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Use when designing career frameworks, level rubrics, IC and management track parity, and promotion processes.
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Based on SOC occupation classification
Use when designing or applying progressive discipline โ covers the escalating sequence, documentation, gross misconduct exceptions, and consistency.
Use when conducting or scoping workplace investigations โ covers intake, scope, interview protocols, evidence, findings, and outcomes.
Use when auditing or designing the candidate's journey โ covers communication, time, transparency, and the link between candidate experience and employer brand.
Use when planning organizational change โ covers communication architecture, sequencing, manager enablement, and predictable failure modes.
Use when training managers in coaching skills โ covers GROW, listening, asking vs. telling, and growth mindset framing.
Use when articulating or revising a comp philosophy โ covers market positioning, geo strategy, mix, transparency, and differentiation.
| name | career-leveling |
| description | Use when designing career frameworks, level rubrics, IC and management track parity, and promotion processes. |
A career framework is foundational infrastructure. Comp bands, performance ratings, hiring decisions, and promotion processes all anchor to it. A vague or absent framework leaves bias and politics to fill the void.
Typical 4โ7 dimensions:
Each level defines expected behavior across each dimension. Anchored in observable behavior โ not adjectives like "proactive" or "results-oriented."
| Level | Title | Scope | Leadership |
|---|---|---|---|
| L1 | Engineer I | Tasks within a project | Self |
| L2 | Engineer II | Owns features | Informal mentor |
| L3 | Senior Engineer | Owns systems within a team | Mentors others; sometimes tech lead |
| L4 | Staff Engineer | Cross-team scope | Multiplies a team or function |
| L5 | Senior Staff / Principal | Org-wide scope | Multiplies an organization |
| L6 | Distinguished | Company-wide impact | Influences company direction |
| L7+ | Fellow / VP IC | Industry impact | Defines technical strategy |
The IC ladder runs as long as the management ladder. Both reach Director-, VP-, and SVP-equivalent compensation.
Avoid as hard rules. Strong performers should be promoteable when their work demonstrates next-level scope, not at year-N. Use "performing at next level for 6+ months" as the test.
Common failure: IC ceiling at mid-senior, talented ICs forced into management or out. Counters:
When introducing or fixing:
Audit:
Common pattern: women and Black employees often have longer time-in-level than white men with comparable performance. Calibration is the intervention.
career-framework-architect agentperformance-management-systems skillpay-bands-market-data skilldei-strategist agent