To "lead" engineers you need to be an engineer because you have to make technical decisions. To "manage" people (including engineers), it's totally fine to be

To "lead" engineers you need to be an engineer because you have to make technical decisions. To "manage" people (including engineers), it's totally fine to be a non-tech person. It's actually even better if you're not tied to any project as a manager. Because you can focus on career growth and conflicts, which is what I'd expect from a manager.