Individual Contributor Levels (IC02-IC07)

Comprehensive career framework for Individual Contributors at Ultralytics, defining expectations from entry-level through principal technical leadership. Use these descriptions for self-assessment, development planning, and promotion decisions.

Career Framework Overview

Individual Contributors achieve impact through technical excellence and individual work. Both IC and Management tracks offer equal advancement potential and compensation at equivalent scope levels. See Career Progression for the complete framework.

Career Progression

graph LR
    IC02[IC02<br/>Associate/Junior<br/>Entry] --> IC03[IC03<br/>Professional<br/>Developing]
    IC03 --> IC04[IC04<br/>Senior<br/>Career Level]
    IC04 --> IC05[IC05<br/>Staff<br/>Senior/Seasoned]
    IC05 --> IC06[IC06<br/>Senior Staff<br/>Expert]
    IC06 --> IC07[IC07<br/>Principal<br/>Lead]

    style IC02 fill:#e1f5ff
    style IC03 fill:#b3e5fc
    style IC04 fill:#81d4fa
    style IC05 fill:#4fc3f7
    style IC06 fill:#29b6f6
    style IC07 fill:#0288d1

Level Overview

Level	Title	Career Stage	Ops/Strategic Focus
IC02	Associate/Junior	Entry	100% Operational
IC03	Professional	Developing	100% Operational
IC04	Senior	Career/Fully Functioning	100% Operational
IC05	Staff	Senior/Seasoned	80% Ops / 20% Strategic
IC06	Senior Staff	Expert	70% Ops / 30% Strategic
IC07	Principal	Lead	60% Ops / 40% Strategic

IC02: Associate/Junior

Career Stage: Entry
Typical Roles: Junior Engineer, Associate Product Manager, Junior Designer
Focus: 100% Operational - Learning fundamentals under close supervision

Core Expectations

Dimension	IC02 Requirements
Expertise & Technical Depth	• Applies basic theories, principles, and concepts in specialized area • Basic use and application of primary techniques • Continuously expands skill sets including company policies and industry knowledge • Learns to apply tools and technologies relevant to role • Grows competency through structured tasks and mentorship
Scope & Responsibility	• Works on routine and basic tasks with clearly defined parameters • Responsible for one or more project components following general directions • Plans daily tasks with guidance from senior team members • Contributions focus on repeatable, task-driven activities • Impacts own work primarily, learning team collaboration
Decision Making & Impact	• Makes decisions about own work guided by well-defined options • Work is closely supervised with frequent check-ins and review • Refers non-standard or complex matters to senior team members • Seeks guidance when facing ambiguity or uncertainty • Supports team decisions through research and inputs
Leadership & Influence	• Works with well-defined stakeholders within immediate team • Learns principles of effective communication and collaboration • Influences through research and providing inputs to discussions • Responsible for individual assignments and deliverables • Participates actively in team meetings and reviews
Complexity & Problem Solving	• Solves defined problems using established methods and documentation • Problems require analysis of identifiable factors with clear solutions • Follows documented procedures and best practices • Applies knowledge and basic techniques to resolve routine issues • Conveys straightforward technical information to team
Collaboration & Communication	• Works closely with immediate team members daily • Learns to communicate technical concepts clearly • Participates in team meetings, code reviews, design critiques • Asks thoughtful questions and seeks clarification when needed • Documents work following established templates and standards

Typical Background

Bachelor's degree + 1 year experience OR Master's degree
Foundational knowledge in relevant field (CS, Design, Business, etc.)
Demonstrated eagerness to learn and grow through internships or projects
Strong academic background or relevant internship/project experience
Comfortable with fundamental tools and technologies in domain

Success Indicators

Key Performance Signals

✅ Completes assigned tasks on time with quality meeting team standards
✅ Actively seeks feedback and applies it to improve work quality
✅ Demonstrates steady learning curve and skill development
✅ Collaborates effectively with immediate team members
✅ Asks thoughtful questions and escalates issues appropriately
✅ Shows initiative in learning new technologies and processes

Common Development Areas

Building deeper technical expertise in core domain
Learning to work more independently with less frequent guidance
Understanding how individual work connects to broader team goals
Developing debugging and problem-solving skills
Improving estimation accuracy for task completion times

IC03: Professional

Career Stage: Developing
Typical Roles: Software Engineer, Product Manager, Designer
Focus: 100% Operational - Owns features end-to-end with general supervision

