Engineering Leveling Guide

A comprehensive framework for understanding and developing engineering competencies across various levels and domains.

Domain Knowledge
5 competencies

Writing clean, maintainable code that is easy to understand and modify.

Teamwork
4 competencies

Effectively conveying information, ideas, and feedback to team members and stakeholders.

Product Excellence
3 competencies

Understanding and addressing the needs and concerns of customers.

Execution
4 competencies

Successfully completing tasks and projects on time and according to requirements.

Leadership
5 competencies

Understanding and considering the financial implications of decisions and actions.

About This Guide

This Engineering Development Guide provides a structured framework for engineers to understand the competencies needed at different career levels. Each competency includes detailed descriptions, behaviors, and practical advice for improvement.

Whether you're looking to advance your career, provide feedback to team members, or understand expectations at different levels, this guide offers a comprehensive resource for engineering development.

21 Competencies

Covering technical skills, collaboration, leadership and more

5 Categories

Domain Knowledge, Teamwork, Execution, Leadership, and Product Excellence

5 Levels

Progressive development from entry-level to expert engineering roles

Practical Guidance

With behaviors, struggles, success patterns, and improvement opportunities

* This leveling rubric is the result of a collaborative effort by many engineering managers over many years. It is not entirely original work. Thank you to everyone who has contributed thoughts over the years.