I had this from the start of my time at Buffer as I started to build out my team there. I think having something like this in place is a really valuable asset to have. I would recommend people do it earlier rather than later so that you don't have to build it on the fly.

It has also helped me attract and win candidates. In the interview when they ask you about career progression, you can show them this table and the thought behind it.

I think something unique about this framework is having the both the player/IC and coach/manager paths equal once you get to a certain point.

Other companies I've been at have had more levels, but I haven't seen as many IC levels positioned similarly to manager levels. I did this very intentionally because I think it's a mistake to push people down a coaching or manager path if that's not the work that they get the most joy from, or the work that they would even be best at. They're only taking that path because it's more attractive with earning potential or influence. We try to remove all those expectations and external pressure. Everything's equal and you get to choose which one resonates more with you.

The "Head of" title is a bit of a weird one. It can be used strategically to give you flexibility in where someone lands in the framework. It can be great but I've also seen it used poorly.

At Buffer we were pretty flat. It was me with ~10 direct reports underneath me and we were that way for multiple years. People wanted to ascend from a title perspective, but we couldn't necessarily make all of them Directors but we could make them heads of their departments.

Typically you might see "Head of" on the manager path, and might see other titles between Manager and Principal on the player path.

Ideally you're talking about someone's career with them in a one-to-one every quarter, but you give them the space to bring up career questions or have career conversations at any point in time throughout the year.

I don't tie promotions to a performance or compensation review. They are separate and should occur whenever someone is ready to receive a promotion. My thinking is you shouldn't have to wait around.

I've heard of the rule that you get promoted once you've been doing the job at the next level. I understand the spirit of that, but it never seemed super fair to me. So I tend to meet halfway. They're exhibiting signs that they are performing beyond the level they're currently at in most ways.

The fewer levels you have, the more time you would expect to elapse between a level increase for someone. That's where the steps come into play, so you have other opportunities reward people.

Step changes are monetary, your title doesn't change. But we would use it as an opportunity to recognize the person company-wide with an announcement or celebration.

Since I was the manager of everyone on the team, I was able to keep a level of rigor and equity across salaries. Buffer also had salary transparency - all of our salaries were in a spreadsheet and were also shared externally. This helped people know exactly what they could earn and what was needed to get to that spot. For companies willing to be transparent about salary bands, I think a system like this can be really beneficial.

I weigh all of these elements equally. People come into these with different backgrounds and skills. So if leadership and influence is not your strength, it doesn't feel fair to me that you'd have to wait longer to get promoted because you have the biggest gap there.

Kevan Lee

I created this document when he joined Buffer as he began to build the Marketing team. It's a valuable asset to have in place at the start. 

player coach path

head of level

You’ll receive a promotion to the next level once you display a strong, consistent record of meeting the expectations for that level.

 See the table at the bottom of this for specifics about what each new level entails.

Specifically, when it comes to level changes:

To ensure that we're regularly thinking about and talking about these promotions, there are four calibration events that happen quarterly throughout the year across all Buffer teams. These are intended to be moments to reflect and think holistically about how team members are developing and progressing.

In addition to the promotion conversation between the manager and teammate, there is an additional advice-seeking component from peers. The peer review is relatively straightforward: For those who are nearing a promotion, the manager will check in with the people who work closest to that teammate and ask for examples of that teammate's work that match to the new level they are hoping to attain

Level changes require approval and processing from Kevan and the People & Finance team.

When they're complete, we'll celebrate them in the Recognition & Praise Space of Threads!

You can receive a step change by meeting the criteria for any one of the three elements of the next level in the career framework.

For example, if you’re a Level 3, and you’re rocking the expectations for Leadership & Influence at a Level 4, then you can get a step change (raise). This way, you don't have to be working at 100% the next level before seeing any salary increase or recognition

It’s also possible that you may level up in multiple categories at the same time, which would mean moving more than one Step at once (Step 1 to Step 3 for instance) or going straight from one Level to the next (for instance, a Level 3 / Step 2 to a Level 4 / Step 1)

Step changes can happen at any time. There is no need to match these to a company wide calibration, and 

no further approval is necessary beyond the teammate and the manager.

There are three elements by which we measure a teammate's progress:

A combination of excellence in your craft, your growth mindset, and your ability to contribute new ideas and best practices.

Your effect on everyday team productivity, on your peers, and on the business as a whole.

Your level of independence, influence, and how you use your skills to change the course of both your team and the business at large.

You can generally expect each level change to take between 12-24 months

The framework does not include Coach examples. We will build out the people manager framework as our team expands and more manager roles are needed in coming years.

Marketing Career Framework Guide at Buffer

Marketing Career Framework

How level changes happen?

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