Empowering engineers through transparent leveling. Please contribute to keep the conversation going 🎉
| Level | Title | Engineering Excellence | Software Design + Architecture | Impact Scope | Level of Ambiguity | Ownership | Team Building |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| L1 | Junior Engineer | Basic coding skills, learning best practices, follows coding standards with guidance | Works on well-defined components, implements existing patterns | Individual tasks, small features | Clear requirements, well-defined problems | Executes ticket-level work with guidance. Plans within sprint goals and builds context on how their work fits in. | Learns from team, asks questions, participates in team activities |
| L2 | Software Engineer | Proficient in primary tech stack, writes clean, testable code independently | Designs simple systems, understands common patterns and anti-patterns | Full features, multiple related tasks | Some ambiguity, can break down medium-sized problems | Independently owns and delivers features. Plans across sprints and contributes to scoping and estimations. | Collaborates effectively, provides constructive code reviews |
| L3 | Senior Engineer | Expert in multiple technologies, champions best practices, optimizes for performance | Designs complex systems, makes architectural decisions for team-level projects | Team-level impact, cross-functional collaboration | Comfortable with ambiguous requirements, defines technical approach | Owns major systems or components. Plans across quarters, aligning team execution with roadmap goals. | Mentors junior engineers, leads technical discussions |
| L4 | Staff Engineer | Deep expertise, introduces new technologies, establishes engineering standards | Architects multi-team systems, ensures scalability and maintainability | Multi-team initiatives, cross-functional impact | Thrives in ambiguous environments, defines problems and solutions | Leads initiatives across multiple teams. Aligns technical strategy with product direction across quarters. | Develops team technical capabilities, influences engineering culture |
| L5 | Senior Staff Engineer | Industry-level expertise, drives technical vision, evaluates emerging technologies | Defines architecture for major platform initiatives, ensures long-term scalability | Department-level impact, influences product strategy | Navigates high ambiguity, creates clarity from complex business needs | Owns platform-critical systems. Plans 6–12 months ahead and aligns initiatives across engineering and product. | Builds and develops senior engineers, shapes technical organization |
| L6 | Principal Engineer | Recognized expert, drives company-wide technical standards and innovation | Defines company-wide architectural patterns, leads major technical initiatives | Organization-wide impact, influences business direction | Operates in high uncertainty, defines long-term technical strategy | Owns org-wide architecture and technical direction. Leads multi-year roadmaps that support company strategy. | Develops technical leaders, builds engineering excellence across organization |
| L7 | Distinguished Engineer | Industry thought leader, pioneers new approaches, speaks at major conferences | Invents new architectural paradigms, influences industry standards | Industry impact, shapes technology landscape | Creates new possibilities from uncertainty, defines future technology direction | Owns company-defining innovations. Evangelizes long-range (3–5+ year) strategies with business and technical execs. | Attracts top talent, builds world-class engineering teams |
| L8 | Fellow | Legendary expertise, fundamental contributions to computer science | Creates foundational technologies, defines new computing paradigms | Global impact, shapes the future of technology | Operates in pure ambiguity, creates entirely new fields of study | Owns global-scale innovations. Defines and steers decades-long technical vision aligned with societal evolution. | Builds legendary teams, creates lasting technical legacies |