<aside> <img src="/icons/card_green.svg" alt="/icons/card_green.svg" width="40px" /> As of Fall 2022, we’re experimenting with eliminating the use of internal job titles at Levels.

We made this decision after much discussion and deliberation at this point in time, but it’s possible it may not serve us well for the long-term.

We’ll revisit this at least quarterly to make sure that we’re maintaining this effort for the right reasons. In other words, this is a fragile document, subject to breaking.

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Intro

https://www.loom.com/share/b686f9592a9941a4b4e2e97020544adc

Overview

The purpose of this document is to clarify how we use titles and levels, which touches topics like recruiting, compensation, responsibility, hierarchy, and performance management.

We’d like to encourage a culture that is focused on responsibility and ownership, and measured by effectiveness and output – over rank, title, power, or seniority.

We’re also aiming to avoid the common pitfalls of growing organizations, where an emphasis on titles and levels can lead to title inflation, promo culture, and fiefdoms instead of impact.

This document:

If you’re not familiar with the highlights of those memos, you should refresh before proceeding.

TL:DR

  1. We focus on ownership and responsibility – not title, seniority, rank, or level.
  2. We define ourselves by what we’re responsible for – not by our titles or ranks.
  3. We use titles for hiring and compensation processes only – not beyond that point.
  4. Leveling will be kept confidential – the same way we treat salary information.
  5. We measure and recognize progress by changes to responsibilities and skills over time.

<aside> ⭐ Remember, everything suggested here is a two-way door.

If this change doesn’t suit our needs, we can and will adjust, or change it back!

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Contents

Hiring

Hiring for a new role at Levels usually begins when we notice a gap in ownership or when an individual or function’s areas of responsibility have grown beyond what they can reasonably manage while still achieving the goals of the function for the company. We first look internally to fill the gaps by augmenting specific areas of responsibility, but at some point it makes sense to hire externally. This process is outlined in Levels Hiring Philosophy - June 2021.

Once we agree that we need to hire from the external talent pool, we determine the area that makes the most sense for the hire (Growth, or Engineering, for example), followed by the Level of experience and associated skillset that we’re looking to add to the team to take on those identified responsibilities.

Titles in recruiting & hiring