Core Expectations

Dimension	IC03 Requirements
Expertise & Technical Depth	• Develops and applies growing advanced techniques and principles • Near-complete use of standard principles, theories, and concepts • Expanding knowledge across related specialty areas • Demonstrates increasing competency and autonomy in work • Almost full application of relevant tools and methodologies
Scope & Responsibility	• Handles moderate complexity work with opportunity for review • Responsible for multiple project aspects, determining methods to achieve results • Plans and schedules own work across multiple days and weeks • Contributes to fulfillment of significant project portions • Work impacts own deliverables and begins affecting team outcomes
Decision Making & Impact	• Makes decisions about own work and occasionally others' within documented parameters • Independently resolves routine and some non-routine issues • Works under general supervision with independent judgment • Seeks guidance on complex or ambiguous situations • Begins recommending approaches to solve problems
Leadership & Influence	• Begins working with more varied and changing stakeholders • Gains cooperation from others, exchanges technical information effectively • Influences through recommending approaches and solutions • Responsible for multiple project aspects and their coordination • Participates actively in team planning and design discussions
Complexity & Problem Solving	• Problems require analysis of identifiable factors and tradeoffs • Determines course of action based on guidelines, modifies based on experience • Handles escalated technical issues from junior team members • Applies growing problem-solving sophistication and techniques • Conveys technical information clearly to diverse audiences
Collaboration & Communication	• Works effectively with team members across different functions • Communicates progress, challenges, and technical decisions proactively • Contributes meaningfully to technical discussions and planning • Helps onboard and mentor IC02 team members • Documents work clearly for broader team consumption

Typical Background

Bachelor's degree + 3 years experience OR Master's degree + 2 years OR PhD + 1 year
Demonstrated growth in technical skills and independent contributions
Track record of delivering features or projects end-to-end
Comfortable working with moderate complexity and ambiguity
Strong communication skills within immediate team context

Success Indicators

Key Performance Signals

✅ Delivers features and projects end-to-end with minimal guidance
✅ Proactively identifies and resolves technical issues
✅ Makes sound technical decisions independently
✅ Effectively communicates with diverse stakeholders
✅ Helps unblock and guide junior team members
✅ Demonstrates growing ownership of work quality and impact

Common Development Areas

Expanding influence beyond immediate team to adjacent teams
Developing deeper expertise in core technical domain
Improving ability to operate in ambiguous situations
Building broader understanding of system architecture and interdependencies
Strengthening mentorship and technical leadership skills

IC04: Senior

Career Stage: Career / Fully Functioning - "The Job"
Typical Roles: Senior Engineer, Senior Product Manager, Senior Designer
Focus: 100% Operational - Independent expert with cross-team influence

Core Expectations

Dimension	IC04 Requirements
Expertise & Technical Depth	• Applies complete and practical knowledge across multiple specializations • Demonstrates full competence and gains exposure to more complex work • Understands interrelationships between different disciplines • Deep application of principles, theories, and concepts in domain • May be gaining exposure to adjacent technical areas
Scope & Responsibility	• Handles moderate complexity with diverse issues requiring minimal review • Contributes to significant project components, impacting own and others' work • Plans own work within scheduled guidelines across multiple projects • Often recommends integration approaches across team projects • Work affects team outcomes and cross-team deliverables significantly
Decision Making & Impact	• Makes independent decisions guided by experience and learned knowledge • Makes decisions on own work methods, occasionally in ambiguous situations • Regularly resolves routine and non-routine issues independently • Works under broad guidelines with regular independent judgment application • Influences work team products, processes, and results
Leadership & Influence	• Identifies and actively manages diverse stakeholders across teams • Presents results and recommendations across discipline effectively • Begins influencing team products, features, processes, and results • Serves as Recommender and occasional Activator on team decisions • May lead small projects or significant initiative components
Complexity & Problem Solving	• Problems are somewhat varied, require analysis of multiple factors and data conflicts • Assesses unusual circumstances using sophisticated problem-solving techniques • Identifies root causes and builds solutions independently • Provides creative and effective solutions to complex issues • Breaks down complex problems into manageable components
Collaboration & Communication	• Works effectively across multiple teams and functional areas • Communicates complex technical concepts to non-technical audiences • Mentors IC02 and IC03 team members regularly on technical topics • Participates in hiring and interviewing processes • Represents team effectively in cross-functional forums

Typical Background

Bachelor's degree + 4 years experience OR Master's degree + 3 years OR PhD + 2 years
Proven track record of independent complex project delivery
Strong technical expertise and domain knowledge
Demonstrated ability to influence team technical direction
Experience mentoring junior team members

