Career Ladder Inspiration · Engineering
Patreon's engineering career framework
Engineering leveling guide from Patreon covering 6 competency areas across 5 levels from P1 to P5. Focuses on scope of impact, ownership, and accountability.
Company Patreon|Year 2026|Discipline Engineering|Tracks TBD|License
Scroll horizontally to explore all 5 levels
Clone this templateP1 - Engineer | P2 - Engineer II | P3 - Senior Engineer | P4 - Staff Engineer | P5 - Principal Engineer | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Skills Technical Execution | Writes correct code with guidance. Learning the codebase and tools. Follows established patterns and practices. | Writes clean, well-tested code independently. Solid understanding of the codebase. Applies best practices consistently. | Designs and implements complex systems. Deep expertise in their domain. Identifies and drives technical improvements proactively. | Architects complex systems spanning multiple services. Sets technical standards for the organization. Expert in multiple areas. | Defines the company's long-term technical strategy. Creates foundational technologies. Industry-recognized expertise. |
Skills Scope of Impact | Completes well-defined tasks. Impact is on individual deliverables. | Delivers features independently. Impact extends to the team's success. | Delivers complex projects with significant business impact. Impact extends across the team and sometimes beyond. | Impact extends across multiple teams. Drives strategic initiatives with organization-wide effects. | Impact shapes the company's trajectory. Drives transformational technical change. |
Skills Problem Solving | Solves well-defined problems with guidance. Developing debugging and troubleshooting skills. | Solves moderately complex problems independently. Identifies root causes. Learning to handle ambiguity. | Tackles highly ambiguous problems. Creates frameworks and patterns that help others solve similar problems. | Solves the most complex cross-team problems. Anticipates challenges and creates proactive solutions. | Defines entirely new problem spaces. Creates solutions that change the industry. |
Skills Communication | Communicates clearly about own work. Shares updates and asks for help. | Communicates proactively. Gives constructive feedback. Explains technical decisions to the team. | Communicates complex ideas to diverse audiences. Drives alignment on technical decisions within the team. | Communicates technical vision at the organizational level. Influences decisions through clear, strategic reasoning. | Communicates at the executive level. Shapes company narratives around technical strategy. |
Skills Leadership & Mentorship | Seeks mentorship. Supports teammates. Participates in team activities. | Mentors newer engineers. Participates in hiring. Contributes to team culture. | Mentors and grows engineers. Leads technical design discussions. Drives improvements to practices and processes. | Grows senior engineers into leaders. Leads cross-team initiatives. Shapes engineering culture. | Builds the next generation of technical leaders. Defines engineering values. Industry thought leader. |
Skills Ownership & Accountability | Takes ownership of assigned tasks. Delivers reliably on commitments. | Owns medium-sized features end-to-end. Takes accountability for code quality and testing. | Owns significant technical areas. Takes responsibility for system health, quality, and team outcomes. | Owns critical systems and organizational practices. Accountable for cross-team outcomes and technical strategy. | Owns the company's most critical technical decisions. Accountable for organizational technical health. |
Framework by Patreon · Licensed
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