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Knowlege of engineering practicesKnowledge of Q systemsExecution skillsMentorshipImpactTechnical strategyEvangelism
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L1Knowledgeable in the fundamentals of software engineering.Works towards proficiency in one or more of Q’s technical platforms.Can complete well-defined and subdivided tasks.
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Knowledgeable in how to develop on at least one platform.Focuses on learning tools and processes.
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Develops individual contributor skills, including source control, editors or test-driven development.
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L2Consistently writes and delivers correct and clean quality code with guidance.Knows when to ask for help and how to get unblocked.Owns a small-to-medium feature from technical design through completion.
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Makes steady, well-paced progress without the need for constant significant feedback from more senior engineers.
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L3Demonstrates knowledge of industry trends, infrastructure and systems.Acknowledged as an expert in a particular service or technology area.Requires minimal direction or oversight.Helps other engineers increase their knowledge of engineering practices and of Q systems.Has end-to-end responsibility on projects of increasing complexity and contributes to code shared across projects.Demonstrates a track record of good judgment on making short-term vs long-term tradeoffs. (e.g., when to optimize or design for generality)
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Gets things done quickly at high quality.Helps other engineers increase their execution skills.Understands elements of the business that their work supports.Makes technical decisions that accelerate product development over a 3 month time horizon.
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Works in other areas of the codebase with guidance from owners of that system.Persistent in the face of roadblocks, dispatches them efficiently, pulling in others as necessary.
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L4Acknowledged as an expert in high-impact services or collections of services.Consistently reduces the complexity of projects, services, and processes in order to get more done with less work.Sought out by other squad members for technical guidance.Has track record of creating sweeping improvements in stability, performance, and scalability across services.Anticipates technical issues at the product level and makes architectural and design decisions to avoid them.
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Helps other engineers get better at increasing their impact.Has made an obvious positive impact on the entire company's technical trajectory.Track record of technical decisions that accelerate product development over a 6-12 month time horizon. Can include choice of tools, design decisions, and decisions on what to avoid building.
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Helps other engineers better at technical strategy.Regularly delivers improvements that make others more productive.
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Understands Q’s business and makes decisions based on its direction.
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L5Quickly breaks down complex problems into potential solutions, knowns, and unknowns.Inspires engineers and is seen as a role model and mentor to every engineer who plays a technical role.Has organization-wide impact on architecture and technology solutions.Plays a key role in developing multi-year technology strategy for complete and critical areas of the business.
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Consistently delivers large initiatives involving one or more squads’ contribution.Anticipates broad technical change and ensures Q is always ahead of the curve.
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Primarily acts as a multiplier by building systems, authoring tools, or introducing policies or patterns.Creates architecture that enables many potential futures without knowing exactly what the future is.
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Leads the conversations internally about the direction of major areas of the technology.
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L6Has been critical to shipping multiple world-class product offerings.Gives talks and is recognized externally as an expert and thought leader in one’s field.
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Proactively seeks out opportunities to improve the company both technically and financially.
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