Staff / Principal (10+ years) · Module A
Defining the Forward Deploy Engineering Charter for the Company
Writing down what the function is actually for, before growth makes that ambiguity expensive.
What this session covers
- An unwritten charter means every leader who joins redefines the function informally — write it down before that ambiguity compounds across a growing org.
- The charter has to answer a specific, sometimes uncomfortable question: what does FDE explicitly NOT do, as much as what it does.
- Ground the charter in what the business actually needs from the function, not in what any one senior person personally enjoys doing.
- A charter is a living document that should survive its author leaving — write it so someone who never met you could pick it up and apply it correctly.
What staff / principal FDE interviews look for
Staff and Principal loops assess how you would shape the Forward Deploy function itself: its charter, hiring and career ladder, board-level customer relationships, and strategic calls like buy vs. build vs. partner.