26. Capabilities and Title Qualifiers
The report used for this update was right to challenge title inflation. It was too aggressive in recommending deletion: a weak standalone title does not make the capability obsolete.
| Term | Classification in this guide | Where the work usually sits |
|---|---|---|
| Prompt Engineer | Capability | AI, applied AI, product, evaluation, or domain role |
| Context Engineer | Specialization | AI, applied AI, platform, developer productivity, or data role |
| Harness Engineer | Capability | Platform, staff engineering, developer productivity, or architecture |
| AI Orchestration Engineer | Specialization | Applied AI, agent, integration, automation, or platform engineering |
| Spec Engineer | Capability | Product engineering, requirements, QA, technical writing, or domain ownership |
| Agent Identity Architect | Capability | AI security, IAM, platform security, or AI platform engineering |
| Founding AI Engineer | Title qualifier | Early-stage AI or product engineering with broad ownership |
| AI-native engineer | Proficiency profile | Engineer who can supervise agents and own a wider delivery path |
| Vibe coder | Practice label | AI-assisted implementation; not a defensible career family |
Use these terms to describe depth or search for adjacent postings. Do not design a team with one mandatory seat per term.