A proposed framework for defining engineering roles in the age of AI-assisted development.
Software engineering is changing faster than job descriptions can keep up.
AI coding tools have shifted what it means to "build software." The most effective engineers increasingly orchestrate human-AI workflows rather than writing every line themselves—but most job descriptions still assume purely manual implementation.
This repository proposes a solution.
We define the Senior Software Orchestration Engineer: a role focused on designing, governing, and improving AI-augmented development systems rather than maximizing personal code output.
This is an early-stage proposal seeking community input, real-world validation, and eventual adoption as a shared reference across the industry.
In AI-forward engineering teams:
- Tools like Copilot and Cursor now generate 30-60% of code
- Engineering value increasingly comes from oversight, architecture, and orchestration
- Traditional metrics (lines of code, commits) no longer reflect true contribution
Yet most Senior Engineer job descriptions were written for a pre-AI era.
We believe the industry needs:
- Clear language for these emerging responsibilities
- Practical hiring criteria that reflect orchestration skills
- Shared standards that prevent fragmentation as practices evolve
This repository is our starting point. We need your help to refine it.