Executive Certificate in Engineering Leadership, Product Delivery & Technology Strategy

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Backend Developer

Executive Certificate in Engineering Leadership, Product Delivery & Technology Strategy

Technical literacy for engineering leaders — oversee without micromanaging

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4 Weeks
Duration
Hybrid
Format
Lagos, Nigeria
Location
Rolling 2025
Intake
EXECUTIVE
Level
Yes
Certificate

What's included

Weekend Mentorship

Live cohort sessions with senior practitioners, every weekend.

Real-World Projects

Build a portfolio with hands-on industry case studies.

Community Access

Join a cohort of peers and the wider Firstlincoln alumni network.

Internship Pathway

Transition from learning into real industry experience through our internship program.

Weekend Mentorship Sessions

More than recorded videos — this is a live cohort.

Our Weekend Mentorship Sessions are live, instructor-led cohorts that run every weekend. Instead of watching pre-recorded lessons in isolation, you join a small group, work through real-world case studies, ask questions in real time, and get direct feedback from senior practitioners actively working in industry.

  • Live Q&A with senior practitioners every weekend
  • Real case-study breakdowns, not just slides
  • Cohort accountability and peer feedback
  • Career guidance, mock interviews and portfolio reviews
Sessions run Virtual or Physical — pick your format when you enrol.

What you'll learn

  • Understand how modern web applications are structured — frontend, backend, database
  • Read and interpret basic code and technical documentation without writing any
  • Make informed decisions on technology stacks, frameworks, and infrastructure choices
  • Design effective sprint reviews, velocity metrics, and engineering KPIs
  • Identify and manage technical debt, security vulnerabilities, and scalability risks
  • Evaluate developer CVs, conduct technical hiring conversations, and build strong teams
  • Align product roadmaps with engineering capacity using Agile planning

Prerequisites

  • Minimum 5 years of experience in a management, product, or executive role
  • No prior programming experience required
  • Laptop or tablet for reading code samples and workshop exercises
  • Attendance at all 4 weekly 3-hour sessions
  • Open mindset — curiosity is the only technical prerequisite

Who is this programme for?

  • CTOs, VPs of Engineering, and heads of product seeking technical depth
  • Founders and CEOs managing engineering teams without a technical background
  • Product managers wanting to collaborate more effectively with developers
  • Operations directors overseeing technology implementations
  • Investors conducting technical due diligence on software businesses

Curriculum

4 modules • 20 lessons • 4 Weeks

  1. MODULE 1 Engineering Fundamentals

    Week 1 · 5 lessons
    • How modern web applications work
    • Frontend vs backend vs infrastructure
    • Reading codebases (no coding required)
    • Tech stack decisions & trade-offs
    • APIs, databases & integrations
    • Agile & Scrum for engineering managers
    • Sprint planning & velocity
    • Technical debt management
    • Engineering OKRs & metrics
    • Hiring & building engineering teams
    • System design for non-engineers
    • Scalability & performance concepts
    • Security posture & secure SDLC
    • Cloud architecture overview
    • Vendor & platform evaluation
    • Product-engineering alignment
    • Make vs buy framework
    • Technology roadmaps
    • Engineering budget management
    • Workshop: Critique & improve a live product

Personalized Roadmap

Start your journey with a learning path customised to your motivation and experience

Engineering Fundamentals
1
Leading Dev Teams
2
Product & Architecture
3
Digital Product Leadership
4

Assessment & Certification

Assessment
Case study participation (40%), Tech audit submission (30%), Roadmap presentation (30%)
Certification
Firstlincoln Executive Certificate in Engineering Leadership
Delivery format
Executive Cohort — Weekly evening workshops (3 hours each)

Career outcomes

CTO
VP Engineering
Head of Product
Digital Product Director
Technical Co-founder
Internship Pathway

From classroom to a real industry role.

Top performers progress into our Internship Pathway — a structured placement programme of 3, 6 or 12 months. Internships are either sponsorship-backed or guardian-supported, depending on the arrangement that suits the learner.

3 months 6 months 12 months
Learn how the internship pathway works →

Get Expert Guidance

Need support? We've got your back — talk to a Firstlincoln advisor today.

+234 806 693 8330
10am – 7pm (Mon–Sat)
info@firstlincoln.net
You'll hear back in 24 hours.