Engineering managers in their first year or two
You were promoted for being the strongest engineer, and now the hard part is people: feedback that lands, the first underperformer, delivery on a live team.
How we tackle it →Marian Kamenistak · engineering leaders
Executive coach for engineering leaders. Someone who has held your seat, across the table every two weeks.
An executive coach for engineering leaders works 1:1 with the people who run engineering, from engineering manager to CTO. The sessions go to the calls on your desk this quarter: the org shape, the board answer, the hire, the manager who is struggling. I run it mentoring first, and switch to coaching questions once I know your context.
The higher the seat, the fewer people you can think out loud with. Your CEO wants the answer, your peers have a stake in it, and your team needs you to look sure. An executive coach is the one person in that conversation with no stake in the answer.
I was VP of Engineering at Mews while engineering grew from 8 to 80 teams. Since 2019 I've run 3,662 1:1 sessions with engineering leaders, and mentees rate every session from 0 to 10 right after it.
9.79/10 average session rating since 2024.
Who is an executive coach for engineering leaders for?
For anyone who leads engineering through other people: engineering managers in their first years, directors and VPs of Engineering who lead through managers, and CTOs or Heads of Engineering who answer to a CEO or a board. The title matters less than the scope of the seat.
Directors and VPs of Engineering, leading through managers
You lead through managers now, and you find out whether a decision worked about a quarter later. The reorg, the comp fight and the well-liked manager who isn't delivering all land on you.
How we tackle it →CTOs and Heads of Engineering, at the top of the engineering org
The board wants a delivery number and your team wants breathing room. Hiring and delivery fill every morning, so the technology bet keeps slipping off the calendar.
How we tackle it →Executive coaching or mentoring: which one is this?
Mentoring first, then coaching. As a mentor I bring moves I've used in the same seat, because your quarter has a deadline. Once I know your context, I switch to coaching questions that help you find your own answer, and I tell you out loud which mode you're getting.
The full comparison, with a three-question test to pick the right one: mentoring vs coaching.
What does working with an executive coach look like?
Most mentees start with One quarter: 6 sessions of 60 minutes over 3 months, one every two weeks. We pick two KPIs to move, you send your context before each session, and you leave each one with a small piece of homework. Between sessions you can reach me async.
- Free 30-minute intro. We find out whether I can move your specific problem. No pricing conversation on that call.
- 6 sessions, every two weeks. Your agenda and your deadline: the board deck, the reorg, the hire.
- You rate every session from 0 to 10 right after it. Anything you rate below 8 is free.
- If it isn't working by session 2, we stop and the rest is on me.
How much does executive coaching with me cost?
One quarter costs 1,975 EUR: 6 sessions over 3 months, 5 paid and 1 free, or 3 payments of 659 EUR. The price is the same when your company pays. Prices exclude VAT, the intro call is free, and any session you rate below 8/10 is free too.
One quarter · Most mentees start here
1,975 EUR
6 sessions over 3 months, 5 paid + 1 free, so 329 EUR a session · or 3 × 659 EUR
Book the free 30-min intro →Average session rating since 2024: 9.79/10.
Want to try one first? A single session is 395 EUR and counts toward a quarter if you continue within 30 days. Prefer a standing slot? Monthly sparring is 790 EUR a month for 2 sessions plus async access. Every option on the pricing page.
The questions I hear most from engineering leaders
These are the exact asks from mentees in the last 12 months. Bring one to the intro call and we start there.
- Set me up for the first 90 days as engineering manager.
- How to give feedback that changes behavior, not defenses?
- How to shift from operational firefighting to strategic thinking as a director?
- How to restructure teams for scale? (Team Topologies, Conway's Law, stream-aligned teams)
- How to build and execute a technology strategy that lands with the CEO and the board?
- How to communicate with the board about technology investments and technical debt?
- How to evaluate and govern AI adoption at enterprise level without FOMO?
How mentoring with me works
Free 30-min intro. Two KPIs to move in 3-6 months. Small homework after every session. The full method, step by step:
See how mentoring works →Frequently asked
Do you work as an executive coach for senior leaders outside engineering?+
My work is with senior leaders whose seat touches technology: CTOs, VPs and Heads of Engineering, directors, product leaders and Chief AI Officers. If your seat has nothing to do with technology, a general executive coach will serve you better, and I'll say so on the intro call.
How much does an executive coach cost?+
In the US, executive coaching typically runs 200 to 600 USD an hour (Careerminds, Leaders Adapt, 2026). In Central Europe, executive coaching for C-level sits around 180 to 330 EUR an hour (Koucbase, 2026). My prices are public: 395 EUR for one session, 1,975 EUR for a quarter of 6. The full 2026 rate table is in how much executive coaching costs.
Leadership coach vs executive coach: what is the difference?+
The labels overlap. A leadership coach usually works on how you lead people, at any level from team lead up. An executive coach works with the people at the top of a function, where the work is the board, the org design and the calls only you can make. For engineering, the bigger question is whether your coach has ever run an engineering org.
Will my company pay for executive coaching?+
It can, at the same public price: 1,975 EUR for a pack of 6, no corporate markup. The ROI case, worked examples and an email you can forward to your manager are in get your company to pay for mentoring.
What happens on the free 30-minute intro?+
You bring the problem, I ask about your context, and we find out whether I can move it forward. There's no pricing conversation on that call. If I'm not the right person, I'll tell you.
Explore other roles
Why me
3,662 1:1 leadership sessions since 2019. Mentees rate every session from 0 to 10 right after it. Since 2024 the average is 9.79.
- Been in the seat. Helped build Mews into a $2bn+ unicorn: 8 to 80 teams, roadmap still shipping. Advisor to Manta (acquired by IBM).
- CEE-native, US-fluent. 3 years in the Bay Area as Principal Software Architect at Databricks.
- Still highly technical. AI freak. Bullshit me on estimate, effort, code quality or architecture and I'll ask to see the code or your AI skill set.
- Financially independent. I don't need your money. I'm financially retired. Seeing you grow is my payoff.
- Direct. Mentoring first. I boost you fast. No esoteric loops.
Mentees come from these companies:
AI mentoring fit and book
In 10 minutes you know if we fit, and your first session is booked.
Use Marian's AI tool to evaluate our mentoring fit and book your first session in 10 minutes. It asks what a good first session would ask, sends a formal itemized offer and takes the slot. Same prices as the pricing page. No discount: Marian is an AI freak, and this is a time saver.
Ready to start?
Free 30-min intro. No pricing conversation on the first call. We figure out if we can move your specific problem forward. That is it.
Book the intro →Or email marian@marian.coach or call +420 736 519 879
Ordering this for someone on your team? How it works for companies · how to get the budget
From the blog
All posts →
How Much Does Executive Coaching Cost in 2026? US, Europe and CEE Rates
Executive coaching costs 200 to 600 USD per hour in the US, 120 to 330 EUR in Central Europe. Full 2026 rate breakdown, plus one public mentoring price list.
· By Marian
Read →
AI Business Case: Sell It to Product, Not the Board
Your AI transformation is paid in roadmap capacity. The seven slides, the capacity table and the pre-offsite round that get your Head of Product to cut.
· By Marian
Read →
How to Start an AI Transformation: 7 Decisions
How to start an AI transformation in an engineering org: a cut-off team, a permanent core of three, an adoption budget and commit-to-production as KPI.
· By Marian
Read →