Add engineering levels documentation

src/handbook/peopleops/job-descriptions/engineering-levels.md

@@ -0,0 +1,200 @@
+# FlowFuse Engineering Levels
+
+## Purpose
+
+This document defines expectations for Engineers at FlowFuse.
+
+It exists to:
+
+- Clarify what strong performance looks like
+- Define scope at each level
+- Support evidence-based quarterly reviews
+- Make promotion decisions predictable and defensible
+
+This applies to:
+
+- Software Engineers, including the CTO when operating as an engineer
+- Infrastructure Engineers
+
+Levels reflect scope of ownership and influence.
+
+"Meets Expectations" at a level represents strong performance.
+
+Promotion requires sustained demonstration of next-level behaviors.
+
+
+# Core Dimensions
+
+All Engineers are evaluated across five dimensions.
+
+## 1. Technical Craft
+
+Quality, maintainability, and soundness of engineering work.
+
+Examples:
+- Code quality and architectural decisions
+- Infrastructure design and automation
+- Security and reliability posture
+- Testing rigor and maintainability
+- Clear technical documentation
+
+
+## 2. Ownership and Impact
+
+Reliable delivery of meaningful engineering outcomes.
+
+Examples:
+- Delivering committed work predictably
+- Converting ambiguity into executable plans
+- Driving measurable improvements
+- Following through on commitments
+
+
+## 3. System Thinking
+
+Understanding and improving the broader engineering system.
+
+Examples:
+- Anticipating cross-service dependencies
+- Identifying architectural risk
+- Improving operational patterns
+- Designing for long-term maintainability
+- Reducing systemic friction
+
+
+## 4. Collaboration and Influence
+
+Working effectively with other engineers and amplifying impact through others.
+
+Examples:
+- Clear technical communication
+- Constructive code review
+- Mentorship
+- Cross-team alignment
+
+
+## 5. Ecosystem Stewardship
+
+Responsible contribution to the health of our open source and user ecosystem.
+
+Examples:
+- Professional engagement in public channels
+- Addressing community-reported issues in owned areas
+- Improving documentation and error clarity
+- Reducing recurring ecosystem friction
+
+Community work is considered real work and should be planned and visible.
+
+# Levels
+
+Levels represent increasing scope of ownership and influence.
+
+
+## Level 1 - Guided Contributor
+
+Scope: Well-defined tasks within a team.
+
+Demonstrates:
+
+- Delivers assigned work reliably with guidance
+- Provides honest time estimates with guidance and flags when work is at risk of slipping
+- Produces maintainable work aligned with standards
+- Understands local systems and dependencies
+- Engages constructively in feedback
+- Acts professionally in ecosystem interactions
+
+Promotion to Level 2 requires:
+- Independent ownership of moderately complex work
+- Reduced reliance on step-by-step direction
+
+
+## Level 2 - Independent Owner
+
+Scope: Features, services, or infrastructure components.
+
+Demonstrates:
+
+- Independently scopes and delivers moderately complex work
+- Estimates moderately complex work accurately; raises blockers proactively rather than at deadline
+- Anticipates and mitigates local risks
+- Improves local system quality
+- Participates meaningfully in planning and estimation
+- Handles ecosystem issues in owned areas
+
+Promotion to Level 3 requires:
+- Ownership of complex systems or multi-sprint initiatives
+- Evidence of mentoring or influence beyond individual contribution
+
+
+## Level 3 - Domain Leader
+
+Scope: Major systems, critical infrastructure domains, or multi-person initiatives.
+
+A Level 3 engineer operates as a force multiplier within Engineering.
+
+Demonstrates:
+
+- Independently designs and delivers complex systems or initiatives
+- Maintains reliable throughput within planned capacity and improves estimation
+- Owns a meaningful engineering domain, whether application, infrastructure, or operational
+- Anticipates cross-team impact and prevents downstream issues
+- Elevates the quality of others through code review and mentorship
+- Improves architectural or operational patterns
+- Identifies recurring ecosystem or reliability friction and drives reduction
+
+Level 3 performance requires sustained domain-level impact, not isolated strong projects.
+
+Promotion to Level 4 requires:
+- Sustained cross-team technical influence
+- Strategic impact beyond a single domain
+
+
+## Level 4 - Cross-Team Strategist
+
+Scope: Multiple teams or core engineering domains.
+
+Demonstrates:
+
+- Shapes technical direction across teams
+- Models and reinforces commitment discipline across team; identifies systemic patterns in estimation drift and drives structural fixes
+- Drives systemic reliability or architectural improvements
+- Influences roadmap through engineering insight
+- Leads resolution of major production or architectural challenges
+- Strengthens company credibility in the engineering ecosystem
+
+Promotion to Level 5 requires:
+- Multi-quarter strategic impact
+- Ensures the organization maintains healthy throughput and delivery trust at scale; sets the standard for how engineering commitments are made and communicated company-wide
+- Organization-level engineering leadership
+
+
+## Level 5 - Organizational Authority
+
+Scope: Company-wide engineering direction.
+
+Demonstrates:
+
+- Defines multi-year engineering strategy
+- Makes high-impact architectural tradeoffs
+- Elevates engineering standards across the organization
+- Represents FlowFuse engineering at an industry level
+- Drives operational excellence company-wide
+
+This level is rare and not time-based.
+
+
+# Performance and Reviews
+
+Quarterly reviews:
+
+- Gather evidence against each core dimension
+- Identify demonstrated level behaviors
+- Identify next-level behaviors to develop
+
+Annual reviews:
+
+- Synthesize quarterly evidence
+- Evaluate sustained scope and impact
+- Inform compensation and promotion decisions
+
+Performance evaluation is based on observable behavior and documented impact.