Staff-Level Testing Roles

Available on

• LeanPub: April 21, 2026
• Amazon Print on Demand: April 29, 2026.

---

As time passes, we learn to navigate our roles.

As we outgrow the roles, where do we go next?

Is the management path the only way?

Or is there an uncharted path

As the Staff-Level Testing Professional. 

This book is written as a guide for aspiring and existing staff-level testing professionals, whether they have the formal title or not.This book is not about what might theoretically happen. There are real people out there doing this work and having these (testing) roles. These are the things that are actually happening. Yet many testing professionals are not aware that the role even exists. 

The inspiration to bring “Staff-Level” roles into the testing scene is directly inspired by reading these two key books for Staff Engineers:

• Staff Engineer: Leadership Beyond the Management Track by Will Larson
• The Staff Engineer’s Path by Tanya Reilly

On the front page of this book is a lighthouse (an actual one) and a path. I aim to help you increase your awareness and help you have some reflections along the way on your path. I intend to bring the staff role, the books, and many other resources on the topic into a testing setting and flavour it with my experience

References

1. Biel Morro, Minorca Beacon, 2017, via Unsplash, https://unsplash.com/photos/lighthouse-under-cumulus-clouds-and-blue-calm-sky-zSftGuAoDPM
2.  All references are located here: https://www.o2sn.dk/sltrbook/
3. Leading Testing Activities, LeanPub 2024, https://www.o2sn.dk/ltabook/
4. Goal-Aligned Test Strategies, LeanPub 2022, https://www.o2sn.dk/goatsbook/
5. Ministry of Testing, This Week in Quality Episode 111, 2025,  https://www.ministryoftesting.com/podcasts/this-week-in-testing?wchannelid=czgwdadw2c&wmediaid=w392labzq6
6. Trend by Ministry of Testing 2025, https://www.ministryoftesting.com/testing-trends/the-staff-quality-engineer-role
7. Will Larson, 2021, https://staffeng.com/book
8. Tanya Reilly, 2022, The Staff Engineer’s Path, https://www.noidea.dog/staff
9. Biel Morro, Minorca Beacon, 2017, via Unsplash, https://unsplash.com/photos/lighthouse-under-cumulus-clouds-and-blue-calm-sky-zSftGuAoDPM
10.  See my resource collection at https://www.ministryoftesting.com/collections/staff-level
11.  Tanya Reilly, Being Glue, 2019 https://www.noidea.dog/#/glue/
12. Will Larson, 2021, https://staffeng.com/book
13. Niranjani & Tristan and the rest of the crew, https://bookclubs.com/devops-book-club/meetings
14. Staff Testing Roles – As Inspired By The “Staff Engineer” Book, 2022, https://www.ministryoftesting.com/testbash-sessions/staff-testing-roles-as-inspired-by-the-staff-engineer-book? (subscription required)
15.  Oleksandr Romanov, Software testing careers: Many paths to success, 2024, https://www.ministryoftesting.com/articles/software-testing-careers-many-paths-to-success
16. We all work with Risks, Questions and Requirements, 2024, https://www.o2sn.dk/2024/12/30/we-all-work-with-risks-questions-and-requirements/
17. Kat Obring, You don’t need a new title to lead on quality, 2024, https://kato-coaching.com/you-dont-need-a-new-title-to-lead-on-quality
18. The Pragmatic Engineer, For a deep dive see Quality Assurance Across the Tech Industry 2024, https://newsletter.pragmaticengineer.com/p/qa-across-tech
19. Eamon Droko, 2025,  https://club.ministryoftesting.com/t/does-your-organisation-have-staff-level-quality-roles/86073
20. Charity Majors 2020 via Pinja Dodik, https://www.linkedin.com/feed/update/urn:li:activity:7417571897573482496/?
21. Maaret Pyhäjärvi, 2025, https://www.linkedin.com/feed/update/urn:li:activity:7322904858003406849/
22.  Callum Akehurst-Ryan, Career progression in testing: the awesome power of influence, 2023, 
    https://cakehurstryan.com/2023/10/05/career-progression-in-testing-the-awesome-power-of-influence
23. Callum Akehurst-Ryan, 2025, https://www.linkedin.com/feed/update/urn:li:activity:7330571189381181441/
24. Maria Kedemo, What’s in a Title? Nothing. And everything. https://mkedemo.wordpress.com/2026/02/06/whats-in-a-title-nothing-and-everything/
