Career Paths

We have the following pre-defined career paths, which includes our standard promotion path. The standard promotion path includes roles that folks can be promoted into without an application process. Additionally, there is no cap on the number of folks who can be in a role in the standard promotion path.

Positions that are not part of the standard promotion path are denoted with an asterisk ( * ) in the list below. Moving into a role that is not part of the standard promotion path requires an application and interview process.

Design

These positions outline the Individual Contributor track.

• Apprentice
• Designer
• Senior Designer
• Principal Designer

Development

These positions outline the Individual Contributor track.

• Apprentice
• Developer
• Senior Developer
• Principal Developer

Designer and Developer Management

Available to anyone at Senior Designer or Senior Developer position or higher.

• Team Lead *
• Design Director *
• Director of Software Development *

General

• Coordinator
• Specialist
• Manager
• Associate Director
• Senior Associate Director
• Director *

Process

We expect team members to grow and progress in their career path while at thoughtbot. We have a standard promotions path for folks in general and technical roles. The standard promotion path is made up of individual contributor (IC) roles.

Positions that are not part of the standard promotion path are denoted with an asterisk ( * ) in the list above.

Moving into a people management role is not part of the standard promotions path. We list openings for all positions that are not part of the standard promotion path and all positions that are responsible for managing others internally and externally (when it is financially possible), and conduct interviews for those positions.

While it is possible for an existing team member to be promoted to a position that manages others, we also need to consider the limited number of leadership positions we have and ensure equity and help build a diverse team. Therefore, if an existing role is to be expanded to manage others, or someone would otherwise be promoted to a position that is responsible for managing others, we treat that as a new position and advertise it internally and externally, and conduct interviews for the position (in accordance with Colorado's Equal Pay for Equal Work Act). This also allows for folks to give feedback (including concerns and recommendations) on anyone moving into people management.

Every position has a job description that describes what the position requires. You and your manager work together towards the requirements for the next position on your career path, and your manager gives you feedback on where you stand against those requirements during your regular one-on-ones. When you and your manager agree that you are performing at the level of the next position, your manager recommends you for promotion. The recommendation is reviewed by the People Team for approval. Once approved for promotion, other details will be confirmed on the thread including promotion date and any salary changes.

Apprentices, Designers, and Developers

Designers and Developers work with their team lead or manager to identify strengths and areas for growth against the requirements for the next position. Apprentices do the same each month with their mentor.

For Developers, we look at community, communication, specialization, process, mentoring, tooling and configuration, and implementation.

For Designers, we look at product thinking, interaction design, intentionality, awareness, and drive.

For both, we look at diversity, equity, and inclusion. We expect everyone to learn about DEI, to make an effort to broaden their views, communication style, and collaboration styles, and to be able to clearly articulate reasons why DEI is important. Some positions require that you have made DEI a part of everything that you do and are advocating for DEI within thoughtbot.

A Senior Designer or Senior Developer can independently lead a client project to success.

General positions

Guidelines for those expectations are:

• Coordinator: Responsible for execution in an area within the responsibility of an overall department or role led by someone else Manager level or higher.
• Specialist: Contributes to strategy and responsible for execution in a specialized area of expertise.
• Manager: Responsible for managing the area and standard decision making. Leads larger projects, thoroughly researching and presenting final options to all stakeholders.
• Associate Director: Increased responsibility over multiple areas, or higher-level strategy of a specific area.
• Senior Associate Director: Distinguished experience within their job role. Responsibility over multiple areas, or higher-level strategy of a specific area.

Design Directors and Directors of Software Development

The qualifications we look for in a Design Director or Director of Software Development are:

• They reinforce the thoughtbot culture. They are consistently shipping great work and are fun to work with.
• Consistent, positive feedback from team members in past reviews, and the respect of their team as an expert in their field.
• They have consistently shared their opinions while demonstrating an openness to understand different points of view and adopt new approaches.
• They have demonstrated strong leadership on their Team with mentoring and sales.
• They have demonstrated strong leadership across the company. They've contributed unique and positive perspectives in Slack, Hub, Trello, GitHub, or in-person.
• They have demonstrated leadership outside of the company via open source contributions, blog posts, speaking, leading local meetups, etc.

Design Team Leads and Development Team Leads

The qualifications we look for in a Team Lead are:

• They reinforce the thoughtbot culture. They are consistently shipping great work and are enjoyable to work with.
• Consistent, positive feedback from team members in past reviews, and the respect of their team as an expert in their field.
• They have consistently shared their opinions while demonstrating an openness to understand different points of view and adopt new approaches.
• They have demonstrated strong leadership on their Team with mentoring and client projects.
• They are interested in shifting their career towards management or exploring management as a career path.
• Their questionnaire answers indicate that they have potential as a manager.
• They understand the importance of Team sustainability.
• They can help others understand the necessary trade-offs to achieve Team sustainability.
• Are already a Senior Product Designer or Senior Developer, or the equivalent if the candidate is external.