Staff+ Engineering in Practice

What skills do you need to develop if you want to stay on the technical track to technical lead, staff, or principal? What can you expect when you reach the Staff-Plus status? Will you still code?

While the management track has a plethora of books, courses, company training, and very clear expectations, the Staff-Plus Engineer path still does not receive the same level of support or clarity.

In this track, we will discuss what is expected from a Staff-Plus engineer, the leadership skills needed, the secrets to follow this path, how companies can be prepared to support Staff-Plus engineers, and why the future of our industry depends on it.

From this track

Session staff+

Staff+ Engineering Beyond Big Techs: How to Succeed in the Technical Path on Non Tech Companies

Monday Mar 27 / 10:35AM BST

As a software engineer with over 15 years of experience, you witness the constant evolution of technology and the impact it has on businesses and industries.

Speaker image - Loiane Groner

Loiane Groner

Development Manager @Citibank

Session psychological safety

Psychological Safety for Staff+ Engineers

Monday Mar 27 / 11:50AM BST

Psychological safety is fundamental for successful teams as it allows people to take risks and feel confident that no one on the team would embarrass or punish anyone else for admitting mistakes, asking questions or offering new ideas.

Speaker image - Jitesh Gosai

Jitesh Gosai

Principal Tester @BBC

Session staff+

Why Technical Experience Matters: How To Build a Lifelong Career in Software Development

Monday Mar 27 / 01:40PM BST

Today big tech companies understand the value of offering a technical career path and supporting employees to choose those instead of the classical management career. However, when I started, more than 20 years ago, this path was not yet visible in the career jungle.

Speaker image - Sven Reimers

Sven Reimers

System Engineer @Airbus Defence & Space

Session staff+

Panel: Staff+ Engineering in Practice

Monday Mar 27 / 02:55PM BST

What are the skills you need to develop if you want to stay on the technical track to technical lead, staff, or principal? What will it take to thrive in this type of role?

Speaker image - Sven Reimers

Sven Reimers

System Engineer @Airbus Defence & Space

Speaker image - Loiane Groner

Loiane Groner

Development Manager @Citibank

Speaker image - Jitesh Gosai

Jitesh Gosai

Principal Tester @BBC

Speaker image - Erin Schnabel

Erin Schnabel

Distinguished Engineer @RedHat

Session staff+

You Can Go Your Own Way: Navigating Your Own Career Path

Monday Mar 27 / 04:10PM BST

Career paths seem obvious at the beginning: start your job, climb the ladder, retire. When we apply this pattern to a technical career, however, that general pattern raises some questions: Do I have to become an architect or a manager to make it to the next level? Do I have to stop coding?

Speaker image - Erin Schnabel

Erin Schnabel

Distinguished Engineer @RedHat

Session

Unconference: Staff+ Engineering in Practice

Monday Mar 27 / 05:25PM BST

What is an unconference? An unconference is a participant-driven meeting. Attendees come together, bringing their challenges and relying on the experience and know-how of their peers for solutions.

Speaker image - Shane Hastie

Shane Hastie

Global Delivery Lead @SoftEd, Lead Editor for Culture & Methods @InfoQ

Date

Monday Mar 27 / 10:35AM BST

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Track Host

Fabiane Nardon

Data Expert, Java Champion & Data Platform Director @totvs

Fabiane is a seasoned computer scientist with years of experience building data-intensive solutions that have made a tangible impact across various industries. She was the chief architect of the Sao Paulo Healthcare Information System project, which was then considered the world’s largest JavaEE application and won the 2005 Duke’s Choice Award for its innovation. At Tail, where she served as partner and CTO, she helped pioneer the use of data science and machine learning in digital advertising.

Fabiane has been an active contributor to the open-source community, having led the JavaTools Community at java.net, where over 800+ projects were created. A frequent speaker at major tech conferences, she is well-regarded for sharing practical insights and real-world experience. She has also served on the program committees for conferences like JavaOne, TDC and QCon, helping to shape industry conversations.

Named a Java Champion by Sun Microsystems in recognition of her contributions to the Java ecosystem, Fabiane now works as the Data Platform Director at Totvs, Brazil’s largest tech company. Her current work focuses on simplifying the development of data-driven solutions, making it easier for organizations to harness the power of data to solve real-world challenges.

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