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The Engineering Leadership Report 2026

How engineering leadership is evolving, and what it means for the future of the role.

In partnership with

Illustrated graphic depicting a grey silhouette of a person in a dynamic, reaching pose at the centre, overlaid with glowing constellation-style dots and lines suggesting a star map or circuit diagram. Surrounding the figure are dashed orbital paths in teal, blue, and purple, each containing icons representing different professional and technical domains: a people or mentoring icon, a bar chart with an upward trend, a microchip or processor, a target with an arrow, a settings gear, a wrench or tool, and a circuit connector. The composition suggests a skilled individual at the intersection of multiple disciplines — people, strategy, technology, and delivery — set against a deep navy space background with scattered stars and light bursts.

Software engineering leadership is operating under huge pressure.

Engineering leaders are being asked to do more – technically, strategically, and managerially – as organizations flatten and AI reshapes how code gets written, reviewed, and shipped.

Based on 600 responses, the data tells a story of an industry under sustained and compounding forces.

What’s inside

  • Analysis of 600 engineering leaders’ survey responses
  • How engineering leadership is evolving
  • A glimpse into the future of engineering leadership
Illustrated graphic depicting a stylised galaxy or solar system against a deep navy background. At the centre sits a bright white starburst surrounded by concentric elliptical rings in grey, purple, and teal, evoking a spinning galaxy or orbital system. Orbiting the centre are several icons representing technology concepts: a speech bubble with text lines suggesting communication or LLMs, a planet with a circuit board pattern representing AI or computing, a hierarchical org chart diagram, and a sun-like circuit node in the bottom right corner. Two ringed planets in blue and purple float at the edges. The overall composition uses the galaxy metaphor to suggest an interconnected ecosystem of AI-powered tools and systems.

Key takeaways

Technical work. 37% of engineering leaders are doing more hands-on technical work
Manager sentiment. One in three managers are considering ditching management to become an IC.
Working hours. 45% of leaders are working more hours than this time last year.
Junior developers. 84% believe AI will make it harder for junior developers to enter and grow in the profession.
Team motivation. 41% say their team is less motivated than 12 months ago.
AI for internal use is now the number one engineering priority.

Download the report

Download the report

Read the full report and get the complete picture of engineering leadership in 2026.

Read the full report