[JustARandomGuy]

There is one thing you should always remember: Never accept responsibility, without the authority to change things.

You are being given the responsibility to manage all of this, without the authority to do so. So here is what I would do:

1. Ask for a title bump. Technology/Project/Services/etc Manager - frame it as other people need to know that you are the person in charge of technology, therefore you need a title to signal that you are the point person for decisions.

2. Insist on being in all high level planning, budget, etc meetings. Frame this request as saying that they are setting less-than-100%-completely-informed deadlines, therefore you need to be in planning meetings so that you can temper expectations and give technology's input.

3. Ask for a department budget so you can purchase what you need. Contractor expertise/books/courses/etc.

4. In the event that you don't get any of these - and I fully expect you won't - start interviewing. You sound like a smart individual who's outgrowing their position and need new challenges, and if they won't give them to you, you need to find another position that will.

[muzani]

It seems like the obvious answer here is they're leaving a senior slot open for when they can afford a senior, but it's not going to happen. So yes, this sounds like the next best alternative. Grow into a CTO.

I've been offered these senior roles myself in some startups, and I always ask them why they don't just promote the girl who's been holding everything together. Often the junior with domain knowledge can do a little better than a senior who comes in having to learn everything.

Another common pattern in these startups are what I name after the MMO tank+DPS. Someone out there has to tank the meetings, spend 2 weeks arguing and calculating that, no, we can't complete this in 2 weeks. That leaves enough space for the one writing the code to actually do the work.

[iL2wkD8VhjfJ]

We work in a rather regulated field so yes a junior with a good understanding of business logic has an advantage.

> Another common pattern in these startups are what I name after the MMO tank+DPS

Well seen, it's a real position for the sustainability of the developers.

[iL2wkD8VhjfJ]

> There is one thing to always remember: Never accept responsibility without having the power to change things.

This resonates a lot with me, I think it represents the situation well.

I remember a meeting during which the marketing manager / graphic designer (a student is cheaper) was asked to re-design part of a consumer app. So I asked that she be able to make final decisions about any changes so that I wouldn't lose too much in going back and forth for approval.

Management said no, they had the final say.

A nice illustration of what you just said.

Thank you very much, I keep your recommendations preciously.