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Dropbox Engineering Career Framework
Overview
What is Impact?
M3 Engineering Manager
I guide a team of ICs to deliver business impact with support from my manager
Scope
Area of ownership and level of autonomy / ambiguity
Collaborative Reach
Organizational reach and extent of influence
Impact Levers
Organizational levers typically exercised to achieve business impact
  • I lead the activities of my team, with guidance from my manager, towards execution on well-defined projects in support of quarterly goals.
  • I work primarily with my direct team and cross-functional partners (eg. product, design, QA).
  • I empower and unblock my team to deliver impact by establishing efficient execution and operational processes and holding my team accountable while cultivating a healthy team environment.

trophy Results

Responsibility
Key Behaviors
Impact
  • I act with urgency and lead my team to deliver high-quality work that will add the most value 
  • I redirect my team's focus if our results aren’t moving the needle for our business/team goals or serving the needs of customers in a meaningful way 
  • I get work to a simple place by focusing on the heart of the problem and prioritizing the right things  
  • I am responsible for ensuring that results do not come at the expense of long term growth, retention, or psychological safety
  • I am ultimately accountable for the consequences of my team’s technical decisions, and for achieving the right architecture and tradeoffs to reach and maintain high engineering throughput.
Ownership
  • I follow through on my commitments and take responsibility for my work and the work of my team 
  • I think a step or two ahead and help my team solve the right problems before they become bigger problems  
  • I take accountability for my and my team's failures and help my team learn from them 
  • I escalate appropriately to ensure the team is unblocked and help them learn how to unblock themselves 
  • I involve my team in the discussion of “what to build” and not just the “how to build”, creating a sense of ownership for the end results.
Decision Making
  • I identify and gather input from others to make informed decisions 
  • I make timely decisions but don’t cut corners that would compromise my customer’s trust 
  • I understand the implications of decisions and adjust my approach based on the impact and risk  
Operational Excellence
  • I set goals and objectives at the right altitude and hold my team accountable to them
  • I run efficient processes, while minimizing unnecessary work about work. I ensure that appropriate information is disseminated within the team.
  • I drive operational cadences that get to the right outcomes
  • I build healthy partnerships with stakeholders and teams with whom my team has long-lived relationships

glowing star Direction

Responsibility
Key Behaviors
Agility
  • I’m open to change and enthusiastic about new initiatives
  • I help my team navigate ambiguity and remain resilient through the ups and downs
Innovation
  • I pursue ideas that challenge conventional approaches while seeking opportunities for improvement
  • I encourage my team to experiment with new approaches and help them learn from failures
Strategy
  • I define my team's priorities and secure buy-in from partner teams with the help of my manager
  • I strategically prioritize between running the business (KTLO), foundation, and new initiatives to optimize for execution over the long-term
  • I generate excitement for my/the team's strategy

deciduous tree Talent

Responsibility
Key Behaviors
Personal Growth
  • I proactively ask for feedback from those I work with and have self-awareness about my strengths and areas for development
  • I drive discussions with my manager about aspirational goals and seek out opportunities to learn and grow
  • I invest time in being a better manager and leader
Hiring
  • I apply Dropbox talent frameworks to identify the right candidates for my team and work with my recruiting partner to bring them on board
  • I actively work to engage and retain Dropboxers and establish the right mix of talent and experience on my team
Talent Development
  • I foster the career growth of my team by seeking challenging, impactful work for all members of my team based on their skills and interests. I give opportunities to work on next-level assignments that demonstrate readiness for promotion when appropriate
  • I provide real-time feedback and coaching to my team to drive high performance and career growth
  • I set clear expectations and address performance issues with support from my manager
Organizational Planning
  • I am learning how to think about the talent on my team strategically: how to create growth opportunities for team members while addressing gaps and risks through recruiting, training, and performance management
  • I structure my team so the right people are in the right roles with clearly defined responsibilities. In consultation with my manager, I ensure projects are staffed appropriately to set them up for success, placing my strongest technical leaders where they are the most needed and impactful

rainbow Culture

Responsibility
Key Behaviors
Collaboration
  • I'm worthy of trust and lead by example
  • I build relationships across teams and help them get to win-win outcomes 
  • I disagree and commit when necessary
  • I manage conflict with empathy in mind
Organizational Health
  • I listen to different perspectives and I remove biases from my words and actions 
  • I create an inclusive environment for my team where it’s safe to speak up
  • I practice the Dropbox Diversity Commitments on a regular basis
  • When I become aware of any lapse in my team’s culture, I communicate and follow through on plans to correct and prevent recurrence of the lapse.
  • I am aware of my public presence and actions and their influence on the people around me and Dropbox’s culture
Communication
  • I write and speak with clarity, tailor my message to my audience, and listen to understand others
  • I proactively share information so the right people are informed and aligned
  • I champion my team and team members with others at Dropbox, including leadership