Software Engineer Levels
How to use this doc:
This is your roadmap. Find your current level, understand what's expected, and see what it takes to reach the next one. Use this when setting quarterly goals.
Every level builds on the previous one. You don't lose skills as you level up - you add new ones.
Quick Reference
| Level | Core Question | Primary Focus |
|---|---|---|
| IC0 - Intern | Can you learn and execute tasks? | Learning fundamentals |
| IC1 - Junior | Can you ship features reliably? | Craftsmanship |
| IC2 - Associate | Can you own problems end-to-end? | Execution |
| IC3 - Senior | Can you drive business impact? | Leadership |
| IC4 - Lead | Can you set technical direction? | Strategy |
| M1 - Manager | Can you grow a team of 3-5? | Team success |
| M2 - Senior Manager | Can you scale a team of 10-15? | Org building |
| M3 - Director | Can you own a product area? | Cross-org impact |
IC Track: Individual Contributor
IC0 - Intern
You are here if: You're learning to code professionally. You need step-by-step guidance.
What you do:
- Scope: Given exact tasks with clear instructions ("Add validation to this form using this function")
- Code: Write basic features with heavy guidance. Learn coding standards.
- Collaboration: Work closely with mentor. Ask lots of questions.
- Ownership: Own tiny tasks. Learn the development workflow.
Success looks like:
- You complete assigned tasks without getting stuck for hours
- Your code passes review within 2-3 rounds
- You ask good questions when blocked
- You're learning every week
Path to IC1: Focus on:
- Ship 10 small features to production - Build muscle memory for the full development cycle
- Reduce PR revision rounds from 4+ to 2 - Learn to self-review before asking for review
- Learn one new technical concept per week - Document what you learned in writing
Example quarterly goal (IC0): "Ship user profile edit feature end-to-end with zero P0 bugs. Complete 8 assigned tasks this quarter with average 2 PR rounds (currently 4)."
IC1 - Junior Engineer
You are here if: You ship features reliably. You know what good code looks like. You still need guidance on approach.
What you do:
- Scope: Given problems with suggested solutions ("Build login using OAuth, here's the library")
- Code: Write quality code that follows team patterns. Reliable execution.
- Collaboration: Work independently within your team. Pair with seniors when stuck.
- Ownership: Own small features. Monitor your work in production. Flag blockers early.
Success looks like:
- Features you ship don't break in production
- You complete sprint commitments consistently
- Seniors trust you to execute without constant check-ins
- Your PRs get approved in 1-2 rounds
Path to IC2: Focus on:
- Own a feature from spec to launch - No hand-holding. You figure out the how.
- Debug production issues independently - Handle 5 incidents without escalating
- Mentor an intern - Teaching forces you to think at the next level
Example quarterly goal (IC1): "Ship notification system from spec to production with zero senior pair programming. Debug 5 production issues start-to-finish during on-call rotation."
IC2 - Associate Engineer
You are here if: You design solutions. You own features end-to-end. You're reliable and don't need much guidance.
What you do:
- Scope: Given problems, you design solutions ("Build checkout flow that handles edge cases")
- Code: Design maintainable systems. Make tech decisions for your features.
- Collaboration: Work across teams (design, PM, other engineers). Light guidance needed.
- Ownership: Own full features. Monitor metrics. Think 1-2 quarters ahead.
Success looks like:
- You ship projects that don't come back to bite you
- PMs and designers come to you with problems, not just tasks
- You make good tech decisions (scalable, maintainable, pragmatic)
- You mentor juniors and interns
Path to IC3: Focus on:
- Drive a project that impacts metrics - Ship something that moves the needle (conversion, latency, cost)
- Make architectural decisions - Own system design for a significant feature
- Influence product direction - Suggest features based on technical insights
Example quarterly goal (IC2): "Design and ship checkout v2 that reduces cart abandonment from 15% to 10%. Lead design review with 3 teams, mentor 1 junior engineer on best practices."
IC3 - Senior Engineer
You are here if: You drive business impact through technology. You lead projects. You mentor regularly.
What you do:
- Scope: Given goals, you find and solve problems ("Reduce support tickets by 25%")
- Code: Lead technical decisions. Set standards. Review architecture.
- Collaboration: Drive cross-team initiatives. Work with stakeholders. Influence roadmap.
- Ownership: Own major systems. Drive continuous improvement. Create processes.
Success looks like:
- Projects you lead ship on time and move business metrics
- You identify problems before they become fires
- Engineers want you on their design reviews
- You unblock others more than you get blocked
Path to IC4: Focus on:
- Set technical direction for a domain - Own the strategy for auth, payments, infra, etc.
- Grow other engineers - 2-3 people level up because of your mentorship
- Drive org-wide improvements - Solve systemic issues (deploy process, testing, monitoring)
Example quarterly goal (IC3): "Lead API redesign that reduces p95 latency from 800ms to 200ms. Mentor 2 IC2s to IC3 level. Ship developer experience improvements (CI/CD pipeline 50% faster)."
IC4 - Lead Engineer
You are here if: You set technical strategy. You multiply force across the org. You're a technical leader.
What you do:
- Scope: Given a space, you set direction ("Own our authentication strategy across all products")
- Code: Write less, leverage more. Architect systems. Review critical decisions.
- Collaboration: Influence org-wide decisions. Partner with leadership. Drive initiatives.