25.  Ryan Peterman 2023, Working through delegation and influence across teams is the biggest mindset shift in going from L5 → L6, FAANG Career Ladder: Senior (L5) vs Staff (L6), https://www.developing.dev/p/faang-career-ladder-senior-l5-vs
26.  Will Larson, 2021, What do Staff engineers actually do?, https://staffeng.com/guides/what-do-staff-engineers-actually-do/
27. Tester Aided in Two-Digit Million Dollar Deal, 2022, https://www.o2sn.dk/2022/01/28/tester-aided-in-two-digit-million-dollar-deal/
28. Aj Wilson, 2025, Quote on The Staff Quality Engineering Role, https://www.ministryoftesting.com/testing-trends/the-staff-quality-engineer-role?
29. Will Larson, StaffEng 2021, https://staffeng.com/guides/does-the-title-even-matter/
30. Something About Leadership, 2021, https://www.o2sn.dk/2021/02/15/something-about-leadership/
31.  Charity Majors, Questionable Advice: “My boss says we don’t need any engineering managers. Is he right?” 2024,
    https://charity.wtf/2024/01/05/questionable-advice-my-boss-says-we-dont-need-any-engineering-managers-is-he-right/
32. Forsgren et.al, “Frictionless” 2026, Forsgren et.al, “Frictionless” 2026, https://developerexperiencebook.com/#about
33.  Ministry of Testing, 2026, Leading with a map of influence, https://www.ministryoftesting.com/insights/leading-with-a-map-of-influence
34. Crudely redrawn from the original by Shane Hatton, 2024, https://www.linkedin.com/feed/update/urn:li:activity:7191531367871004674/
35. Charity Majors, 2025, https://www.linkedin.com/posts/charity-majors_we-managers-are-back-to-coding-is-this-activity-7384399108217692160-jHPn/?
36.  Virginia Satir Change Process Model, https://satirglobal.org/files/galleries/Satir-Change-Model.pdf
37.  You don’t have to be a boss to be a leader, 2018, https://www.o2sn.dk/2018/08/24/you-dont-have-to-be-a-boss-to-be-a-leader/
38. Will Larson, Present to executives, 2021, https://staffeng.com/guides/present-to-executives/
39. Not where we are – but where we’re going, https://www.o2sn.dk/2026/02/16/not-where-we-are-but-where-were-going/
40.  What software testing job titles have you held in your career, 2024, The Ministry of Testing Club, https://club.ministryoftesting.com/t/what-software-testing-job-titles-have-you-held-in-your-career/73986
41. The Testing Peers Podcast #87 – Testing as a career – is it worth it, 2023, https://testingpeers.com/?p=7265
42.  Gregor Ojstersek, 2026, https://www.linkedin.com/feed/update/urn:li:activity:7419787864156049408
43. Carlos Arguelles, Trailblazing in an often under-appreciated role, 2022, https://medium.com/nerd-for-tech/trailblazing-in-an-often-under-appreciated-role-f6e6907bd055
44.  Greg Lemond, https://www.azquotes.com/author/8602-Greg_LeMond
45.  Implementing Change – First Steps, 2021, https://www.o2sn.dk/2021/08/11/implementing-change-first-steps/
46. #268 – Who Brings in New Knowledge? 2021, https://www.o2sn.dk/2021/11/17/268-who-brings-in-new-knowledge/
47.  Tanya Reilly, Being Glue, 2019 https://www.noidea.dog/#/glue/
48. Kelsey Hightower, 2025, https://bsky.app/profile/kelseyhightower.com/post/3lggdezpodk2e
49.  Nick Tune 2025 quoting Krisztina Hirth, https://bsky.app/profile/nick-tune.me/post/3lhm6qsvgvc2b
50. Lessons in Testing Same-Same, Just Different Projects, 2025 https://www.o2sn.dk/2025/08/26/lessons-in-testing-same-same-just-different-projects/
51.  Terrible Software, What actually makes you senior, 2025, https://terriblesoftware.org/2025/11/25/what-actually-makes-you-senior/
52. Chandra Shekhar Joshi, 2026,  https://www.linkedin.com/feed/update/urn:li:activity:7418876112123899904/
53.  Who Have You Lifted Up Today? 2024 https://www.o2sn.dk/2024/12/16/who-have-you-lifted-up-today/
54.  Lesley Carhart, What Happened to the “Cybersecurity Skills Shortage”?, Hacks for Pancakes 2025, https://tisiphone.net/2025/04/01/lesley-what-happened-to-the-cybersecurity-skills-shortage/
55. Charity Majors, Career development for engineering managers, 2021, https://leaddev.com/leadership/career-development-engineering-managers
56.  Something about leadership, 2021, https://www.o2sn.dk/2021/02/15/something-about-leadership/
57.  Psych Safety, Spectra of Participation, 2025, https://psychsafety.com/spectra-of-participation
58.  A Communications Readme, 2023, https://github.com/jesperottosen/jesperottosen
