Free Resource

Career Pathways for Modern Teams

Explore how top companies structure career progression. From junior roles to senior leadership, see what great careers look like across seven key departments.

7
Departments
28
Career Levels
500+
Companies Using

Explore Career Pathways

See how professionals progress through different career levels. Use these pathways as inspiration for your own organisation.

Build the products that shape the future

Level 1

Software Engineer

Entry-level engineer focused on learning and delivering features with guidance.

Typical Salary£30,000 - £45,000
Key Responsibilities
  • Write clean, maintainable code following team standards
  • Complete well-defined tasks and fix bugs
  • Actively learn new technologies and best practices
Level 2

Senior Engineer

Experienced engineer who leads technical initiatives and mentors others.

Typical Salary£55,000 - £75,000
Key Responsibilities
  • Design and implement complex features independently
  • Drive technical decisions with good trade-off analysis
  • Mentor junior engineers and lead code reviews
Level 3

Staff Engineer

Technical leader defining architectural direction and influencing culture.

Typical Salary£75,000 - £100,000
Key Responsibilities
  • Define technical strategy for complex domains
  • Lead architecture decisions across multiple teams
  • Solve ambiguous, cross-cutting technical challenges
Level 4

Principal Engineer

Senior technical leader shaping company-wide direction and innovation.

Typical Salary£100,000 - £130,000
Key Responsibilities
  • Define company-wide technical vision and roadmap
  • Lead evaluation and adoption of new technologies
  • Partner with leadership on technology strategy

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How to Use These Pathways

These career frameworks are designed to be customised for your organisation. Here's how to get started.

1

Explore & Adapt

Review the pathways above and identify what resonates with your team structure. Note the competencies and responsibilities that align with your values.

2

Customise for Your Team

Use Pathfinder to create personalised career ladders. Adjust titles, salary bands, and competencies to match your organisation's needs.

3

Share with Your Team

Publish your career frameworks so employees can understand their growth paths. Use them in 1:1s, performance reviews, and hiring conversations.

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Join hundreds of companies using Pathfinder to create clear, transparent career paths for their teams.

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