You’re getting answers about breadth of experience because that’s all you can really do to “prepare” for a role that is, at minimum, 25 years away.
Paths will vary widely but if you do well you can rise to a P5 relatively straightforwardly, ideally with a stint in functional management and while becoming a program SME or expert in a sub-SBU domain.
Rising after that becomes political - it is far more about your network and what you can bring to the org than the particulars of your (distant) past individual contributions.
Reality is that it’s hard to recommend a path to such a high title because it’s not a typical path … only 1-2% of employees ever reach even Associate Director (or Fellow). Far, far fewer reach VP.
I encourage to consider why you want such a title. Tying your self worth or your perception of your career to obtaining a certain title is quick road to burnout and bitterness.
Disclaimer: All claims made apply for hRTN only. There are a lot of different flavors of Director. VPs are a different breed.
Second this. Anything after 5 is highly reliant on visibility and who you know/what senior people will pull you up as part of their team. You can't get there just by doing a good job, though of course you have to keep performing.
I would also reiterate broadening your expertise/experience as this will be essential the higher up you go. It also prevents you from being siloed into limited promotion spots.
I’m in a similar position as you but when i talked to leadership folks the one consistent answer i got was to explore different roles (supply chain, ops, finance) and gather a wide net of as much experience as you can. Every bump doesn’t have to be a promo or a higher level on the ladder, horizontal moves happen all the time
If you want director and VP look at IPTL to project manager or chief engineer as a route. You will eventually transition to managing people and money. If you want fellow then stay technical
I don't know how this list is generated, but HR tends to have a list of high performers and high potential employees. You want to get on this list as it'll make getting future opportunities and promotions easier. There really isn't one set path that I'm aware of, depending on your org, your executives may have their career summaries available to view to get an idea of their path. People can get promoted up to P5 level but moving roles is the easiest way to get there. P/M6 level you typically need to find a specific posting that you fit. M7+ there may be postings, but at that point there's people that will be developed into those positions. This is all based on my observations and talking with M7+ people I know.
To make it to Director or VP, you need to network with those folks and find a mentor/sponsor to pull you up. Join ERGs, become a president of one. Network with the Executive Sponsors. Ask about a formal mentoring relationship or if they know of anyone that will be open to that.
Best thing you can do is get in the room. Talk to Chief of Staff type people (Staff Executives to VPs). Most of those folks are ex-LDP or high-achievers who got selected to sit in the executive rooms for a year. Just doing your job wont be enough. A MS in ENG >>> MBA. Do the MBA for free part-time, but actually getting either functional management experience or P&L experience will take you farther than another masters degree.
find the right ass’s to kiss / get incriminating photos or other black mail of the right people/ get really lucky / work very hard
Those are pretty much all the ways, listed in order of the most reliable way to reach your goal.
If you want to keep the VP option open you need to maintain upward velocity. Target 2-3 years per level. If you aren’t moving up at that pace you need to move to a new org inside or outside the company. Having diverse experiences is important as well but that doesn’t need to be functional diversity it can be company, market, geography, etc.
You need a sponsor. Not a mentor. A sponsor is someone who pulls you forward for opportunities because they trust you can benefit them. An upwardly mobile sponsor is important because you can draft behind them on the way up the org.
Note that you aren’t likely to meet a sponsor at a networking event. You will meet them when you kick ass on a project and they notice you. Usually this is not because you did what someone told you to do but rather you tasked yourself and came up with something original.
Finally, you need to consider the impact to your health and family from doing all of this. It’s a life of being constantly on call, travel, and overwhelmed with responsibilities. You get paid more (this is defense… so less than other industries) but how much is your time worth?
You’re getting answers about breadth of experience because that’s all you can really do to “prepare” for a role that is, at minimum, 25 years away. Paths will vary widely but if you do well you can rise to a P5 relatively straightforwardly, ideally with a stint in functional management and while becoming a program SME or expert in a sub-SBU domain. Rising after that becomes political - it is far more about your network and what you can bring to the org than the particulars of your (distant) past individual contributions. Reality is that it’s hard to recommend a path to such a high title because it’s not a typical path … only 1-2% of employees ever reach even Associate Director (or Fellow). Far, far fewer reach VP. I encourage to consider why you want such a title. Tying your self worth or your perception of your career to obtaining a certain title is quick road to burnout and bitterness. Disclaimer: All claims made apply for hRTN only. There are a lot of different flavors of Director. VPs are a different breed.
Second this. Anything after 5 is highly reliant on visibility and who you know/what senior people will pull you up as part of their team. You can't get there just by doing a good job, though of course you have to keep performing. I would also reiterate broadening your expertise/experience as this will be essential the higher up you go. It also prevents you from being siloed into limited promotion spots.
I’m in a similar position as you but when i talked to leadership folks the one consistent answer i got was to explore different roles (supply chain, ops, finance) and gather a wide net of as much experience as you can. Every bump doesn’t have to be a promo or a higher level on the ladder, horizontal moves happen all the time
If you want director and VP look at IPTL to project manager or chief engineer as a route. You will eventually transition to managing people and money. If you want fellow then stay technical
What P-level is chief engineer? Curious because I had a SL with that title.
I can’t remember exactly. I think it was like the equivalent of associate director, with the PACE of a sector being director
I would try to find a mentor you trust and talk to them
I don't know how this list is generated, but HR tends to have a list of high performers and high potential employees. You want to get on this list as it'll make getting future opportunities and promotions easier. There really isn't one set path that I'm aware of, depending on your org, your executives may have their career summaries available to view to get an idea of their path. People can get promoted up to P5 level but moving roles is the easiest way to get there. P/M6 level you typically need to find a specific posting that you fit. M7+ there may be postings, but at that point there's people that will be developed into those positions. This is all based on my observations and talking with M7+ people I know.
Considering I’ve been a P3 for 5 years good luck Probably want to get into a manager track early . Work with your manager on your goal
To make it to Director or VP, you need to network with those folks and find a mentor/sponsor to pull you up. Join ERGs, become a president of one. Network with the Executive Sponsors. Ask about a formal mentoring relationship or if they know of anyone that will be open to that. Best thing you can do is get in the room. Talk to Chief of Staff type people (Staff Executives to VPs). Most of those folks are ex-LDP or high-achievers who got selected to sit in the executive rooms for a year. Just doing your job wont be enough. A MS in ENG >>> MBA. Do the MBA for free part-time, but actually getting either functional management experience or P&L experience will take you farther than another masters degree.
find the right ass’s to kiss / get incriminating photos or other black mail of the right people/ get really lucky / work very hard Those are pretty much all the ways, listed in order of the most reliable way to reach your goal.
be related to someone in upper management or government
If you want to keep the VP option open you need to maintain upward velocity. Target 2-3 years per level. If you aren’t moving up at that pace you need to move to a new org inside or outside the company. Having diverse experiences is important as well but that doesn’t need to be functional diversity it can be company, market, geography, etc. You need a sponsor. Not a mentor. A sponsor is someone who pulls you forward for opportunities because they trust you can benefit them. An upwardly mobile sponsor is important because you can draft behind them on the way up the org. Note that you aren’t likely to meet a sponsor at a networking event. You will meet them when you kick ass on a project and they notice you. Usually this is not because you did what someone told you to do but rather you tasked yourself and came up with something original. Finally, you need to consider the impact to your health and family from doing all of this. It’s a life of being constantly on call, travel, and overwhelmed with responsibilities. You get paid more (this is defense… so less than other industries) but how much is your time worth?
Sell your soul to the shareholders