# Welcome We are on a mission to democratize data. [Redivis](https://redivis.com) provides a platform for academic organizations to easily distribute rich datasets, empowering researchers of all stripes to undertake groundbreaking research. Our software is designed to remove the complexity in the data sciences and make it accessible to everyone. We are working with several of the world's leading research universities, and envision a future where data, and the stories they hold, are accessible to all. [Join us](https://jobs.redivis.com) in making this future a reality! ## About our team Redivis is a profitable, worker-owned and worker-managed company. We are independent of investors, and our sole focus is on making an incredible product for our customers and an incredible company for all of us. We are a passionate team of designers, engineers, entrepreneurs, people people, and data wranglers. We were founded by Ian Mathews, Sean McIntyre, and Erin DeLaney, who share the vision that the data our society collects should be widely available, easily understood, and readily actionable. As a small company, we all wear many hats — and many of us are self-taught in the hats we wear! Our unifying ethos is in our commitment to our work and mission, complemented by our strong desire to build Redivis into a company that cares about its people, its customers, and the broader community. We rely heavily on our values to inform our actions, and are deliberate in practicing a healthy work-life balance. We set out to create a company we all wanted to work at, and are looking forward to including you in this process. ## About this handbook We made this site to communicate what to expect when working at Redivis. One of our most important company [values](/company/values#transparency) is transparency — to our users, to our partners, to ourselves — and we wanted to extend that to anyone who might imagine growing their career at Redivis. Some of this is pretty standard information — you can read about [our mission](/company/mission), [our story](/company/our-story), and [the values that we uphold](/company/values). Some of this is a bit atypical — in this handbook you'll find comprehensive information about [salary](/compensation/salary), [profit sharing](/compensation/profit-sharing), and [equity](/compensation/equity) at Redivis, as well as other benefits and norms of working at Redivis. We are doing this for three reasons: 1. We want everyone to have as clear a picture as possible of what it's like to work at Redivis before they sign up. 2. We want our policies to be clear, and we want to stick to them. By making this document public, we're shouting out to anyone who will listen and holding ourselves to it. 3. We believe in fairness and equity, and know that transparency is one of the most powerful tools to fulfill these goals. ## Learn more about Redivis If you're looking to learn more about the Redivis platform, our commitment to transparency absolutely extends to our product! Check out [redivis.com](https://redivis.com) for a product overview and to see how major institutions are using Redivis, and consult our [documentation](https://docs.redivis.com) for more detailed guides, videos, and reference. # Mission Data is more than a buzzword. It is the collection of billions of stories about our collective ambition and desire, of our failures and relentless pursuit of solutions. At Redivis, we believe that the stories in data need to be brought to the world. The story of growing inequality deserves at least as much visibility as a stock ticker; research showing gaps in access to medical care ought to have as good an analytical toolkit as your social network platform. Redivis is creating a community of researchers, journalists, and activists, giving them new tools to explore the nuances in human data and to tell powerful stories about ourselves. If you believe in the power of data in motivating change, and in the imperative that access to this information be universal, we eagerly invite you to join our growing team in our mission to democratize data. {% embed url="" %} # Our story ## We began with one goal: to democratize data. Understanding human-centered data is profoundly important; it captures how our societies succeed and how they ought to improve. But all too often, the value of data is unrealized because of siloed systems and inflexible tools. In the spring of 2015, we set out to make such data more available. ## We started by making data more visual Data is useless if it can’t be understood. A billion temperature measurements are essentially incomprehensible, but a time-series choropleth on a map of the world can tell us an important story about climate change. Redivis began by helping researchers [visualize](https://www.wfns.org/menu/62/2016-neurosurgical-capacity-and-access-by-country) their data — both for them to better understand and to best articulate these data to a broader audience. [This](https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jamasurgery/fullarticle/2546329) [work](https://www.journalacs.org/article/S1072-7515\(16\)31039-0/abstract) [was](http://www.jmir.org/2018/5/e186/) [published](https://gh.bmj.com/content/2/2/e000226) [across](https://www.journalofsurgicalresearch.com/article/S0022-4804\(17\)30668-6/abstract) [multiple](https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S187887501830069X) [papers](https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5463808/), and most importantly, gave us early insight into the data-driven research process. ## Then we tackled data management. Data visualization is essential to their communication, but it requires that we have data. And that they’re reasonably clean. And what about restricted data? Metadata? Big data? It was these challenges that excited us as we began our partnership with the [Stanford Center for Population Health Sciences](http://med.stanford.edu/phs.html) in 2016. With their rich and varied datasets and community of talented researchers, the center was the perfect partner to learn and develop novel solutions for data administration alongside reproducible tools for data analysis. ## Today, we are building a collaborative community… As more organizations and researchers join Redivis, we continue to strive to connect the various nodes and incentives in the data ecosystem. We endeavor to reduce friction at every step of the research process, and minimize the roadblocks to working with data. # Values These are the guiding principles we're committed to reaffirming and evolving as we build a company we're all proud to be a part of. ## Create transparency We believe that transparency is the backbone to all of our other values. We trust everyone on our team with information about what we're doing, where we're going, and how we want to get there. The more everyone can be on the same page, the better we are all able to collaborate, engage, and make something great. **In practice** * This public company handbook! * Openness in our [salaries](/compensation/salary), [equity](/compensation/equity), and [profit sharing](/compensation/profit-sharing) * Quarterly all-hands company check-ins and transparent finances ## Practice empathy and kindness We recognize the humanity in everyone. People are key to everything we do. We fundamentally want to understand others’ perspectives when making decisions, and respect that everyone has their own challenges, perspectives, and struggles. We trust that everyone is doing their best and has potentially different paths to growth. **In practice** * Our [leave and time off policies](/compensation/time-off) * Our flexible [work hours and remote work policies](/company/norms) ## Invite growth More than any skill, we value an eagerness to learn and discover what we don't know. We know that actively seeking feedback and input is the best way to improve and make a point to invite it frequently. We avoid ossification by practicing flexibility, resiliency, and openness to whatever changes may come. **In practice** * Our commitment to [professional development](/compensation/professional-development) * Bi-weekly team retrospectives * Semi-annual growth [reviews](/careers/growth-and-progression#reviews) ## Prioritize diversity and inclusion We believe that a culture of openness and diversity starts from the very beginning. We are dedicated to building a company that celebrates and supports difference and draws from broad perspectives. We believe that this is both the right thing to do and also something that will make our work and all of us better. **In practice** * We actively pursue representing diverse backgrounds on our team in our [hiring process](broken://pages/-MJUVPZSpSNs-IMMfI2T) * We have channels for feedback and participation that respect different comfort levels with [methods of engagement](/company/how-we-work). ## Embrace the process We are fundamentally process-driven and have been able to tackle complex problems at scale because of it. We actively avoid chaos by doing our research, building and sharing plans, and reflecting on how we will improve next time around. With this clarity and insight we are better able to respect everyone's ownership over their work and trust teammates deeply to carry out their responsibilities. **In practice** * We continually build on our extensive internal documentation and team resources ## Enjoy the work We show up to work because we are motivated by helping people, practicing our craft, and tackling a problem that we believe is deeply important. We work hard, but we also refuse to get burned out in pursuit of a precarious end-goal (a vicious cycle of overwork that we see defining too many startups). Our work is fundamentally creative and we require rest and reflection to keep ourselves sane and what we do sustainable. We are in this for the long haul. **In practice** * We build work-life balance with our [vacation and every-other-friday-off policies](/compensation/time-off) * We share user-research and customer updates with the whole team to make sure everyone understands why we are working on a particular problem # Norms Our norms are ultimately designed to help us create a company that upholds [Redivis's values](/company/values) and respects us all as contributors – and as people. These norms certainly aren't set in stone, and are designed to provide flexibility for different people in different scenarios. However, we believe that it's important to be explicit and transparent about our expectations for each other as we work together at Redivis, while always providing the opportunity for [feedback and modification](/company/how-we-work#company-transparency) of these norms. ## Work location We've been a fully remote company since March 2020. Our core meetings are generally in the Pacific time zone, but we schedule them to make timing doable for those a bit further east or west. Like many companies, we are actively having conversations about the future of the workplace, and are excited for you to join us in that conversation. We're supportive of temporary stays (1-2 mos) in further timezones, and occasionally gather in person for an "offsite", where we work together in person and further develop and share our goals for the company. ## Work