Success Indicators

Key Performance Signals

✅ Owns and delivers complex projects independently with high quality
✅ Provides effective technical mentorship to junior team members
✅ Makes consistently high-quality technical decisions
✅ Proactively identifies and addresses technical debt
✅ Contributes to team technical direction and coding standards
✅ Demonstrates strong judgment in ambiguous situations

Common Development Areas

Expanding influence from team-level to cross-team and organizational level
Developing strategic thinking about technical direction and architecture
Building deeper business acumen connecting technical work to outcomes
Strengthening ability to operate in highly ambiguous situations
Growing technical leadership skills and organizational influence

IC05: Staff

Career Stage: Senior/Seasoned
Typical Roles: Staff Engineer, Staff Product Manager, Staff Designer, Technical Lead
Focus: 80% Operational / 20% Strategic - Cross-team technical leadership

Core Expectations

Dimension	IC05 Requirements
Expertise & Technical Depth	• Applies advanced and wide-ranging knowledge across entire domain • Combines emerging business acumen with deep technical expertise • Understands interrelationships between disciplines, serves as technical advisor • Deep application of principles across most areas of specialization • Beginning to build reputation as organizational technical expert
Scope & Responsibility	• Handles complex work and issues with significant interdependencies • Contributes to and often drives achievement of critical functional goals • Plans, schedules, and integrates tasks with limited direction across projects • Work impacts department outcomes and cross-functional initiatives • Influences quarterly and semi-annual strategic planning
Decision Making & Impact	• Makes decisions on technical approaches, processes, occasionally ambiguous situations • Independently resolves most complex issues, teams to solve ambiguous challenges • Collaborates as Recommender for systemic issues, occasionally Activator • Works from broad goals, determines and develops approach to solutions • Provides technical direction affecting multiple teams and initiatives
Leadership & Influence	• Plans, schedules, and integrates own work with others across teams • Begins directing application of existing principles to new contexts • Contributes to stakeholder management plans, develops relationships across organization • Influences work team and multiple teams, serves as Recommender and Activator • Often regarded as in-house expert on specific technical areas or domains
Complexity & Problem Solving	• Problems are varied, diverse, often "hidden" or systemic in nature • Provides solutions to complex issues with sophisticated creative insights • Works on high-impact projects and technically challenging problems • Regularly guides others in solving highly complex technical issues • Significant contributor and recommender for far-reaching challenges
Collaboration & Communication	• Influences stakeholders across multiple teams and functional areas • Communicates effectively with senior leadership on technical matters • Mentors IC03 and IC04 engineers on technical growth and career development • Leads technical design reviews and architecture discussions • May represent company at external technical forums and conferences

Typical Background

Bachelor's degree + 6 years experience OR Master's degree + 4 years OR PhD + 4 years
Recognized technical expert in specific domain or technology area
Track record of leading complex projects affecting multiple teams
Demonstrated ability to influence technical direction
Strong business acumen connecting technical work to business outcomes

Success Indicators

Key Performance Signals

✅ Drives technical initiatives affecting multiple teams successfully
✅ Recognized as technical authority within organization
✅ Makes strategic technical decisions with lasting impact
✅ Mentors and develops senior engineers effectively
✅ Identifies and addresses systemic technical challenges proactively
✅ Balances technical excellence with business outcomes effectively

Common Development Areas

Expanding influence from department-level to organization-wide
Developing executive communication and strategic thinking skills
Building broader cross-functional relationships and networks
Strengthening ability to drive consensus on complex technical decisions
Growing influence on product strategy and business direction

Critical Transition Point

IC05 represents a critical transition from individual contributor to technical leader. Success requires balancing hands-on technical work (80%) with strategic thinking and organizational influence (20%). Many high-performing IC04s struggle with this shift initially.

IC06: Senior Staff

Career Stage: Expert
Typical Roles: Senior Staff Engineer, Senior Staff Product Manager, Senior Staff Designer
Focus: 70% Operational / 30% Strategic - Cross-team technical leadership with broadening scope

