Why software engineer titles are important
Before you can find the best fit for a new position, you first need to define the role. What skills, experience level and education are required to meet expectations? Identifying these standards allows you to determine what to pay employees too, because you can compare the role with similar listings on the job market. New recruits may be driven by the opportunity to work their way up the ladder, while lacking a clear career ladder would deter candidates who desire career advancement within your organization.
Software engineer levels help your business operate more effectively by identifying the following traits and characteristics:
- Programming experience
- Education level
- Leadership skills
- Initiative
- Responsibilities
What is a software engineer levels ladder?
An ideal software engineering titles ladder allows employees to learn new skills each time they advance to the next level. When considering candidates for promotions, identify employees who show the most proficiency at what they do. While experience is important, individual learning curves can differ. Try to avoid giving promotions solely based on seniority and give your workers incentive by promoting them on merit instead.
When creating your job titles, consider the role and impact of each position within your company. The names companies give to different software engineers vary, but we’ve provided some examples below to help you come up with your own ladder. Also, consider creating ladders for different roles by defining the job responsibilities of a programmer, developer or engineer. Different companies can have varying expectations for each of these roles.
Here is an example of how a company may define software engineer levels:
Intern
Interns aren’t usually paid employees and typically lack the education and experience required for software engineering positions. They’re probably still in college and using an internship to prove they deserve an opportunity. While interns may contribute a lot to your company, they require regular guidance and direction.
Required Education: High school graduate
Experience Level: None
Entry-level software engineer
Entry-level engineers haven’t proven themselves yet and have almost no experience beyond their education. A lot of companies offer this position to interns who have shown potential and initiative. They require clear directions and can’t be expected to solve complex problems. You may pair these employees with more experienced team members so they can gain experience and skill on the job.
Entry-level software engineers might work on identifying and fixing bugs, testing code and working on specific programming tasks their superiors assign. To keep them on the right path and ensure they’re meeting expectations, they may need to report to a team lead or manager regularly.
Required Education: Some college or equivalent experience
Experience Level: Under 1 year
Junior software engineer
Junior software engineers are considered level one engineers. They have proven they can handle the tasks they’re given and may even be able to help newer employees learn. Generally, companies can rely on junior software engineers to submit work without errors and they may begin to solve complex problems without management’s guidance.
Promoting someone to this position lets them know their foot is in the door and they have the opportunity for future career advancement.
Required Education: College degree or equivalent experience
Experience Level: 1-3 years
See more: Software Developer Job Description
Senior software engineer
Senior software engineers set and meet goals regularly. They show initiative and can divide complex tasks into a series of steps. Newer engineers may view them as mentors and they display leadership skills. You may have your senior software engineers create test plans and review code changes.
The key difference between a junior and senior software engineer is autonomy. Senior engineers don’t require much guidance and can provide clear status updates on the projects they’re responsible for. They’re critical thinkers and problem-solvers who may be trusted to take roles as team leads on smaller projects.
Required Education: College degree or equivalent experience
Experience Level: 2-8 years
Staff engineer
A staff engineer shows communication skills, self-direction and leadership qualities. They’re often assigned large projects and may lead a team of software engineers. They set expectations for each project and make sure everyone is doing their part. If needed, they can provide guidance and assistance to struggling team members to ensure that goals are met.
Staff engineers can delegate to their team members. They know their strengths and limits and how best to use each team member’s unique experience and skills to deliver results. You may assign the development and rollout of an entire product to a staff engineer.
Required Education: College degree
Experience Level: 5-10 years
Senior staff engineer
Senior staff engineers are often in charge of the most important projects within your organization. This is the ideal position for a software engineer that has aspirations of learning how to manage multiple aspects of the business. Senior staff engineers are groomed as potential managers and may report directly to high-ranking individuals in your company.
They have extensive knowledge of the company structure and goals. Before beginning a project, they’re able to assess risks, identify potential problems ahead of time and find solutions without guidance.
Required Education: College degree
Experience Level: 5-10 years
Principal staff engineer
The decisions a principal staff engineer makes can have company-wide implications. They may participate in recruiting and managing new talent, provide their own contributions to projects, delegate projects to tech leads and make changes to the development process. They can help companies implement new technologies and train workers to use them.
Principal staff engineers typically communicate regularly with the chief technology officer to set long-term strategy and then make sure their department meets those new expectations.
Required Education: Master’sdegree
Experience Level: 10 years or more
Software engineering manager
A software engineering manager may serve a specific managerial role. Like principal staff engineers, they may manage teams of individuals and make decisions regarding the implementation of new programs and directives. This role is often for employees who are making the transition into management, and it may focus more on leading teams than making individual contributions to projects.