schedule We believe that a healthy balance of work and life is essential — in order to find this balance, it's important that we all value and respect each other's free time. We generally work \~9 hours a day, including a break for lunch. Weekends are the weekends (including [every-other-friday-off](/compensation/time-off#every-other-friday-off-23-days)), and there's no expectation that you'll be working. Sometimes some of us like to get some work done during time off, and might send a message or two on the weekend, but there's no expectation to respond. And sometimes, we have deadlines, or things hit the fan. And this means we might have to work late, or on a weekend, or do what we need to do to get things under control. These situations are rare, and our goal is to make them rarer still — if we find ourselves overworking to meet a deadline, we make a point of assessing what went wrong and how we can avoid such a scenario in the future. ## Time off If you plan to take vacation — awesome! If you're taking 1-2 days off, you don't need to seek approval, though providing notice to your team is always helpful. If you're taking 3 or more days off, we ask that you reach out to your manager at least a week in advance; if you're taking more than a week off, we ask that you communicate this 2 weeks in advance. More communication is always appreciated so that we can best plan around your time off, though we also recognize that extenuating circumstances can arise and would never want you to avoid taking time off due to these guidelines. ## Sick days Getting sick is no fun. If you're not feeling well, you probably shouldn't be working — take the day for yourself, watch some bad movies, etc. There is no sick day counter, and sick days do not in any way affect your vacation days. If an illness substantially impacts your ability to work for an extended period of time (roughly, > 3 weeks), it will make sense to transition to our [long-term disability leave policy](/compensation/time-off#disability-leave). We are also strongly supportive of any scenario where you might need to provide short-term care for others, and encourage you to take sick days for this care as needed. ## Leaving Redivis If you feel like it's time to move on from Redivis, know that we'll be sad to see you go, but that we support you 100% and will do everything we can to help your transition. Seriously — if you want to let us know that you're looking for a new job, we'd gladly serve as a reference, give you time for interviews, etc. In return, we ask that you be as transparent as possible about your plans, so that we can adjust accordingly. Giving us ample notice allows us to readjust resources and timelines — and if you're up for it, we may ask you to help us in hiring your future replacement. Note that [profit sharing](/compensation/profit-sharing) will always be paid out (on a pro-rated schedule) if you do choose to leave Redivis. # How we work We are [process-driven](/company/values#build-processes) in our work because it allows us to be better empowered in what we do and to contribute most effectively. When you join Redivis, we'll be excited to share with you all of our internal documentation. However, we believe it's important to be able to understand at a high level how we work together as you envision a career at Redivis. ## Feedback Feedback is essential in order for us all to improve in our careers and to best empathize with and support each other. You can expect bi-weekly feedback sessions with your direct manager, as well as semi-annual performance reviews, where you will both be able to gather and give detailed, thoughtful feedback to/from your peers and manager targeted around improving ourselves and our processes. ## Career growth We strive for everyone at Redivis to grow in their career, and support [equally-compensated pathways](/careers/growth-and-progression#tracks) as either an individual contributor or manager. Importantly, we believe that transparency is *critical* in supporting career growth. You can read more about our approach to career progressions, performance reviews, and much more in the [careers section](/careers/growth-and-progression). To make sure that we are always thinking about and supporting each other's growth goals, we practice semi-annual growth reviews, where you will work with your manager to take a deep dive into your growth goals and define your areas of expertise and opportunities for further improvement. ## Company transparency When you join Redivis, you should expect substantial transparency — we openly share information with our employees about our financial status, growth prospects, and general company goals. If you ever want to take a look, it's all there — and we encourage you to do so! It's also important for us to have concrete dates on the calendar to prioritize a defined, open, and frank discussion about what's happened in the past and what the future holds for Redivis. You can expect a quarterly meeting where we'll present this information in full and open it up to a company-wide discussion. ## Company structure We are a small company, and we all wear multiple hats. However, we find it incredibly useful to think about our work in terms of specific departments. This allows us to be explicit about which of our hats we are currently wearing, and who is responsible for any given task. #### **Operations** * People * Finance * Hiring * Legal * Software and infrastructure #### Business * Sales * Partnerships * Account management * Marketing * Metrics #### Community * Communications * Conferences, meetups, and working groups * Documentation * User support * Customer onboarding #### **Design** * User research * Product design * Communications design #### **Engineering** * Frontend * Backend * Security * DevOps #### **Product** * Project management * QA # Salary We believe that salaries should be equitable, transparent, and fair. We want to compensate ourselves as well as the company can afford. We want everyone to share in the company's successes. We recognize that any salary system has tradeoffs, and we bias ours towards equity and simplicity. ## Salary system There are 11 salary tiers at Redivis, and every job title is tied to a specific tier. There is a 15% gradation between each tier (1 tier bump = 15% raise). Salary information is public to everyone at Redivis. Salaries are automatically adjusted twice a year to match inflation, based on the Consumer Price Index (CPI) published by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. In addition, we have implemented [semi-annual profit sharing](/compensation/profit-sharing) so that we all can continue to share in Redivis's success. | Tier | Current base salary | | ---- | ------------------- | | 1 | $82,676 | | 2 | $95,077 | | 3 | $109,339 | | 4 | $125,739 | | 5 | $144,600 | | 6 | $166,290 | | 7 | $191,234 | | 8 | $219,919 | | 9 | $252,907 | | 10 | $290,843 | | 11 | $334,469 | # Profit sharing We also want everyone to be rewarded for our collective success. Redivis will distribute excess profits every six months, as determined (with rationale communicated) by senior management, based on the following formula: $$ ProfitShare ∝ tenure \* 0.5 + daysEmployedInYear \* salary \* 0.5 $$ In short, 50% of your share of the profits will be based on how long you've worked at Redivis, and 50% of your share will be based on how long you were employed that year, weighted by salary. The salary weight exists to capture the magnitude of your contribution that year — presumably, a junior developer played less (though significant!) of a role in this year's profits compared to a principal designer. # Equity We are building Redivis to be a sustainable company — one that builds amazing software, drives research forward, and benefits its employees and the broader community. We're not racing towards an exit or trying to bump up our valuation. And unlike many startups, we don't have substantial investors, and don't plan on relying for VCs for future growth. This gives us incredible flexibility to think about how we can best distribute the gains from Redivis. As such, we're very focused on distributing our profits to all our employees equitably — take a look at our [salary](/compensation/salary) and [profit sharing ](/compensation/profit-sharing)information. However, if we know one thing for certain, it's that we never know what the future may hold —  equity may become incredibly important (and valuable!) in an exit event. With our equity plan, we want to ensure that everyone contributed to Redivis's success is fairly rewarded, and we're committed to bringing our [value of transparency](/company/values#create-transparency) to the way we grant equity at Redivis. ## Formula Our equity plan allocates equity to all Redivis employees, past and present, who worked full-time at Redivis for at least one year. The goal of our equity formula is to reward everyone based on the duration of their time at Redivis, and the risk they took when joining Redivis. Risk is of course a bit of an arbitrary concept, but we define risk based on how much work has been put into Redivis so far (measured as person-days). The assumption is that **every time the cumulative work put in to Redivis doubles, the risk is halved**. For example, if you join after 2,000 person-days, and another person joins after 4,000 person-days, you will accrue equity at twice the rate of this subsequent employee. $$ Equity ∝ tenure \* risk $$ This formula provides flexibility in its ability to adapt as we grow — ensuring that currently employees are fairly compensated while leaving room for meaningful equity grants in the future. # Healthcare and 401(k) Our goal is to ensure that our employees and their families are able to seek a wide range of medical care, and are financially protected in the case of a significant medical event. Employer sponsored healthcare in the US is bizarre, inequitable, and inefficient, but we want to do the absolute best we can by our employees within the system we have. We also want our employees to be able to easily save for retirement. Redivis offers a 401(k) plan with substantial employer matching. ## Health care ### Medical 95% coverage for employees, 50% coverage for dependents Available plans: * Kaiser Permanente Platinum 90 HMO 0/10 PCP + Child Dental * Blue Shield Platinum 90 PPO 0/15 PCP + Child Dental ### Dental 99% coverage for employees, 0% coverage for dependents Available plans: * Guardian 1500 100/80/50 w/out Ortho (MAC) ### Vision 99% coverage for employees, 0% coverage for dependents Available plans: * Principal 10/25/150, 12/12/24 ## 401(k) The 401(k) plan is offered through Guideline, which allows you to easily invest in a wide variety of low-fee Vanguard funds. All employees are eligible to enroll after 3 months of employment. Redivis provides 100% matching on the first 3% salary deferred, and 50% of contributions from 3% to 5%. In other words, if you contribute 5% of your salary to your 401(k), Redivis will deposit an additional 4% on top of your salary to your 401(k). # Time off ## Vacations Breaks are important. Our work is creative, novel, and sometimes quite difficult, and we all need time to rest and recharge. We all value our lives, relationships, and