- Ownership: Own technical domains. Ensure team success. Set org-wide standards.
Success looks like:
- Your technical decisions impact multiple teams
- Engineers across the org seek your input on hard problems
- You make other engineers 10x more effective
- You prevent problems through strategic thinking
What's next:
- Staff Engineer - Deeper technical expertise, org-wide architecture
- Principal Engineer - Company-wide technical strategy
- M1 Manager - Transition to people management (see Manager track below)
Example quarterly goal (IC4): "Define and rollout microservices strategy for 5 teams. Reduce production incidents by 40% through improved monitoring/alerting. Grow 3 IC3s to technical leadership through mentorship."
Manager Track
M1 - Engineering Manager
You are here if: You manage 3-5 engineers. Your success = their success.
What you do:
- Scope: Deliver projects through your team. Grow 3-5 individual contributors.
- Team: Run 1:1s, quarterly goal setting, performance reviews. Hire 1-2 people/year.
- Technical: Stay technical enough to guide decisions. Code less, review more.
- Ownership: Team delivers on commitments. People are growing. No one wants to leave.
Success looks like:
- Your team ships consistently and reliably
- 1-2 people level up this year
- Team morale is high (measured by retention + feedback)
- You unblock your team faster than they get blocked
Path to M2: Focus on:
- Grow your team from 3 to 6-8 - Hire well, onboard fast
- Level up 2 people - IC1→IC2 or IC2→IC3
- Ship a major initiative - Something that takes 2+ quarters
Example quarterly goal (M1): "Hire 2 IC2 engineers with start dates before Q3. Level up Jamie from IC1 to IC2. Ship payments v2 on time with zero P0s."
M2 - Senior Engineering Manager
You are here if: You manage 10-15 engineers (2-3 teams or 1-2 managers under you). You scale systems and people.
What you do:
- Scope: Own a product area. Coordinate multiple teams. Build org structure.
- Team: Manage managers or multiple ICs. Standardize processes. Build culture.
- Technical: Set architectural direction. Review major decisions. Less hands-on code.
- Ownership: Entire product area delivers. People pipeline is healthy. Processes scale.
Success looks like:
- Multiple teams execute without constant oversight
- You've built a talent pipeline (people want to join, people are growing)
- Your org ships bigger things than when you started
- Other managers learn from your processes
Path to M3: Focus on:
- Scale impact across multiple product areas - Influence beyond your direct org
- Develop 1-2 managers - Grow IC4s into M1s or M1s into M2s
- Drive cross-org initiatives - Solve problems that span teams
Example quarterly goal (M2): "Reorganize team from 1 team of 12 to 2 teams of 6 with clear ownership. Promote Alex to M1 and transition 5 reports to them. Ship Q2 roadmap across 2 product areas (payments + billing)."
M3 - Director of Engineering
You are here if: You own a major product area. You manage 20-40 engineers (multiple managers under you). You set strategy.
What you do:
- Scope: Own product area strategy. Partner with product/design leadership. Represent eng in exec discussions.
- Team: Grow managers. Build high-performing orgs. Attract top talent.
- Technical: Set technical vision. Make build vs buy decisions. Ensure architectural coherence.
- Ownership: Business outcomes for your area. Org health. Long-term technical strategy.
Success looks like:
- Your org delivers outsized business impact (revenue, cost savings, user growth)
- Managers under you are thriving and growing
- Engineers want to work in your org (reputation as a great place to grow)
- Exec team trusts your judgment on technical decisions
What's next:
- VP Engineering - Own all of engineering
- CTO - Company-wide technical strategy + execution
Example quarterly goal (M3): "Ship marketplace platform that unlocks $5M ARR. Hire 2 senior managers to own payments and identity. Reduce eng hiring time from 60 to 30 days through process improvements."
How to Use This for Career Growth
At quarterly 1:1s:
- Identify your current level
- Pick 2-3 things from "Path to Next Level"
- Make them your quarterly goals
- Track progress in biweekly 1:1s
Example: IC1 wanting to reach IC2
Current level: IC1 - shipping features reliably, need guidance on approach
Path to IC2:
- Own a feature from spec to launch (no hand-holding)
- Debug production issues independently
- Mentor an intern
Quarterly goal: "Ship notification system from design to production independently. Handle 5 production incidents without escalating. Mentor intern on coding best practices (pair 2hrs/week)."
Common Questions
"I do some things at the next level. Does that mean I should be promoted?"
No. You need to operate consistently at the next level for 2-3 quarters before promotion. Doing senior work once doesn't make you a senior.
"I've been at this level for 2 years. When do I get promoted?"
When you consistently demonstrate next-level impact. Time doesn't earn promotions - growth does. Use "Path to Next Level" to focus your efforts.
"What if I don't want to manage people?"
IC track goes to IC4 (and beyond at larger companies: Staff, Principal, Distinguished). You can have massive impact without managing.
"Can I go from IC to Manager and back?"
Yes. Management is a role change, not a promotion. IC4 and M2 are roughly equivalent in seniority.
TL;DR
- IC0-IC1: Learn to ship reliably
- IC2: Own problems end-to-end
- IC3: Drive business impact
- IC4: Set technical direction
- M1-M3: Multiply through people
Find your level. Focus on 2-3 things from "Path to Next Level". Set quarterly goals. Execute.