Core Expectations

Dimension	IC06 Requirements
Expertise & Technical Depth	• Applies advanced business acumen directly to technical domain expertise • Combines highly specialized field knowledge with broad expertise in related areas • Deep expertise across multiple specializations and interdependent technical areas • Builds reputation as in-house expert across entire organization • Often consulted on most critical and strategic technical decisions
Scope & Responsibility	• Handles highly complex work with significant interdependencies across organization • Directs work contributing to achievement of critical functional and organizational goals • Influences planning of others, regularly plans and coordinates work of team members • Work impacts organizational strategy and influences multi-quarter planning cycles • Drives initiatives affecting company-wide technical direction and architecture
Decision Making & Impact	• Makes decisions regarding technical approaches that influence entire organization • Advises multiple functional areas on decision making in highly ambiguous situations • Often serves as Recommender, occasionally Activator for systemic organizational issues • Works under consultative direction towards mid-term strategic goals (6+ months) • Technical decisions set precedents and standards affecting multiple teams
Leadership & Influence	• Regularly plans and influences work of others across multiple teams • Directs application of existing principles, actively participates in developing new practices • Owns portions of stakeholder management plans across entire organization • Influences department offerings and creates function-level impact • Applies flexible leadership styles to influence results across organization
Complexity & Problem Solving	• Problems are novel with limited precedent, require significant ingenuity and creativity • Provides, guides, and uses innovative methods to solve unusual and complex problems • Leads teams in solving complex, cross-discipline issues critical to company success • Provides deep insight and technical leadership promoting innovative new ideas • Leads and guides implementation strategies for complex technical solutions
Collaboration & Communication	• Influences senior leadership and executives regularly on technical strategy • Communicates technical vision effectively to diverse audiences across organization • Builds and leverages strong cross-functional networks for collaboration • Represents company at major industry conferences as technical authority • Mentors staff-level engineers and emerging technical leaders effectively

Typical Background

Bachelor's degree + 9 years experience OR Master's degree + 6 years OR PhD + 6 years
Recognized authority internally as domain expert across organization
Proven impact across multiple teams, functions, and strategic initiatives
Track record of driving organization-wide technical improvements
Strong executive communication and influence skills

Success Indicators

Key Performance Signals

✅ Drives technical strategy with measurable company-wide impact
✅ Influences product and business strategy through technical insights
✅ Recognized as authority within industry, not just within company
✅ Successfully leads most complex and ambiguous technical initiatives
✅ Develops and mentors other senior technical leaders effectively
✅ Makes technical bets that significantly impact company success

Common Development Areas

Expanding influence from organization to industry level
Developing thought leadership through external publications and speaking
Strengthening ability to influence executive-level strategic decisions
Building industry-wide networks and partnerships
Growing impact on long-term technical vision and company positioning

Strategic Balance

IC06 requires balancing deep technical work (70%) with strategic influence (30%). Success means driving both immediate technical execution and long-term technical strategy simultaneously.

IC07: Principal

Career Stage: Lead (Specialized in own area, broad in related areas)
Typical Roles: Principal Engineer, Principal Product Manager, Principal Designer
Focus: 60% Operational / 40% Strategic - Strategic technical leadership across organization

Core Expectations

Dimension	IC07 Requirements
Expertise & Technical Depth	• Applies extensive depth of knowledge across theories, practices, and design principles • Serves as specialized expert in field and primary technical advisor across entire organization • Maintains highest external affiliations, often pioneer in technology or domain area • Recognized authority internally and externally in profession and industry • Actively shapes technical direction at both company and industry level
Scope & Responsibility	• Handles most complex work with minimum precedent or established patterns • Directs work contributing directly to organizational success and industry reputation • Contributes actively to strategic planning, influences annual plans for entire function • Work impacts company strategy, competitive positioning, and multi-year planning • Drives initiatives with potential to transform company or entire industry
Decision Making & Impact	• Advises on most novel, strategic business and technical issues company-wide • Often serves as Activator and major contributor to most far-reaching decisions • Influences company-wide strategy and long-term multi-year planning cycles • Determines and pursues courses of action to meet long-term strategic goals (3+ years) • Technical decisions directly affect company's competitive positioning in market
Leadership & Influence	• Contributes to strategic planning at highest levels, influences multi-year planning • Leads application of existing principles and active development of new innovative ideas • Owns stakeholder management plans, develops relationships across entire organization • Recognized as highly influential leader partnering directly with executive team • Often serves as the Decider for most complex and strategic technical issues
Complexity & Problem Solving	• Challenges are novel with multiple stakeholders, highly ambiguous, require significant ingenuity • Applies deep technical expertise and emerging technologies to drive breakthrough innovation • Leads teams in solving most highly complex challenges with limited or no precedent • Pioneers development and personally sponsors implementation of strategic solutions • Solutions require exceptional strategic judgment with limited information available
Collaboration & Communication	• Partners directly with executive team on company strategy and technical vision • Influences industry through publications, keynotes, and technical standards work • Builds and maintains significant external professional networks and partnerships • Mentors principal-level engineers and senior technical leaders across organization • Represents company as primary technical authority to customers, partners, analysts