hobbies outside of work, and endeavor to create ample space for life apart from Redivis. In addition to our [norms](/company/norms) around protected weekends, taking sick days, and remote work policies, and our policies around [taking time for professional development](/compensation/professional-development), we think it's important to make time for ample vacation. ### Every other Friday off! (\~23 days) Every other Friday is considered part of the weekend. If it overlaps with another holiday, so it goes. The first Friday off will occur the Friday following the first full week back in January. ### Winter shutdown (2 weeks) Because we work closely with academic institutions, we are able to take certain advantage of lulls in their calendar and close things down for two weeks spanning the end of December / early January. This time does not count towards paid vacation. ### Paid vacation (4 weeks) Everyone at Redivis receives 4 weeks (20 days) of paid vacation per year. This assumes working full-time at Redivis throughout the year – for new employees or those [taking unpaid leave](#leave-policies), the vacation minimum and maximum are adjusted proportionally to the number of paid weeks that year. If you're taking vacation, we ask that you communicate with your manager [as laid out in our norms](/company/norms#communication), though we recognize that extenuating circumstances may sometimes arise and that's fine! ### Holidays (21 days) We generally observe all major holidays in the United States. If there are other holidays that are important to you and your family, we strongly encourage you to take these off as well. Holidays do not count towards paid vacation. Redivis observes the following holidays outside of our existing breaks: * Martin Luther King, Jr. Day * President's day * Memorial day * Juneteenth * US independence day * Labor day * Indigenous Peoples' Day * Election day (every other year) * Veterans day * Thanksgiving (+ Friday after) * Winter shutdown (2 weeks) ## Leave policies ### Parental leave We offer 17 weeks (77 working days) paid leave for all new parents, including for adoption and foster care. Birthing parents are also offered up to 4 weeks (18 working days) disability leave. Parental leave may be taken at any time from 3 months before the expected delivery date through 1 year post-delivery, with the ability to break the leave into chunks as needed. PTO accrues during parental leave, and can be used in tandem to extend parental leave. Additionally, we're very supportive of working with you to develop a back-to-work plan that works for your family and adapts to its changing needs. This might involve part-time work for new parents, flexible scheduling, or other flexibility as helpful. ### Disability leave In the event of an illness or disability that prevents you from working – as well as for birthing parents – Redivis offers paid leave up to 4 weeks. After this point, we'll work with you to help transition to state-offered short or long term disability, as needed. ### Bereavement leave Know that we are here for you during some of life's hardest moments, and that your work is a non-issue during these times. We encourage employees to take 1-2 weeks for bereavement as needed. ### Unpaid leave If you ever want to take an extended break, know that we're supportive and happy to work with you to plan any extended, unpaid leave from Redivis. ### Profit sharing and equity during leave Our policy for [profit sharing](/compensation/profit-sharing) and [equity accrual](/compensation/equity) is that if you are receiving a salary from Redivis, then you also continue to receive these other forms of compensation. For example, profit sharing and equity grants continue as normal for new parents during their paid parental leave. If your leave is unpaid, however, profit sharing and equity will pause during that period. # Professional development It's important to us that your time at Redivis fits in to your broader career trajectory and goals for personal growth. We have quarterly check-ins scheduled to make sure that all employees feel supported in designing and pursuing their professional development plans. ## **Time** We are strongly supportive of all employees taking at least 1 week per year to take a class or attend conferences relevant to their work. ## **Budget** We offer $2,000 annual stipends to all employees to support career development. This includes travel to conferences, courses, materials, etc. # Office and equipment ## Equipment It is important to us that everybody has the tools they need to feel productive, fulfilled, and healthy in their work. In general, if there's equipment or software that would be helpful to your work, we're supportive of purchasing it. Given that pretty much all of our work is on the computer, we prioritize making sure that everyone has top of the line MacBook Pros. ## Home office While we recognize that different people will have different needs, we will generally reimburse up to $1,000 for new employees for their home office setup, and up to $500 per year thereafter. This policy will continue even after we return to some level of office normalcy, as our [remote policies](/company/norms#remote-work) require us all to have a home office setup that works well. # Growth and progression At Redivis, we want to give each employee ample opportunity to grow their impact and scope of work within the company, and to advance in their careers. Our progression system helps give employees role clarity and a process to engage in regular feedback, performance reviews and promotion opportunities. Throughout Redivis, we categorize roles into one of two [tracks](/careers/growth-and-progression#tracks), that focus on either [individual contribution](/careers/growth-and-progression#individual-contributor-team-lead) or [people management](/careers/growth-and-progression#manager). Every department defines its own set of roles and levels (each tied to a [salary tier](/compensation/salary)), and allows employees to progress to higher levels via [promotion](/careers/growth-and-progression#promotion) by their manager. New employees may start at any level, depending on their experience, and join everyone in engaging with our [review](/careers/growth-and-progression#reviews) process to assess performance in their role, discuss their potential to advance or shift positions, and articulate their career aspirations. ## Tracks Entry-level roles at Redivis focus on individual contribution, while more senior employees are expected to step into a leadership role, whether they continue to follow an IC path or take on people management. The track placement will be informed by what desired skills someone would like to focus on, and what opportunities are available within the company. Switching tracks is possible and anticipated. A general example track is shown here: | Individual Contributor | Manager | | :--------------------: | :------------: | | Junior | | | Intermediate | | | Advanced | | | Senior | Manager | | Staff | Senior Manager | | Principal | Director | | Distinguished | VP | #### **Individual Contributor (+ Team Lead)** An individual contributor is responsible for executing on projects. Executes on and supports teammates in completing project tasks efficiently. Mentors teammates and evaluates others' work. Specializes and grows their core department skillset to contribute deep expertise and thought leadership to their team. Submits work to the team lead. Evangelizes technologies, tools, and processes used within department. At higher levels, a *Team Lead* manages projects and decides when an output is completed to the appropriate standard. They advise others on improving the quality of their work, set the high level vision for work being done, and create processes for how projects will be successfully completed at a high standard. #### **Manager** *In addition to any IC or team lead responsibilities, which will fade over time* A manager is responsible for others' performance and growth. Completes performance reviews that evaluate their reports' growth and contributions to the team, department, and broader company. Mediates any issues the report is having with their role or with their teammates. Supports reports' career navigation via 1:1's, and quarterly check-ins. Decides when reports get promoted or need to improve. Sets the high level context and opportunity for reports, driving vision and processes for how everyone will successfully work together. ## Promotion Our company's Growth Policies define our general process for career advancement. The individual, their manager, and broader team all participate in collecting evidence of an individual's progression via: * 1:1 conversations between manager and individual * Feedback from peers and other teams * Self-evaluation and manager -> report [reviews](/careers/growth-and-progression#reviews-1) Identifying your own strengths and weaknesses is important in developing a sense of which progression (IC or manager) and which role might be right for you, and a great starting point for conversations with your peers and manager about how to improve on your weaknesses and/or lean into your strengths. A manager may promote an individual (report) to the next level if that individual is performing consistently at that next level for several months. If you index lower (or higher) in certain skill areas highlighted in your role, that doesn't preclude you from advancement in a given progression, but is a great point of discussion with your manager. ## Reviews In addition to regular \~weekly check-ins, employees meet with their manager every 3 months to continue a more formal discussion of success in their current role and potential for advancement. Every other (January & July) manager <-> report meeting is focused on the report's career growth, external training, time off, and team dynamics. Performance reviews, which involve broader collection and evaluation of evidence of a report's progression and provide opportunities for [promotion](/careers/growth-and-progression#promotion), occur twice a year (April & October). # Engineering Engineering roles are grouped into two [tracks](/careers/engineering#tracks-with-titles): one for **developers**, who focus on individual contributions (IC), and for **engineering managers**, who focus on managing people. According to their role's progression level, engineers can evaluate their effectiveness and scope of responsibility based on [competencies](/careers/engineering#competencies) across [axes](/careers/engineering#axes) including technological expertise, ownership of system architecture, interaction with teammates, involvement with engineering processes, and influence in each of the above. An overview of roles on frontend and backend [teams](/careers/engineering#teams) link to specific position titles, which describe the expertise, skillsets and experience needs for each role. ## Tracks The framework has 2 different tracks, in line with our [company-wide system](/careers/growth-and-progression#tracks): * **Developer (IC)**: has a deep level of technical expertise, executes on product deliverables, and (at higher levels) owns system, architecture & production support of features and