I've always struggled a bit with the use of tech lead type approaches. I know it can work, but there are some real pitfalls and more effort needed than is ofte

I've always struggled a bit with the use of tech lead type approaches. I know it can work, but there are some real pitfalls and more effort needed than is often expected. For people to succeed in it they need to understand that the skill development will require hard work and focus, and they will probably not ever be as effective in either role as they would doing only one. The organization side needs to understand the latter point too, but also that without real mentoring and support this will likely fail. Even worse if the failure is then blamed on the insufficiently supported new manager. NB: I'm not suggesting this is an issue in OPs case, just that it's a common pattern I've seen in different organizations. Something to keep in mind is that this is an example a difficult type of hybrid job, one where the roles themselves are basically orthogonal in the sense that doing well at one can limit your effectiveness at parts of the other. Such jobs are inherently unstable and without additional effort will tend to fall apart. Compare this to hybrid roles that reinforce each other (e.g. editor/writer, some design/implementation roles, etc.).