Typical Background

Bachelor's degree + 12 years experience OR Master's degree + 8 years OR PhD + 6 years
Recognized authority externally in field with industry-wide reputation
Proven track record of company-wide and industry-level impact
Extensive network of industry relationships and influence
Strong executive presence and strategic business acumen

Success Indicators

Key Performance Signals

✅ Directly shapes company technical strategy and long-term vision
✅ Recognized as thought leader and authority in industry
✅ Influences technical decisions at executive and board level
✅ Develops other principal-level technical leaders successfully
✅ Makes strategic technical bets that define company's future
✅ Solves challenges with measurable industry-wide impact

Common Development Areas

Expanding influence on company business strategy beyond technical domain
Building deeper executive-level relationships and board interactions
Developing next generation of principal-level technical leaders
Strengthening industry-wide thought leadership and standards influence
Growing impact on long-term company positioning and market strategy

Strategic Leadership

IC07 represents specialized technical leadership with broad impact. Success requires balancing deep technical execution (60%) with strategic influence (40%) across the organization.

Level Comparison Matrix

Dimension	IC02	IC03	IC04	IC05	IC06	IC07
Focus	100% Ops	100% Ops	100% Ops	80/20	70/30	60/40
Supervision	Close	General	Broad	Minimal	Limited	Consultative
Scope	Tasks	Features	Projects	Multi-team	Cross-team	Organization
Planning	Daily	Weekly	Monthly	Quarterly	Semi-annual	Annual
Decisions	Defined	Guided	Independent	Strategic	Influential	Executive
Complexity	Routine	Moderate	Complex	Varied/Systemic	Novel	Unprecedented
Influence	Team	Team	Cross-team	Multi-team	Department	Organization

Using This Guide

For Individual Contributors

Self-Assessment Process

Read your current level thoroughly - Understand all dimensions of expectations
Evaluate honestly against each dimension - Identify consistent strengths
Identify development areas - Find 1-2 gaps to address this quarter
Review next level - Understand the path forward clearly
Discuss with manager - Align on assessment and create development plan

For Development Planning

Create targeted growth plans:

Compare current vs. next level across all dimensions systematically
Identify specific gaps in expertise, scope, or organizational impact
Find opportunities to demonstrate next-level work with manager support
Set quarterly goals targeting specific next-level criteria explicitly
Document examples of next-level performance for promotion discussions

For Managers

Manager Responsibilities

Performance Reviews: Use these criteria to calibrate expectations consistently
Specific Feedback: Provide concrete examples mapped to level dimensions
Opportunity Creation: Help team members find next-level work opportunities
Consistent Evaluation: Ensure fairness across all team members
Promotion Preparation: Build evidence-based cases using these criteria

Promotion Readiness

Typical Timeline

IC02 → IC03: 12-18 months demonstrating independent feature delivery
IC03 → IC04: 18-24 months demonstrating consistent senior-level impact
IC04 → IC05: 24-36 months demonstrating cross-team technical leadership
IC05 → IC06: 36+ months demonstrating multi-team and department strategic impact
IC06 → IC07: 36+ months demonstrating organization-wide strategic impact

Promotion Requirements

Promotions require sustained demonstration of next-level performance across all dimensions, not just technical expertise. Discuss readiness quarterly with your manager and document specific examples.

Management Levels - Detailed M04-M08 expectations for leadership track
Career Progression - Complete framework, promotion process, track switching
People & Benefits - Comprehensive people policies and resources
Onboarding - Level expectations for new team members

These level descriptions are living documents that evolve as Ultralytics grows. Feedback and improvements welcome through PRs or discussions with your manager.

📅 Created 0 days ago ✏️ Updated 0 days ago

Individual Contributor Levels (IC02-IC07)

Career Progression

Level Overview

IC02: Associate/Junior

Core Expectations

Typical Background

Success Indicators

Common Development Areas

IC03: Professional

Core Expectations

Typical Background

Success Indicators

Common Development Areas

IC04: Senior

Core Expectations

Typical Background

Success Indicators

Common Development Areas

IC05: Staff

Core Expectations

Typical Background

Success Indicators

Common Development Areas

IC06: Senior Staff

Core Expectations

Typical Background

Success Indicators

Common Development Areas

IC07: Principal

Core Expectations

Typical Background

Success Indicators

Common Development Areas

Level Comparison Matrix

Using This Guide

For Individual Contributors

For Development Planning

For Managers

Promotion Readiness

Typical Timeline

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