products, trains other engineers. * **Engineering Manager:** manages other engineers; is responsible for the consistent output, career growth and level of happiness of team members, and (at higher levels) owns team resource allocation (who's working on what). | Developer (IC) | Engineering Manager | | :------------: | :---------------------: | | Entry-level | - | | Intermediate | - | | Advanced | - | | Senior | Manager | | Staff | Senior Manager | | Principal | Director of Engineering | | Distinguished | VP of Engineering | ## Axes We provide an axes framework, inspired by existing [resources](/careers/engineering#resources), which empowers employees to evaluate their career progression and have meaningful conversations with their managers about the expectations of each position and how to plan for the next level in their career. ![](/files/-ME4usaywKp66QtXtXEN) The chart above defines 5 axes: * **Technology**: knowledge of the technology and tools * **System**: level of ownership of the system(s) * **People**: relationship with the team(s), leadership role, meeting facilitation * **Process**: level of engagement with the department process * **Influence**: scope of influence of the position The **influence** axis can be seen as a *different dimension* since it is orthogonal and applies to all the other axes. Each axis has 5 levels of **competency**. Note that each competency level includes the previous one(s). For example, someone that *evangelizes* technology, *specializes* and *adopts* it as well. {% tabs %} {% tab title="Technology" %} 1. **Adopts**: actively learns and adopts the technology and tools defined by the team 2. **Specializes**: is the go-to person for one or more technologies and takes initiative to learn new ones 3. **Evangelizes**: researches, creates proofs of concept and introduces new technologies to the team 4. **Masters**: has very deep knowledge about the whole technology stack of the system 5. **Creates**: designs and creates new technologies that are widely used either by internal or external teams {% endtab %} {% tab title="System" %} 1. **Enhances**: successfully pushes new features and bug fixes to improve and extend the system 2. **Designs**: designs and implements medium to large size features while reducing the system's tech debt 3. **Owns**: owns the production operation and monitoring of the system and is aware of its SLAs 4. **Evolves**: evolves the architecture to support future requirements and defines its SLAs 5. **Leads**: leads the technical excellence of the system and creates plans to mitigate outages {% endtab %} {% tab title="People" %} 1. **Learns**: quickly learns from others and consistently steps up when it is required 2. **Supports**: proactively supports other team members and helps them to be successful 3. **Mentors**: mentors others to accelerate their career-growth and encourages them to participate 4. **Coordinates**: coordinates team members providing effective feedback and moderating discussions 5. **Manages**: manages the team members' career, expectations, performance and level of happiness {% endtab %} {% tab title="Process" %} 1. **Follows**: follows the team processes, delivering a consistent flow of features to production 2. **Enforces**: enforces the team processes, making sure everybody understands the benefits and tradeoffs 3. **Challenges**: challenges the team processes, looking for ways to improve them 4. **Adjusts**: adjusts the team processes, listening to feedback and guiding the team through the changes 5. **Defines**: defines the right processes for the team's maturity level, balancing agility and discipline {% endtab %} {% tab title="Influence" %} 1. **Subsystem**: makes an impact on one or more subsystems 2. **Team**: makes an impact on the whole team, not just on specific parts of it 3. **Multiple Teams**: makes an impact not only his/her team but also on other teams 4. **Company**: makes an impact on the whole tech organization 5. **Community**: makes an impact on the tech community {% endtab %} {% endtabs %} ## Competencies Engineering uses the above progression framework to expect certain competencies from developers and engineering managers at each progression level. For additional specific skillsets and responsibilities, see our [frontend](/careers/engineering/frontend-engineer) and [backend](broken://pages/-ME4qL078ipUfgqgp554) roles. ### Developer | Progression level | Technology | System | People | Process | Influence | | ----------------- | :-------------: | :----------: | :----------: | -------------- | -------------- | | 1 (Entry-level) | Adopts (1) | Enhances (1) | Learns (1) | Follows (1) | Subsystem (1) | | 2 (Intermediate) | Adopts (1) | Designs (2) | Supports (2) | Enforces (2) | Subsystem (1) | | 3 (Advanced) | Specializes (2) | Designs (2) | Supports (2) | Challenges (3) | Team (2) | | 4 (Senior) | Evangelizes (3) | Owns (3) | Mentors (3) | Challenges (3) | Team (2) | | 5 (Staff) | Masters (4) | Evolves (4) | Mentors (3) | Adjusts (4) | Multi team (3) | | 6 (Principal) | Creates (5) | Leads (5) | Mentors (3) | Adjusts (4) | Company (4) | | 7 (Distinguished) | Creates (5) | Leads (5) | Mentors (3) | Adjusts (4) | Community (5) | ### Engineering Manager | Progression level | Technology | System | People | Process | Influence | | ------------------ | :-------------: | :---------: | :---------: | -------------- | -------------- | | 4 (Manager) | Evangelizes (3) | Owns (3) | Manages (5) | Challenges (3) | Team (2) | | 5 (Senior Manager) | Evangelizes (3) | Owns (3) | Manages (5) | Adjusts (4) | Team (2) | | 6 (Director) | Evangelizes (3) | Evolves (4) | Manages (5) | Defines (5) | Team (2) | | 7 (VP) | Evangelizes (3) | Evolves (4) | Manages (5) | Defines (5) | Multi team (3) | ## Teams {% tabs %} {% tab title="Frontend" %} Below is the progression for [frontend developers](/careers/engineering/frontend-engineer) in the IC and manager tracks. Click on a position title for more details. | Developer (IC) | Engineering Manager | | :--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------: | :---------------------: | | [Entry-level](/careers/engineering/frontend-engineer#entry-level-frontend-developer) | - | | [Intermediate](/careers/engineering/frontend-engineer#intermediate-frontend-developer) | - | | [Advanced](/careers/engineering/frontend-engineer#advanced-frontend-developer) | - | | [Senior](/careers/engineering/frontend-engineer#senior-frontend-developer) | Manager | | [Staff](/careers/engineering/frontend-engineer#staff-frontend-developer) | Senior Manager | | [Principal](/careers/engineering/frontend-engineer#principal-frontend-developer) | Director of Engineering | | [Distinguished](/careers/engineering/frontend-engineer#distinguished-frontend-developer) | VP of Engineering | | {% endtab %} | | {% tab title="Backend" %} Below is the progression for [backend developers](broken://pages/-ME4qL078ipUfgqgp554) in the IC and manager tracks. Click on a position title for more details. | Progression level | Developer (IC) | Engineering Manager | | :---------------: | :------------: | :---------------------: | | 1 | Entry-level | - | | 2 | Intermediate | - | | 3 | Advanced | - | | 4 | Senior | Manager | | 5 | Staff | Senior Manager | | 6 | Principal | Director of Engineering | | 7 | Distinguished | VP of Engineering | | {% endtab %} | | | | {% endtabs %} | | | ## Resources * [**jorgef/engineeringladders**](https://github.com/jorgef/engineeringladders) * Buffer [progression](https://buffer.com/resources/career-framework/), [management](https://buffer.com/resources/survive-first-30-days-manager/) and [salaries](https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/11s9VSyf4yaYUsqBKLaVH78NL8wdl8gXoj5BGAzjIFuc/edit#gid=890104456) * Gitlab [career framework](https://about.gitlab.com/handbook/engineering/career-development/career-matrix.html) * Brendan Reid's [director -> VP progression](https://www.brendanreid.com/blog-1/2018/1/2/4-keys-to-move-from-director-to-vp-level) * Zendesk [product design progression](https://design.zendesk.com/downloads/product-design-career-path_ic.pdf) * Charlie [job titles](https://cdn2.hubspot.net/hubfs/4289024/CharlieHR%20-%20Job%20Titles.pdf?utm_medium=email&_hsmi=80746552&_hsenc=p2ANqtz-8NFZmiiPOt4F-Lqtfw8-sYmDFs7TTB6AHEZ5l31HGLqiWP46Qj4sZjWAelk7bpsSqFrTrxBz82w_KtZHMuUbJJB-bTzQ\&utm_content=80746552\&utm_source=hs_automation) # Frontend engineer A frontend developer builds deep technical expertise, executes on product deliverables, and (at higher levels) owns system, architecture & deployment of products and features. | Role | [Salary tier](/compensation/salary) | | :-----------------------------------------------: | :---------------------------------: | | [Entry-level](#entry-level-frontend-engineer) | 4 | | [Intermediate](#intermediate-frontend-engineer) | 5 | | [Advanced](#advanced-frontend-engineer) | 6 | | [Senior](#senior-frontend-engineer) | 7 | | [Staff](#staff-frontend-engineer) | 8 | | [Principal](#principal-frontend-engineer) | 9 | | [Distinguished](#distinguished-frontend-engineer) | 10 | Each role below outlines a description of responsibilities, experience, and expected performance across different [axes](/careers/engineering#axes). ### Entry-level frontend engineer {% tabs %} {% tab title="Technology (1)" %} *Adopts*: actively learns and adopts the technology and tools defined by the team * Comfortable with Javascript/HTML/CSS, React, Redux, additional open-source libraries * New to field, 0-2 years experience in web development, school or demo projects {% endtab %} {% tab title="System (1)" %} *Enhances*: successfully pushes new features and bug fixes to improve and extend the system * Builds components and small features * Researches and learns new technical areas {% endtab %} {% tab title="People (1)" %} *Learns*: quickly learns from others and consistently steps up when it is required * Participates in team meetings * Builds respectful relationships within team * Communicates needs and goals to manager * Clear written and verbal communication {% endtab %} {% tab title="Process (1)" %} *Follows*: follows the team processes, delivering a consistent flow of features to production * Receives detailed direction on all work * Receives feedback from teammates and demonstrates improvement * Keeps team informed of progress of deliverables * Takes responsibility for communicating obstacles to team * Learns and follows engineering best practices ([Git workflow](https://app.gitbook.com/@redivis/s/eng/devops/git-rules), [code style](https://app.gitbook.com/@redivis/s/eng/devops/styleguide), [frontend architecture](https://app.gitbook.com/@redivis/s/internal/frontend/architecture)) {% endtab %} {% tab title="Influence (1)" %} *Subsystem*: makes an impact on one or more subsystems or team pods * Operates within team, with a bias towards optimizing the team's productivity {% endtab %} {% tab title="Diagram" %} ![](/files/-ME4vGHXAqUOfqMOqnni) {% endtab %} {% endtabs %} ### Intermediate frontend engineer {% tabs %} {% tab title="Technology (1)" %} *Adopts*: actively learns and adopts the technology and tools defined by the team * Proficient at Javascript/HTML/CSS, React, Redux, additional open-source libraries * 2-4 years experience in web development * Consistently delivers high quality work, on time, independently and as part of team {% endtab %} {% tab title="System (2)" %} *Designs*: designs and implements medium to large size features while reducing the system's tech debt * Builds components and small features * Contributes to projects with larger scope, demonstrating ownership of complex pieces. * Debugs and resolves simple issues unassisted, and more complex issues with guidance * Researches and learns new technical areas {% endtab %} {% tab title="People (2)" %} *Supports*: proactively supports other team members and helps them to be successful * Actively engages in team meetings * Builds relationships focused on collaboration, to enable productivity in teammates * Works with manager to articulate needs and goals * Excellent written and verbal communication * Resolves conflicts respectfully and in a timely manner * Open to diverse perspectives and ways of working * Shares recognition of work across team, positively reinforces others' contributions {% endtab %} {% tab title="Process (2)" %} *Enforces*: enforces the team processes, making sure everybody understands the benefits and tradeoffs * Receives general direction on routine work, detailed direction on newer assignments * Adept at acknowledging and receiving feedback, and applying to improve work * Keeps team informed of progress of deliverables * Determines appropriate action by exercising judgement within defined practices * Set personal priorities and work plan, while integrating dependencies on others' work * Offers alternatives, incorporates input from others, asks for clarification * Comfortable with engineering best practices ([Git workflow](https://app.gitbook.com/@redivis/s/eng/devops/git-rules), [code style](https://app.gitbook.com/@redivis/s/eng/devops/styleguide), [frontend architecture](https://app.gitbook.com/@redivis/s/internal/frontend/architecture)) {% endtab %} {% tab title="Influence (1)" %} *Subsystem*: makes an impact on one or more subsystems or team pods * Operates generally within team, with increasing awareness of influence of team's work within the department {% endtab %} {% tab title="Diagram" %} ![](/files/-ME4v_of2BgkcRNuxE1X) {% endtab %} {% endtabs %} ### Advanced frontend engineer {% tabs %} {% tab title="Technology (2)" %} *Specializes*: is the go-to person for one or more technologies and takes initiative to learn new ones * Expert in Javascript/HTML/CSS, React, Redux, additional open-source libraries * 3-5 years experience in web development * Develops complete designs that satisfy design and engineering requirements * Consistently delivers high quality work, on time, independently or as part of team {% endtab %} {% tab title="System (2)" %} *Designs*: designs and implements medium to large size features while reducing the system's tech debt * Builds components and small features * Contributes to projects with larger scope, demonstrating ownership of complex pieces. * Specializes in multiple components or modules and understands dependencies between modules * Debugs and resolves simple issues unassisted, and more complex issues with guidance * Able to work on multiple projects with different scopes * Writes clear documentation * Considers diagnosibility, portability, reliability, maintainibility of features * Proactively researches and learns new technical areas {% endtab %} {% tab title="People (2)" %} *Supports*: proactively supports other team members and helps them to be successful * Proactive information sharing across teams, engagement in team meetings * Builds relationships focused on collaboration, to enable productivity in teammates * Works with manager to articulate needs and goals * Excellent written and verbal communication * Resolves conflicts respectfully and in a timely manner * Open to diverse perspectives and ways of working * Shares recognition of work across team, positively reinforces others' contributions * Facilitate problem solving and work planning * Considers others' schedules and priorities while managing own timeline {% endtab %} {% tab title="Process (3)" %} *Challenges*: challenges the team processes, looking for ways to improve them * Receives general direction on routine work, detailed direction on newer assignments * Adept at acknowledging and receiving feedback, and applying to improve work * Keeps team informed of progress of deliverables * Able to debate options, gather different perspective, and make recommendations * Asks for input and incorporates ideas and solutions from others * Demonstrates research and good judgement when choosing problem solving approaches * Set personal priorities and work plan, while integrating dependencies on others' work * Balances short term gains and long term benefit * Contributes to improvements of engineering best practices ([Git workflow](https://app.gitbook.com/@redivis/s/eng/devops/git-rules), [code style](https://app.gitbook.com/@redivis/s/eng/devops/styleguide), [frontend architecture](https://app.gitbook.com/@redivis/s/internal/frontend/architecture)) {% endtab %} {% tab title="Influence (2)" %} *Team*: makes an impact on the whole team, not just on specific parts of it * Operates with peers across the team, with increasing awareness of influence of team's work within the department * Strong focus on building productive relationships across team members {% endtab %} {% tab title="Diagram" %} ![](/files/-ME4vcxdSBkgGAeyrkk0) {% endtab %} {% endtabs %} ### Senior frontend engineer {% tabs %} {% tab title="Technology (3)" %} *Evangelizes*: researches, creates proofs of concept and introduces new technologies to the team * Expert in Javascript/HTML/CSS, React, Redux, additional open-source libraries * 4-7 years experience in web development * Develops complete designs that satisfy design and engineering requirements * Consistently delivers high quality work, on time, independently or as part of team {% endtab %} {% tab title="System (3)" %} *Owns*: owns the production operation and monitoring of the system * Contributes to projects with larger scope, demonstrating ownership of complex pieces, especially those that require collaboration with other teams. * Specializes in multiple components or modules and understands dependencies between modules * Debugs and resolves simple and complex issues unassisted * Able to work on multiple projects with different scopes * Writes clear documentation * Considers diagnosibility, portability, reliability, maintainibility of features * Proactively researches and learns new technical areas {% endtab %} {% tab title="People (3)" %} *Mentors*: mentors others to accelerate their career-growth and encourages them to participate * Proactive information sharing across teams, engagement in team meetings * Builds relationships focused on collaboration, to enable productivity in teammates * Works with manager to articulate needs and goals * Excellent written and verbal communication * Resolves conflicts respectfully and in a timely manner * Open to diverse perspectives and ways of working * Shares recognition of work across team, positively reinforces others' contributions * Facilitate problem solving and work planning * Considers others' schedules and priorities while managing own timeline * Represents their team, and considers the impact to the team, when in conversations with others. {% endtab %} {% tab title="Process (3)" %} *Challenges*: challenges the team processes, looking for ways to improve them * Receives general direction on routine work, detailed direction on newer assignments * Adept at acknowledging and receiving feedback, and applying to improve work * Keeps team informed of progress of deliverables * Able to debate options, gather different perspective, and make recommendations * Asks for input and incorporates ideas and solutions from others * Demonstrates research and good judgement when choosing problem solving approaches * Set personal priorities and work plan, while integrating dependencies on others' work * Balances short term gains and long term benefit * Contributes to improvements of engineering best practices ([Git workflow](https://app.gitbook.com/@redivis/s/eng/devops/git-rules), [code style](https://app.gitbook.com/@redivis/s/eng/devops/styleguide), [frontend architecture](https://app.gitbook.com/@redivis/s/internal/frontend/architecture)) {% endtab %} {% tab title="Influence (2)" %} *Team*: makes an impact on the whole team, not just on specific parts of it * Operates with peers across the team, with awareness of influence of team's work within the department * Strong focus on building productive relationships across team members {% endtab %} {% tab title="Diagram" %} ![](/files/-ME4vgx8GGFoJXT9qoP3) {% endtab %} {% endtabs %} ### Staff frontend engineer {% tabs %} {% tab title="Technology (4)" %} *Masters*: has very deep knowledge about the whole technology stack of the system * Expert in Javascript/HTML/CSS, React, Redux, additional open-source libraries * 6-9 years experience in web development * Develops complete designs that satisfy design and engineering requirements * Consistently delivers high quality work, on time, independently or as part of team {% endtab %} {% tab title="System (4)" %} *Evolves*: evolves the architecture to support future requirements and defines its SLAs * Contributes to projects with larger scope, demonstrating ownership of complex pieces, especially those that require collaboration with other teams. * Specializes in multiple components or modules and understands dependencies between modules * Debugs and resolves simple and complex issues unassisted * Able to work on multiple projects with different scopes * Writes clear documentation * Considers diagnosibility, portability, reliability, maintainibility of features * Proactively researches and learns new technical areas * Strong working knowledge of backend systems; able to design and build with whole stack in mind. {% endtab %} {% tab title="People (3)" %} *Mentors*: mentors others to accelerate their career-growth and encourages them to participate * Proactive information sharing across teams, engagement in team meetings * Builds relationships focused on collaboration, to enable productivity in teammates * Works with manager to articulate needs and goals * Excellent written and verbal communication * Resolves conflicts respectfully and in a timely manner * Open to diverse perspectives and ways of working * Shares recognition of work across team, positively reinforces others' contributions * Facilitate problem solving and work planning * Considers others' schedules and priorities while managing own timeline * Represents their team, and considers the impact to the team, when in conversations with others. {% endtab %} {% tab title="Process (4)" %} *Adjusts*: adjusts the team processes, listening to feedback and guiding the team through the changes * Receives general direction on routine work and newer assignments * Adept at acknowledging and receiving feedback, and applying to improve work * Keeps team informed of progress of deliverables * Able to debate options, gather different perspective, and make recommendations * Asks for input and incorporates ideas and solutions from others * Demonstrates research and good