A good relationship isn't telling the client what they want to hear. Sometimes the right recommendation is a smaller block, or not building something at all.
The goal is trust, not selling more blocks. Clients keep buying because the work is good and they trust the people doing it.
Orchestrate the engineers' work
- Break the client's priorities into slices that each fit a block, and decide which can run in parallel and which depend on others.
- Help each engineer start their block with a clear goal and the context they need.
- Keep shared decisions consistent, such as architecture, conventions, and how the team works, and unblock engineers when they get stuck.
Orchestrating isn't taking over. Each block is still assigned to one engineer and never shared, and that engineer still owns their work and its quality.
Look after the team
The engineers on the engagement are the lead's team, and the lead keeps those relationships good too.
- Get to know each engineer. Learn their strengths, what they want to get better at, and how they like to work, and shape the work around that where you can.
- Make their work visible. At the checkpoint, make sure the client sees who did what, and give credit to the engineer who earned it.
- Give and ask for feedback. Review, pair, and help engineers grow, and ask how you can lead better.
- Keep the pace sustainable. Notice when someone is overloaded, stuck, or losing interest, and help before it shows up in the work.
- Welcome new engineers. Give anyone joining the engagement the context they need to do good work from their first block.
The lead isn't anyone's boss. Levels and pay are still Exalynt's to decide, and if a problem on the team is more than the lead can solve, they raise it with Exalynt.
Keep writing code
An Engineering Lead still takes blocks on the project. Staying in the code keeps the lead's judgment grounded in how the software actually works, and keeps their recommendations honest.
Balancing code and leading
Leading takes real time, and that time doesn't come out of the client's blocks.
- The lead's own blocks are ordinary blocks. They get the same payout and the same effort guardrail, and their minimum effort is still spent on direct value for the client.
- Leading happens alongside those blocks. Planning, coordinating, client communication, and looking after the client and team relationships are the overhead of the role, and the Lead Share pays for them.
- Leave room for it. A lead should take on fewer blocks of their own than they otherwise would, so they have time to lead well without letting their own blocks slip.
If leading starts crowding out the lead's own engineering, or the engagement grows past what one lead can coordinate, raise it with Exalynt.
How an Engineering Lead is paid
An Engineering Lead earns their normal engineer payout for each block they fulfill themselves. On top of that, they earn a lead payout on every block the client buys that another engineer fulfills:
Lead payout = Capacity Payout Basis × Lead Share
- Lead Share is 5%. It is the same at every level.
- The Capacity Payout Basis uses the lead's own compensation market, for the size of block the client bought. It doesn't depend on which other engineer fulfills the block or what market that engineer is in.
- The lead's own blocks are paid as normal. A block the lead fulfills earns their engineer payout and no lead payout.
- It comes out of Exalynt's share. The client's price doesn't change, and other engineers' payouts don't change. The lead payout is a direct cost that reduces what Exalynt retains from the block (details).
The lead payout for each block another engineer fulfills:
| Lead's compensation market | Flex (5% of basis) | Core (5% of basis) | Dedicated (5% of basis) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Market 1 | $100 | $200 | $400 |
| Market 2 | $62.50 | $125 | $250 |
| Market 3 | $43.75 | $87.50 | $175 |
For example, suppose a client buys sixteen Dedicated blocks in a month and the Engineering Lead is a Market 1 Senior who fulfills three of them. The lead earns $5,200 in lead payouts on the thirteen blocks the other engineers fulfill ($8,000 × 5% × 13 blocks), plus $13,200 in engineer payouts for the three blocks they fulfill ($4,400 each).
The lead payout follows what the client actually buys for the rest of the team. If the client buys fewer blocks, the lead payout is smaller. Like any assignment, Exalynt confirms the role, the client, the lead's market, and the Lead Share in writing before the engineer accepts it.
Frequently asked questions
Is becoming an Engineering Lead a promotion?
No. It's a role on one engagement. Your level and Engineer Share stay the same, and you earn the Lead Share on top of your normal payouts to offset the extra overhead of leading.
Can a Junior or Mid engineer be an Engineering Lead?
Yes. Any level can hold the role. Exalynt offers it to the engineer best placed to lead that engagement.
Whose market sets the lead payout?
Yours. The lead payout uses the Capacity Payout Basis for the lead's compensation market, whichever other engineer fulfills the block.
Does the client pay more when there is an Engineering Lead?
No. Block prices are the same with or without a lead. The lead payout comes out of what Exalynt retains.
Does the lead payout reduce other engineers' pay?
No. Every engineer's payout is still their Capacity Payout Basis × Engineer Share, agreed before they accept the work.
If I referred the client, will I be its Engineering Lead?
Not because of the referral. Exalynt offers the role to the engineer best placed to lead the engagement, and the lead payout pays for leading, not for bringing in the client. Exalynt doesn't pay for referrals (details).
Can I turn down the role?
Yes. Exalynt offers the role, and you decide whether to take it on.
Am I responsible for keeping the client happy?
You're responsible for a good relationship with them: getting to know them, staying in touch, following through, and being honest. That isn't the same as telling them what they want to hear. Clients stay because the work is good and they trust the people doing it.
Am I the other engineers' manager?
No. You orchestrate the work and look after the team, but levels and pay are still Exalynt's to decide. Each engineer owns their own blocks. If a problem on the team is more than you can solve, raise it with Exalynt.
Do I still need to write code?
Yes. An Engineering Lead keeps taking blocks on the project, just fewer than they otherwise would, so there is time for leading. Your own blocks follow the same effort guardrails as any other block.