59. Dreyfus model of skill acquisition, https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dreyfus_model_of_skill_acquisition
60. Alan Page, Delegate like it’s your job – because it is, 2023 https://angryweasel.substack.com/p/ours
61. Jitesh Gosai, Psychological Safety for Staff+ Engineers, Qcon 2023, http://infoq.com/presentations/psychological-safety-staff-plus/
62.  “Part of the crew, Part of the ship” is from Pirates of the Caribbean.
63. Wordy Documents Are Not Better, 2023, https://www.o2sn.dk/2023/10/05/wordy-documents-are-not-better/
64. The next shift-left: Compliance, 2025, https://www.o2sn.dk/2025/08/18/the-next-shift-left-compliance/
65.  Testing without a System, 2026, https://www.o2sn.dk/2026/03/24/testing-without-a-system/
66. Tanya Reilly, 2022, The Staff Engineer’s Path, https://www.noidea.dog/staff
67. Sanne Visser, 2023, TIL: I’m not managing a team, I’m facilitating a community of practice., https://www.linkedin.com/feed/update/urn:li:activity:7053955320540229635/
68. Mirza Sisic, Quality Coaching: A Road Less Traveled, 2023, 
    https://www.ministryoftesting.com/articles/quality-coaching-a-road-less-traveled
69.   The Quality Coach’s Handbook, https://www.annemariecharrett.com/tag/book/
70. “Some of my favorite people are people” Penny from the Big Bang Theory.
71.  Trust in Test Planning, 2026, https://www.o2sn.dk/2026/03/22/trust-in-test-planning/
72.  Inspired by Timo Koola, 2026, https://www.linkedin.com/feed/update/urn:li:activity:7417143984130576386/
73.  Intentionally Loose Test Planning, 2026, https://www.o2sn.dk/2026/01/25/intentionally-loose-test-planning/
74. Timothy R Clark, 2026, https://www.linkedin.com/posts/timothyrclark_leadership-psychologicalsafety-organizationalculture-activity-7419443194343403520-5U0_/
75. RICE scoring model, https://www.productplan.com/glossary/rice-scoring-model/
76.  Cecilia Weckstrom, 2026, https://www.linkedin.com/posts/ceciliaweckstrom_strategy-leadership-transformation-activity-7416196158538227713-X-Hc/
77.  Taha Hussain, 2025, my bold, https://www.linkedin.com/feed/update/urn:li:activity:7397314577782456321/?
78. Hej Rikke!
79. Adapted from Peter Kirkebye, Best before are for headache pills, not your work life, 2025,  https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/bedst-f%C3%B8r-er-til-hovedpinetabletter-ikke-dit-peter-kirkebye-pootf/?
80. We have been here all along, 2023, https://www.o2sn.dk/2023/04/04/we-have-been-here-all-along/
81. Dan Pink, Drive 2011, https://www.danpink.com/books/drive/
82. Alan Page, Being Wrong at the Right Level, https://angryweasel.substack.com/p/being-wrong-at-the-right-level
83. Cecilia Weckstrom, The Moment I Stopped Celebrating Heroes, 2026, https://thetenon.substack.com/p/the-moment-i-stopped-celebrating
84. What If You Are Not Around?, 2024, https://www.o2sn.dk/2024/04/15/what-if-you-are-not-around/
85.  Adapted from Taha Hussain, 2026,  https://www.linkedin.com/feed/update/urn:li:activity:7442235806657908737/
86.  Me! But I never took the survey
87. Personas, Ministry of Testing Glossary 2025, https://www.ministryoftesting.com/software-testing-glossary/personas?
88. Will Larson, 2021, https://staffeng.com/guides/staff-archetypes/
89. Jitesh Gosai, 2025, https://www.linkedin.com/feed/update/urn:li:activity:7173709993949491200/
90.  Tanya Reilly, 2022, The Staff Engineer’s Path, https://www.noidea.dog/staff
91. GitLab Handbook, 2025, https://handbook.gitlab.com/job-families/engineering/software-engineer-in-test/#staff
92.  Leading Testing Activities, LeanPub 2024, https://www.o2sn.dk/ltabook/
93. Nicola Ballotta, 2025,  https://www.linkedin.com/feed/update/urn:li:activity:7168878552187187200/ 
94.  Jitesh Gosai, 2025, https://www.linkedin.com/posts/jitgo_what-is-a-principal-tester-5-years-on-activity-7390817479125794816-qbRs/
95. Charity Majors, Questionable Advice: “My boss says we don’t need any engineering managers. Is he right?” 2024,
    https://charity.wtf/2024/01/05/questionable-advice-my-boss-says-we-dont-need-any-engineering-managers-is-he-right/
96. Promise! See page 65 Tanya Reilly, 2022, The Staff Engineer’s Path, https://www.noidea.dog/staff
