IMHO, your job as a higher level engineer is to: 1. Quickly understand the problem and details 2. Come up with a plan to solve the MOST IMPORTANT problem

IMHO, your job as a higher level engineer is to: 1. Quickly understand the problem and details 2. Come up with a plan to solve the MOST IMPORTANT problem(s) 3. Work through the plan with the implementation team, to identify any gaps / things they can't do 4. Cover the gaps, to ensure the project can move forward without you 5. Regularly check-in after you shift off, to make sure it's still moving forward 2, 3, and 4 are most of your value, because they're where you can use your experience and skills to produce better outcomes. I'd care less about whether your boss likes you, and more about whether he thinks you're doing valuable work. And one way to clarify that with him would be (every time he puts you on a new project) to decide what the end goal is. Project started? Project done? Team gets over a hurdle? Then when he moves you to a new project, politely remind him of the project you're currently on, and the end goal you two discussed, the fact that it's not done, and the time until you expect it to be completed. He can still move you, but hopefully he'd start realizing he's prematurely shifting you around.