judgement when choosing problem solving approaches * Set personal priorities and work plan, while integrating dependencies on others' work * Balances short term gains and long term benefit * Contributes to improvements of engineering best practices ([Git workflow](https://app.gitbook.com/@redivis/s/eng/devops/git-rules), [code style](https://app.gitbook.com/@redivis/s/eng/devops/styleguide), [frontend architecture](https://app.gitbook.com/@redivis/s/internal/frontend/architecture)) * Provides feedback that focuses on the business impact of the behavior * Iteratively works towards results on cross-team projects without over-analysis {% endtab %} {% tab title="Influence (3)" %} *Multi-team*: makes an impact not only on the whole team but also on other teams * Operates with peers across the team, with awareness of influence of team's work within the department * Strong focus on building productive relationships across team members, and regularly engages with other teams * Identifies situations where collaboration between teams will yield good results. {% endtab %} {% tab title="Diagram" %} ![](/files/-ME4vjWuN90z3sJ7HW4V) {% endtab %} {% endtabs %} ### Principal frontend engineer {% tabs %} {% tab title="Technology (5)" %} *Creates*: designs and creates new technologies that are widely used either by internal or external teams * Expert in Javascript/HTML/CSS, React, Redux, additional open-source libraries * 10-14 years experience in web development * Develops complete designs that satisfy design and engineering requirements * Consistently delivers high quality work, on time, independently or as part of team {% endtab %} {% tab title="System (5)" %} *Leads*: leads the technical excellence of the system and creates plans to mitigate outages * Leads projects with larger scope, demonstrating ownership of complex pieces, especially those that require collaboration with other teams. * Specializes in multiple components or modules and understands dependencies between modules * Debugs and resolves simple and complex issues unassisted * Able to work on multiple projects with different scopes * Writes clear documentation * Considers diagnosibility, portability, reliability, maintainibility of features * Proactively researches and learns new technical areas * Strong working knowledge of backend systems; able to design and build with whole stack in mind. * Chooses work that is appropriate to their level and works with the Engineering Manager to assign work to other members of the team {% endtab %} {% tab title="People (3)" %} *Mentors*: mentors others to accelerate their career-growth and encourages them to participate * Proactive information sharing across teams, engagement in team meetings * Builds relationships focused on collaboration, to enable productivity in teammates * Works with manager to articulate needs and goals * Excellent written and verbal communication * Resolves conflicts respectfully and in a timely manner * Open to diverse perspectives and ways of working * Shares recognition of work across team, positively reinforces others' contributions * Facilitate problem solving and work planning * Considers others' schedules and priorities while managing own timeline * Represents their team, and considers the impact to the team, when in conversations with others. {% endtab %} {% tab title="Process (4)" %} *Adjusts*: adjusts the team processes, listening to feedback and guiding the team through the changes * Receives general direction on routine work and newer assignments * Adept at acknowledging and receiving feedback, and applying to improve work * Keeps team informed of progress of deliverables * Able to debate options, gather different perspective, and make recommendations * Asks for input and incorporates ideas and solutions from others * Demonstrates research and good judgement when choosing problem solving approaches * Set personal priorities and work plan, while integrating dependencies on others' work * Balances short term gains and long term benefit * Contributes to improvements of engineering best practices ([Git workflow](https://app.gitbook.com/@redivis/s/eng/devops/git-rules), [code style](https://app.gitbook.com/@redivis/s/eng/devops/styleguide), [frontend architecture](https://app.gitbook.com/@redivis/s/internal/frontend/architecture)) * Provides feedback that focuses on the business impact of the behavior * Iteratively works towards results on cross-team projects without over-analysis {% endtab %} {% tab title="Influence (4)" %} *Company*: makes an impact on the whole tech organization * Operates with peers across the team, with awareness of influence of team's work within the company * Strong focus on building productive relationships across team members, and regularly engages with other teams * Identifies situations where collaboration between teams will yield good results. {% endtab %} {% tab title="Diagram" %} ![](/files/-ME4vlvZlCIGG58Qcrb9) {% endtab %} {% endtabs %} ### Distinguished frontend engineer {% tabs %} {% tab title="Technology (5)" %} *Creates*: designs and creates new technologies that are widely used either by internal or external teams * Expert in Javascript/HTML/CSS, React, Redux, additional open-source libraries * 12-15 years experience in web development * Develops complete designs that satisfy design and engineering requirements * Consistently delivers high quality work, on time, independently or as part of team {% endtab %} {% tab title="System (5)" %} *Leads*: leads the technical excellence of the system and creates plans to mitigate outages * Leads projects with larger scope, demonstrating ownership of complex pieces, especially those that require collaboration with other teams. * Specializes in multiple components or modules and understands dependencies between modules * Debugs and resolves simple and complex issues unassisted * Able to work on multiple projects with different scopes * Writes clear documentation * Considers diagnosibility, portability, reliability, maintainibility of features * Proactively researches and learns new technical areas * Strong working knowledge of backend systems; able to design and build with whole stack in mind. * Chooses work that is appropriate to their level and works with the Engineering Manager to assign work to other members of the team {% endtab %} {% tab title="People (3)" %} *Mentors*: mentors others to accelerate their career-growth and encourages them to participate * Proactive information sharing across teams, engagement in team meetings * Builds relationships focused on collaboration, to enable productivity in teammates * Works with manager to articulate needs and goals * Excellent written and verbal communication * Resolves conflicts respectfully and in a timely manner * Open to diverse perspectives and ways of working * Shares recognition of work across team, positively reinforces others' contributions * Facilitate problem solving and work planning * Considers others' schedules and priorities while managing own timeline * Represents their team, and considers the impact to the team, when in conversations with others. {% endtab %} {% tab title="Process (4)" %} *Adjusts*: adjusts the team processes, listening to feedback and guiding the team through the changes * Receives general direction on routine work and newer assignments * Adept at acknowledging and receiving feedback, and applying to improve work * Keeps team informed of progress of deliverables * Able to debate options, gather different perspective, and make recommendations * Asks for input and incorporates ideas and solutions from others * Demonstrates research and good judgement when choosing problem solving approaches * Set personal priorities and work plan, while integrating dependencies on others' work * Balances short term gains and long term benefit * Contributes to improvements of engineering best practices ([Git workflow](https://app.gitbook.com/@redivis/s/eng/devops/git-rules), [code style](https://app.gitbook.com/@redivis/s/eng/devops/styleguide), [frontend architecture](https://app.gitbook.com/@redivis/s/internal/frontend/architecture)) * Provides feedback that focuses on the business impact of the behavior * Iteratively works towards results on cross-team projects without over-analysis {% endtab %} {% tab title="Influence (5)" %} *Community*: makes an impact on the tech community * Operates with peers across the team, with awareness of influence of team's work within the department * Strong focus on building productive relationships across team members, and regularly engages with other teams * Identifies situations where collaboration between teams will yield good results. * Public presence; conference/open-source contributions {% endtab %} {% tab title="Diagram" %} ![](/files/-ME4vpIW9eGpDfxgePxn) {% endtab %} {% endtabs %} # Design ## Mission The design organization at Redivis is responsible for conceptualizing and executing creative assets and defining how our product and services look and work. Design's guiding lights are transparency and empathy. A design is successful when it deeply understands the user and meets them where they're at with the right level of insight. We are solving very complex user problems and strive to update traditional processes with elegance, excitement, and clarity. ## Workflow and tools ![](/files/-MGG4v1UWz6t_IS_Wc_t) Our design work is process-driven, research-oriented, and rooted in getting input from as many sources as possible throughout. We work closely with engineering, product, marketing, support, and executive teams to represent the user and advocate for clarity and usability in all aspects of Redivis. We use Figma and Google docs for the bulk of our design work. ## Career progression | Individual contributor (IC) | Manager | Salary level | | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ | --------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | ------------ | | [Junior designer](/careers/design#junior-designer) | | 3 | | [Designer](/careers/design#designer) | | 4 | | [Senior designer](/careers/design#senior-designer) | | 5 | | [Lead designer](/careers/design#lead-designer-design-manager) | [Design manager](/careers/design#lead-designer-design-manager) | 6 | | [Principal designer](/careers/design#principal-designer-senior-design-manager) | [Senior design manager](/careers/design#principal-designer-senior-design-manager) | 7 | | [Creative director](/careers/design#creative-director-design-director) | [Design director](/careers/design#creative-director-design-director) | 8 | #### Leadership and tracks Everyone being promoted from Senior designer onward will be expected to step into a leadership role depending on what [track](/careers/growth-and-progression#tracks) they're on. ## Levels ### Junior designer | Theme | Proficiency | | ------------------------------------------------- | ------------------------------------------------------------------------- | | Achievements | New to the professional field, 0-2 years' experience, school or demo work | | Scope of work | Solve specific function-level problems (e.g. add item to cart) | | Process | Work within processes established by team lead | | Team | Part of a team | | Meetings | Attending the meeting | | [Core design