The Staff Engineer's Path

Reporting “high” in the org chart, such as to a director or VP, will give you a broad perspective. The information you get will be high-level and impactful, and so will the problems you’re asked to solve. If you’re reporting to a very competent senior person, watching them make decisions, run meetings, or navigate a crisis can be a unique and valuable learning experience. That said, you’ll probably get a lot less of your manager’s time than you would if you had a local manager. Your manager might have less visibility into your work and therefore might not be able to advocate for you or help you grow.