97. Maaike Brinkhof, Why do so many testers have an identity crisis? 2025, https://www.maaikebrinkhof.nl/why-do-so-many-testers-have-an-identity-crisis/
98. Goal-Aligned Test Strategies, LeanPub 2022, https://www.o2sn.dk/goatsbook/
99. We all work with Risks, Questions and Requirements, 2024, https://www.o2sn.dk/2024/12/30/we-all-work-with-risks-questions-and-requirements/
100. Ady Stokes, I think, therefore I test: the importance of thinking for testers, 2025,
     https://www.ministryoftesting.com/articles/i-think-therefore-i-test-the-importance-of-thinking-for-testers
101. Test Stubs as a Strategic Choice, 2025, https://www.o2sn.dk/2025/06/22/test-stubs-as-a-strategic-choice/ 
102.  Throw a Disaster Party, 2024, https://www.o2sn.dk/2024/09/03/throw-a-disaster-party/
103. Drew Pontikis, Come Sail Away, 2025, https://by-people-for-people.beehiiv.com/p/come-sail-away
104. Sanne Visser, 2023, TIL: I’m not managing a team, I’m facilitating a community of practice., https://www.linkedin.com/feed/update/urn:li:activity:7053955320540229635/
105. Richard Forjoe, 2025,  https://club.ministryoftesting.com/t/seeing-around-corners-is-this-the-real-value-of-testing/87068
106. Tanya Reilly, 2022, The Staff Engineer’s Path, https://www.noidea.dog/staff
107. The Overton Window, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Overton_window
108. Adapted from Francisco Manuel Soto Ramírez, 2025, 
     https://www.linkedin.com/posts/fransotodev_softwareengineering-coding-programming-activity-7357651454326726656-Dlf2?
109. Not where we are – but where we’re going, https://www.o2sn.dk/2026/02/16/not-where-we-are-but-where-were-going/
110. Ulrike Eder, Neil McIvor & Simon Wardley, The Value Mirage series | Part 1 – The Value Theatre, 2025, https://esynergy.co.uk/blogs/value-mirage-part1/
111. Taha Hussain, 2025, https://www.linkedin.com/feed/update/urn:li:activity:7376458036002893824/
112.  Anna Baik via Maaret Pyhäjärvi, 2024,
     https://www.linkedin.com/posts/maaret_i-quote-anna-baik-for-comfort-i-may-not-activity-7185656727269236736-BwfR/
113. Continuous Customer Feedback, 2023,
     https://www.o2sn.dk/2023/01/13/continuous-customer-feedback/
114. We Have Been Here All Along, 2023, https://www.o2sn.dk/2023/04/04/we-have-been-here-all-along/
115. Understanding the System of Quality, Jan 2026, https://www.o2sn.dk/2026/01/01/understanding-the-system-of-quality/
116.  Organisational Culture, What you need to know, https://www.theculturefactor.com/organisational-culture
117. Paul Gunn, 3 Things to Embrace to Elevate Your Company’s Culture, 2025, https://www.inc.com/paul-gunn/3-things-to-embrace-to-elevate-your-companys-culture/91110908
118. Forsgren et al., ACCELERATE, The Science of Lean Software and DevOps: Building and Scaling High Performing Technology Organizations, 2018, https://itrevolution.com/book/accelerate/
119. Conway’s Law, 1967, https://www.melconway.com/Home/Conways_Law.html
120. Jonny LeRoy and Matt Simons, December 2010 issue of the Cutter IT journal. via https://martinfowler.com/bliki/ConwaysLaw.html
121. Aren’t you a little old to get a Phineas & Ferb reference?
122. Where Do Testers Fit In? 2020, 
     https://www.o2sn.dk/2020/06/10/where-does-testers-fit-in/
123. Have Smarter Compliance Interactions, 2025, https://www.o2sn.dk/2025/01/03/have-smarter-compliance-interactions/
124. Team Topologies, key concepts, https://teamtopologies.com/key-concepts
125. Will Larson, Should you include engineers in your leadership meetings, 2026, https://lethain.com/should-include-eng-in-eng-leadership/
126. Something about Leadership, 2021, https://www.o2sn.dk/2021/02/15/something-about-leadership/
127. As mentioned in “The Canary Code” by Ludmila Praslova for more information see https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/French_and_Raven%27s_bases_of_power
128.  .. not poorly. Indiana Jones and the Holy Grail, obviously.
129. Tanya Reilly, 2022, The Staff Engineer’s Path, https://www.noidea.dog/staff
130. Alan Page, “What is your system teaching you?”, 2026, https://angryweasel.substack.com/p/what-is-your-system-teaching-you
131. Biel Morro, Minorca Beacon, 2017, via Unsplash, https://unsplash.com/photos/lighthouse-under-cumulus-clouds-and-blue-calm-sky-zSftGuAoDPM
132. Yes. Yes I am. See 121.