Career Progression Framework

Ultralytics' career framework provides clear expectations for each level and guides professional development. We maintain two career tracks—Individual Contributor (IC) and Management—allowing team members to advance based on their strengths and interests.

Career Tracks

Individual Contributor (IC): IC02 → IC03 → IC04 → IC05 → IC06 → IC07
Management: M04 → M05 → M06 → M07 → M08 → M09

Track switching: IC04/IC05 ↔ M04 | M04/M05 ↔ IC05/IC06

graph TB
    IC_TITLE["🔵 Individual Contributor Track"]
    MGMT_TITLE["🟠 Management Track"]

    subgraph IC [" "]
        direction LR
        IC02[IC02<br/>Associate] --> IC03[IC03<br/>Professional]
        IC03 --> IC04[IC04<br/>Senior]
        IC04 --> IC05[IC05<br/>Staff]
        IC05 --> IC06[IC06<br/>Senior Staff]
        IC06 --> IC07[IC07<br/>Principal]
    end

    subgraph MGMT [" "]
        direction LR
        M04[M04<br/>Lead Manager] --> M05[M05<br/>Manager]
        M05 --> M06[M06<br/>Senior Manager]
        M06 --> M07[M07<br/>Head of]
        M07 --> M08[M08<br/>Director]
        M08 --> M09[M09<br/>VP]
    end

    IC_TITLE -.-> IC
    MGMT_TITLE -.-> MGMT

    IC04 <-.->|Switch| M04
    IC05 <-.->|Switch| M04
    IC05 <-.->|Switch| M05
    IC06 <-.->|Switch| M05

    style IC_TITLE fill:none,stroke:none,color:#0288d1
    style MGMT_TITLE fill:none,stroke:none,color:#ff9800
    style IC02 fill:#e1f5ff,stroke:#0288d1
    style IC03 fill:#e1f5ff,stroke:#0288d1
    style IC04 fill:#b3e5fc,stroke:#0288d1
    style IC05 fill:#81d4fa,stroke:#0288d1
    style IC06 fill:#4fc3f7,stroke:#0288d1
    style IC07 fill:#29b6f6,stroke:#0288d1
    style M04 fill:#fff3e0,stroke:#ff9800
    style M05 fill:#ffe0b2,stroke:#ff9800
    style M06 fill:#ffcc80,stroke:#ff9800
    style M07 fill:#ffb74d,stroke:#ff9800
    style M08 fill:#ffa726,stroke:#ff9800
    style M09 fill:#ff9800,stroke:#ff6f00

Track Comparison

Full expectations: IC Levels (IC02-IC07) | Management Levels (M04-M09)

Switching Career Tracks

Track switches are normal and supported—discuss with your manager during quarterly reviews.

When to switch IC→Management: Passionate about people development, organizational dynamics, influencing through teams
When to switch Management→IC: Miss hands-on technical work, prefer expertise-based influence, want deeper specialization

Promotion Process

Promotions require sustained demonstration of next-level performance across all dimensions:

1. Performance - Meeting/exceeding current level for 6+ months
2. Next-Level Work - Consistently operating at next level for 6-12 months
3. Scope - Expanded scope and complexity appropriate to next level
4. Impact - Demonstrated impact on team, function, or company
5. Readiness - Manager and skip-level agreement

Strong promotion cases include: 3-5 specific examples with next-level impact, peer feedback, growth trajectory, and quantified business results.

Compensation

Compensation reflects scope, impact, and market rates—not tenure. Both tracks offer equivalent pay at similar scope levels.

Components: Base salary (market-competitive) • Equity (stock options) • Performance bonuses • Comprehensive benefits

Leveling factors: Geographic location • Role specialization (ML/AI, Security) • Performance • Prior experience

Growth & Development

Learning Budget: Annual allocation for courses, books, conferences, certifications (contact HR for amounts)

Resources: Quarterly 1:1s for career planning • Mentorship programs • Internal tech talks and workshops • 10% time for exploration • Conference attendance • Online courses • Certifications • Technical publications

Quarterly Growth Plan: (1) Self-assess against level criteria → (2) Choose 2-3 skills to develop → (3) Find next-level opportunities with manager → (4) Get regular feedback → (5) Document impact for promotion discussions

Typical Promotion Timelines

Using This Framework

For ICs/Managers: Read your level guide → Self-assess against dimensions → Identify 1-2 gaps → Study next level → Discuss with manager to create development plan

For Hiring Managers: Use criteria for job leveling • Share expectations with candidates • Reference during onboarding • Apply consistently in reviews • Guide promotions with evidence

Questions & Support

Career Development Questions

• Manager: Primary resource for career discussions and promotion readiness
• HR Team: Questions about levels, compensation, or promotion process
• Senior ICs/Managers: Seek mentorship from those in roles you aspire to
• Skip-Level: Discuss career with manager's manager for additional perspective

Additional Resources

• IC Levels (IC02-IC07) - Detailed Individual Contributor expectations
• Management Levels (M04-M09) - Detailed Management expectations
• People & Benefits - Comprehensive people policies and resources
• Onboarding - Level expectations for new team members

Your career at Ultralytics is a journey, not a destination. We're committed to supporting your growth whether you aspire to deep technical expertise or organizational leadership. Let's build amazing things together! 🚀

📅 Created 0 days ago ✏️ Updated 0 days ago