skills](/careers/design#core-skills) | Strong in one, capable in two | | Soft skill focus | Professionalism | | Leadership skill focus | NA | ### ### Designer | Theme | Proficiency | | ------------------------------------------------- | -------------------------------------------------------------------- | | Achievements | Roughly 3-5 years' experience, contributed to a few shipped projects | | Scope of work | Solve specific product capabilities (e.g. shopping cart) | | Process | Work within processes established by team lead | | Team | Part of a team, communicate with cross-functional peers | | Meetings | Contributing to the meeting | | [Core design skills](/careers/design#core-skills) | Strong in two, capable in two | | Soft skill focus | Communication and presentation | | Leadership skill focus | NA | ### ### Senior designer | Theme | Proficiency | | ------------------------------------------------- | ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | | Achievements | Roughly 5-10 years' experience, contributed to multiple shipped products | | Scope of work | Lead the solution of a product area (e.g. "the conversion funnel") | | Process | Develop the process/approach for tackling a problem | | Team | Leading a team that's been given to you, collaborating with cross-functional peers | | Meetings | Driving the meeting | | [Core design skills](/careers/design#core-skills) | Expert in one, strong in two, capable in two | | Soft skill focus | Facilitation, listening | | Leadership skill focus | Strategy, empathy, compassion | ### ### Lead Designer / Design manager | Theme | Proficiency | | ------------------------------------------------- | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | | Achievements | Roughly 10-15 years' experience, delivered successful work at the scope of "product areas" | | Scope of work | Leading the solution of undefined problem spaces (e.g. "How do people complete a transaction?") | | Process | Develop the process/approach for tackling a problem | | Team | Create the team you need, defining the problem with cross-functional leads | | Meetings | Driving the meeting | | [Core design skills](/careers/design#core-skills) | Expert in one, strong in two, capable in two | | Soft skill focus | Confidence and swagger | | Leadership skill focus | Planning, mentorship | ### ### Principal Designer / Senior design manager | Theme | Proficiency | | ------------------------------------------------- | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ | | Achievements | Roughly 15-20 years' experience, has led teams in framing and solving hard problems, and has driven innovative efforts that uncovered new value with new kinds of experiences. | | Scope of work | Leading the solution of broader undefined problem spaces (e.g. "How do people shop online?") | | Process | Establish a philosophy/mindset for how the team approaches its work | | Team | Create the team you need, defining the problem with cross-functional leads | | Meetings | Being consulted in the meeting for insight | | [Core design skills](/careers/design#core-skills) | Expert in one, strong in two, capable in two (might start to drop off) | | Soft skill focus | Advocating for design in the broader company context | | Leadership skill focus | Operations | ### ### Creative Director / Design Director | Theme | Proficiency | | ------------------------------------------------- | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | | Achievements | 20+ years' experience, has led teams in creating foundational, groundbreaking design work | | Scope of work | Multiple user experiences (e.g. "What is the end-to-end shopper experience?") | | Process | Facilitate and consult on the creation and iteration of team processes | | Team | Establish the organizational structure, define roles, and expand the team | | Meetings | Stakeholder for whom the meeting exists | | [Core design skills](/careers/design#core-skills) | Expert in one, strong in two, capable in two (might start to drop off) | | Soft skill focus | Influence in a broader, external design community | | Leadership skill focus | Vision | ## Core design skills All designers will be evaluated on their performance in core design skills, depending on what role they have. ### Information architecture Organizing, structuring, and labeling content in an effective and sustainable way. Includes building out ontologies and relationships to help users find information and complete tasks. {% tabs %} {% tab title="Capable" %} Understands complex relational structures and makes changes to them when necessary to improve them. Can inform others of the structure and speak with insight to other teams about it. {% endtab %} {% tab title="Strong" %} Deeply understands relationships and is able to drastically edit existing relationships and create new ones for simple and complex product areas. Can reliably teach team members the systems and answer any questions that come up. {% endtab %} {% tab title="Expert" %} Fully understands systems and their implications for entire products. Builds new ontologies for entire products and is the expert on communicating the system throughout the company. Leads others in building systems that span multiple people or departments. {% endtab %} {% endtabs %} ### Interaction design Creating products, environments, systems, and services that users interact with to accomplish their goals. {% tabs %} {% tab title="Capable" %} Designs interfaces that are straightforward and easily understandable. Enables a user's successful interactions with a system. Efficiently draws on existing patterns of communication. {% endtab %} {% tab title="Strong" %} Designs inspiring interfaces for complex problems. Contributes to the product's interaction guidelines via solid research and developing best practices over time. Contributes to creating innovative new interface interactions when needed. {% endtab %} {% tab title="Expert" %} Develops product-wide interaction guidelines and resources, and educates others on how to best use them. Works across departments to improve the user's experience in all aspects of their interaction with Redivis. Deeply understands many different users' full interaction with Redivis and can represent their perspective in high-level decisions. {% endtab %} {% endtabs %} ### Prototyping Building an interactive model to test designs quickly and cost-effectively. {% tabs %} {% tab title="Capable" %} Creates basic prototypes for key interactions and is efficient at incorporating feedback into quick iterations. {% endtab %} {% tab title="Strong" %} Builds high fidelity prototypes quickly that closely mimic the usability of potential solution. Proactively seek out people to test these prototypes and manage the process of improving them. Able to make a call for when it's worth investing more time in the prototype vs moving to another step in the process. {% endtab %} {% tab title="Expert" %} Master of prototyping software and procedures, and leads team adoption and practice. Builds guides and templates for others to use. Structures systems for feedback and iteration, and gives high quality feedback on both the content and the process for others' work. {% endtab %} {% endtabs %} ### Research Exploring a question via quantitative and qualitative investigation and sharing insights gained via analysis and synthesis. Includes user research, surveys, observation, usability testing, user analytics, and product research. {% tabs %} {% tab title="Capable" %} Executes on research plans to answer a research question. Participates in distilling and reporting insights. {% endtab %} {% tab title="Strong" %} Frames meaningful research questions and builds out comprehensive research plans. Executes multiple types of research very well and with little oversight. Is able to drive synthesis of gathered data points to uncover meaningful insights and communicate them in a way that inspires others. {% endtab %} {% tab title="Expert" %} Leads teams in generating research projects to discover and answer broad questions about user behavior. Advises on methods for successfully executing brilliant research. Guides analysis of data points toward insights that revolutionize understanding of the subject. Communicates research with company-level impact. {% endtab %} {% endtabs %} ### Strategy Developing a plan or policy to achieve a major goal or aim. {% tabs %} {% tab title="Capable" %} Devises effective documentation for how a problem or project will be approached with an appropriate balance of high level insight and detail. Seeks out and understands the relevant large goals and forces at play, and accounts for them appropriately in the plan. {% endtab %} {% tab title="Strong" %} Understands all pressing aspects of the business and product and accounts for them when researching and creating a plan. Creates organized and accessible plans that sensibly solve issues, which they distribute and get buy-in for. Contributes to templates and planning resources for others. {% endtab %} {% tab title="Expert" %} Fully understands the contexts of the business and product and speaks to them with the appropriate level of detail and insight. Produces high quality plans for complex and/or long-range problems and projects involving many people or teams. Guides others in their strategic undertakings and drives development of high level design templates and processes. {% endtab %} {% endtabs %} ### Visual design Improving aesthetic appeal and usability via typography, space, layout, and color. {% tabs %} {% tab title="Capable" %} Draws on aesthetic principles to deliver beautiful, usable assets and/or product interfaces that are consistent with the Redivis brand and product guidelines. Able to clearly communicate complex and information-dense concepts visually without overwhelming the viewer. {% endtab %} {% tab title="Strong" %} Develops multiple types of visual assets quickly that consistently fit with existing materials. Contributes to guidelines for our brand and product interface and works to share these across different teams. {% endtab %} {% tab title="Expert" %} Creates and distributes exciting and innovative visuals that resonate with a wide range of users. Fully understands and drives our visual guidelines forward in a sustainable way with company-wide effects. Advocates for visual consistency and beauty in all aspects of our brand and product. Educates and gives feedback on visual design happening on different teams/projects. {% endtab %} {% endtabs %} ### Writing Designing the conversation between Redivis and the user. Includes building and maintaining the words people see and hear when they interact with our product and assets. {% tabs %} {% tab title="Capable" %} Writes copy and product content that clearly and succinctly communicates information or a call to action. Follows brand voice guidelines and maintains consistency across many different product areas or assets. {% endtab %} {% tab title="Strong" %} Writes inspiring copy and content that pushes forward our brand while fully supporting a user's needs for information and understanding. Contributes to developing our brand voice guidelines and advocates for consistency and clarity across teams. {% endtab %} {% tab title="Expert" %} Consistently