Software engineering managers should have extensive experience and may need a graduate degree in software development. They should know how to manage workflow, evaluate talent and deliver assignments to the right teams.
Required Education: Master’s degree
Experience Level: 7-10 years
Director of engineering
A director of engineering must understand a company’s broader goals and vision. To hold this position, they should have extensive education in programming, coding languages, software development and troubleshooting strategies.
Candidates for this position should have previous job experience in multiple areas and departments, including experience in a leadership or managerial role. They typically oversee and manage multiple teams and create the goals and deadlines each team strives to meet.
Required Education: Master’s degree
Experience Level: 8-10 years, plus 2-3 years management experience
Vice president of engineering
The vice president of engineering reports directly to the chief technology officer and plays a critical role in developing and delivering new products to customers. They must be effective communicators who know how to motivate employees and recognize achievements. They should have experience in software engineering and business management.
Many vice presidents of engineering hold degrees in software development and business administration, and they typically have at least 10 years of experience in a leadership role within the company.
Required Education: Master’s degree
Experience Level: 10 years or more
Chief technology officer
The chief technology officer has a hand in everything related to software engineering and manages the career development of all employees in the technology or software engineering department. Most CTOs have master-level degrees in software engineering and business administration, as well as many years of leadership experience.
Usually, a chief technology officer reviews all final products before implementation and defines company strategies, initiatives and policies for the entire department. They report directly to the company’s chief information officer or chief executive officer.
Required Education: Master’s degree
Experience Level: Over 10 years
How to create a career ladder
Your company’s career ladder should match your goals, vision and workplace culture. When defining the names and titles of each role, consider the following:
Be creative
You don’t need to create a career ladder with as many rungs as we’ve mentioned above, and you should choose your own titles. When you’re creating your company’s software engineer levels, consider the size of your business and how you’d like to structure your teams. Smaller companies don’t need long chains of command, but if your business employs hundreds of people, you may want to create leadership roles for specific purposes.
Once you know how many levels you’d like to create within your organization, decide on your software engineer titles. Also, consider creating titles for programmers and developers who have different responsibilities. Some common titles include the use of coder, tech lead, analyst, programmer and developer.
Don’t go overboard and create redundant titles, however. Having too many titles can confuse your employees and make it difficult for them to define their responsibilities, goals and expectations. It’s better to create a new position later to fill a specific need than to fill positions that don’t serve the right purpose.
Set clear expectations for each position
Whether you’re looking for an entry-level coder or someone to lead your most important projects, it’s important that each employee knows what’s expected of them. Once you’ve defined the required skills, attributes and experience for the position, you can measure a candidate’s strengths and weaknesses against your requirements to find the correct fit.
It’s also important to establish a pay structure for each position and then stick to it. Promoting employees is a great way to reward them for their hard work and provide others with incentive to hit their goals, but if two employees holding the same title don’t earn the same salary, it can lead to workplace drama and lost talent. If you implement a bonus system, make it clear what metrics bonuses are based on, so employees can understand.
Related: How to Write Effective Job Titles and Descriptions
Provide competitive pay
The pay range for software engineers can vary greatly, so determining the best pay structure may be difficult. You need to consider what your business can afford and what other businesses are offering new hires for the same type of work.
Researching your competition can help you decide on a fair salary. Review the skills and experience required for similar positions and what the duties are for other company’s job postings. This will give you a good idea of what other offers your candidates might receive so you can offer a similar pay range.
Be flexible on experience and education
There are plenty of self-taught software engineers who may not meet your requirements on education or job experience. You could be turning away the talent your company needs to succeed if you’re too rigid. One way to lure a competent software engineer into your business would be to offer a position that’s one or two steps lower on the career ladder so the person can prove their worth.
You might discover a star employee who advances quickly and displays the skill and initiative needed to fill a higher-level position. They may not have the required amount of experience yet, but consider whether their rapid progress qualifies them for the role. Some employees may complete college degrees and additional training while working for you that qualify them for a promotion later.
FAQs about software engineer levels and titles
What are software engineering levels?
Software engineer levels identify how much experience someone has in the software development field. Some companies include the engineering level in their job titles. For example, a Software Engineer II is a level two engineer.
How many software engineer levels are there?
There may be up to seven software engineer levels at a company, ranging from level one interns to the CTO, which is the highest-possible software engineering title.
What are alternative titles for software engineers?
You can use alternative job titles for software engineers, such as web developer, front end developer, coder, software architect, designer and programmer. All these are interchangeable with a software engineer title but may be used to define the responsibilities of a position.
Related: The difference between a programmer analyst and a software engineer