produces copy and content that fits perfectly in the context it lives in. Creates new ways of relating to users and drives our brand forward. Able to contribute to copy and phrasing for all areas of the company and regularly consults with different teams and departments. Educates others on brand voice guidelines and creates systems to enable their success. {% endtab %} {% endtabs %} ## Resources System adapted from *Org Design for Design Orgs* by Peter Merholz and Kristin Skinner # Product designer Define guidelines and build visual and system level plans for user interactions with the Redivis product. ## Contributions You specialize in discovering and meeting user needs. You're fully invested in the way users are interacting with our product and optimize for success for everyone. You bring a focus on intentionality and empathy to projects throughout Redivis that ultimately elevates every users' experience. ## Outputs * Research reports * Design plans * Wireframes * Prototypes * Product mocks * System docs * Design system component library ## Career progression | Individual contributor (IC) | Manager | Salary level | | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ | --------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | ------------ | | [Junior designer](/careers/design#junior-designer) | | 3 | | [Designer](/careers/design#designer) | | 4 | | [Senior designer](/careers/design#senior-designer) | | 5 | | [Lead designer](/careers/design#lead-designer-design-manager) | [Design manager](/careers/design#lead-designer-design-manager) | 6 | | [Principal designer](/careers/design#principal-designer-senior-design-manager) | [Senior design manager](/careers/design#principal-designer-senior-design-manager) | 7 | | [Creative director](/careers/design#creative-director-design-director) | [Design director](/careers/design#creative-director-design-director) | 8 | #### Leadership and tracks Everyone being promoted from Senior designer onward will be expected to step into a leadership role depending on what [track](/careers/growth-and-progression#tracks) they're on. ## Core design skills favored All designers are evaluated on a set of [core skills](/careers/design#core-skills) which will vary person to person. * [Interaction design](/careers/design#interaction-design) * [Research](/careers/design#research) * [Prototyping](/careers/design#prototyping) * [Information architecture](/careers/design#information-architecture) * [Strategy](/careers/design#strategy) # Communication designer Define guidelines for and execute on visual and written communications across Redivis. ## Contributions You specialize in getting the point across clearly and beautifully. You’re a systems thinker; you love complex questions and using your visual skills to create clear and engaging stories. You bring a clarity and polish to projects happening throughout Redivis, upping everyone's ability to communicate effectively. ## Outputs * Brand materials * Homepage mocks * Graphics * Handouts * Slide decks * Marketing campaign assets * External forms * UX product writing * Visual user interfaces ## Career progression | Individual contributor (IC) | Manager | Salary level | | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ | --------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | ------------ | | [Junior designer](/careers/design#junior-designer) | | 3 | | [Designer](/careers/design#designer) | | 4 | | [Senior designer](/careers/design#senior-designer) | | 5 | | [Lead designer](/careers/design#lead-designer-design-manager) | [Design manager](/careers/design#lead-designer-design-manager) | 6 | | [Principal designer](/careers/design#principal-designer-senior-design-manager) | [Senior design manager](/careers/design#principal-designer-senior-design-manager) | 7 | | [Creative director](/careers/design#creative-director-design-director) | [Design director](/careers/design#creative-director-design-director) | 8 | #### Leadership and tracks Everyone being promoted from Senior designer onward will be expected to step into a leadership role depending on what [track](/careers/growth-and-progression#tracks) they're on. ## Core design skills favored All designers are evaluated on a set of [core skills](/careers/design#core-skills) which will vary person to person. * [Visual design](/careers/design#visual-design) * [Information architecture](/careers/design#information-architecture) * [Writing](/careers/design#writing) * [Strategy](/careers/design#strategy) # Community Community builds and sustains a thriving ecosystem around our product by connecting with users, fostering knowledge sharing, and removing barriers to success. Community is built around two main pillars: * **Support** provides essential resources and aid, ensuring success. * **Advocacy** enthusiastically repesents Redivis, amplifies user voices, and brings our community together. ## Roles | Level | Salary level | | :--------------------: | :----------: | | Junior | 2 | | Intermediate | 3 | | Advanced | 4 | | Senior / Manager | 5 | | Staff / Senior Manager | 6 | | Principal / Director | 7 | ## Junior This role is generally an introductory role that operates reactively inside the community team. Time frame: 0-2 years experience
SupportAdvocacyOther
  • Answer inbound support queries triaged to you
  • Create and edit support materials within a specific topic/page/video
  • Edit copy for external communications
  • Contribute to example and demo materials
  • Attend events and represent Redivis well
  • Have a general understanding of the Redivis product, use cases, and users
  • Collaborate effectively with community team members
## Intermediate This role is beginning to take on more proactive work within the community team and responding to needs from other teams as requested. Time frame: 1-4 years experience *In addition to previous levels:*
SupportAdvocacyOther
  • Triage inbound requests to yourself and others
  • Create and edit support materials across multiple topics/pages/videos
  • Provide 1-on-1 support to researchers or administrators in most contexts
  • Write external communications on a given topic
  • Build example and demo materials with guidance
  • Speak or present at events as part of a group effort
  • Have a clear and insightful understanding of the Redivis product, use cases, and users
  • Respond clearly to team members in different roles across the company from a community context
## Advanced This role operates independently on community team tasks with strategic guidance and regularly keeps other teams updated. Time frame: 3-5 years experience *In addition to previous levels:*
SupportAdvocacyOther
  • Triage inbound requests and respond independently to almost all of them
  • Reorganize support materials within specific topics/pages/videos
  • Successfully onboard new groups
  • Create topics for external communications with strategic guidance
  • Plan and execute example materials with strategic guidance
  • Create and present talks at events independently
  • Contribute to the company-wide understanding of how the Redivis product is used and perceived
  • Regularly summarize your community work to the rest of the company clearly and effectively
  • Understand how community work fits into to other team workflows
## Senior / Manager This role is fully capable at daily community work and is focused on building systems to identify and work across multiple community team issues, and contribute to broader company projects. Time frame: 5-8 years experience *In addition to previous levels:*
SupportAdvocacyOther
  • Create systems to track and understand support needs for Redivis to inform future support work and planning
  • Create and maintain onboarding materials
  • Think holistically about support materials and make updates across multiple formats
  • Create and maintain systems to triage inbound requests

  • Create multi-platform or multi-stage external communications with a clear strategic purpose
  • Create strategies for example materials and demos
  • Identify events to attend and plan a strategy for attending them
  • Develop systems to capture and report out how the Redivis product is used and perceived
  • Proactively communicate community needs and strategic plans to the company
  • Actively contribute to other team workflows through QA and feedback from a community context
If Manager: Oversees projects undertaken by other team members, offering strategic guidance. ## Staff / Senior manager This role is setting the broader strategy for community team projects and integrating closely with other team functions. Time frame: 8+ years of experience, 10+ Redivis team members *In addition to previous levels:*
SupportAdvocacyOther
  • Understand available support tools, and inform our broad company approach to different methods and systems for support
  • Create onboarding plans alongside business aims.

  • Understand communication channels and create strategic plans to effectively position Redivis in the broader community alongside marketing aims.
  • Have a strong awareness of the broader community Redivis is a part of and build relationships with members of those groups.
  • Proactively advocate for broader company initiatives and updates informed by community work
If Senior Manager: Facilitates reports' ability to create strategic plans and coordinate across multiple team members. ## Principal / Director This role oversees the entire community team, setting long term strategic goals and acting as the face of Redivis to our external community Time frame: 10+ years of experience, 10+ Redivis team members *In addition to previous levels*
Overall
  • Have a clear, articulated vision for the Redivis community
  • Be a leader in the broader research data tools ecosystem
  • Make decisions on what tools and systems should be used for community work internally
  • Inform overall company planning and decision making
If Director: Oversee full team operations and strategic coordination. # Product The product department works in close coordination with engineering, design, marketing and business to plan execution and deployment of Redivis products and features. ## Tracks Our proposed Product Manager roles follow our [company-wide system](/careers/growth-and-progression#tracks) | Progression level | Product Manager (IC) | Manager | | :---------------: | :------------------: | :-----------------: | | 1 | Junior PM | - | | 2 | Product Manager | - | | 3 | Senior PM | - | | 4 | Staff PM | Senior PM Manager | | 5 | Principal PM | Director of Product | | 6 | Distinguished PM | VP of Product | # Business We're a small company, and our business and marketing efforts are generally handled as a collaboration between the CEO and Design. As we grow, we will further develop career paths and teams to support the business vision of Redivis. # Operations We're a small company, and our operations are generally handled as part of the CEO role. But we also encourage and empower all employees to make decisions that would contribute to better quality of work and/or quality of life at Redivis. As we grow, we will invest in an operations department, and support the operations positions and careers that will enable everyone at Redivis to thrive.