Career Ladder
A documented progression of levels with expectations for scope, impact, and autonomy.
Definition
A career ladder formally defines the levels in a discipline (e.g., Associate PO -> PO Manager -> Sr PO -> Staff PO -> Director of PO -> VP of PO), with the expectations at each level for scope, complexity, influence, and people management. Product Ops often helps its own function formalize its ladder, since product-ops career paths are newer than those of PM or engineering.
Related concepts
Related templates
Job description for a Product Operations Manager, with responsibilities, requirements, compensation band, and sourcing keywords.
Job description for a Senior Product Ops Manager, scoped for cross-team operating-system ownership and mentoring.
Job description for a Director of Product Operations, first-line management, team of 2-5 ICs, company-wide remit.
Frequently Asked Questions
A career ladder formally defines the levels in a discipline (e.g., Associate PO -> PO Manager -> Sr PO -> Staff PO -> Director of PO -> VP of PO), with the expectations at each level for scope, complexity, influence, and people management. Product Ops often helps its own function formalize its ladder, since product-ops career paths are newer than those of PM or engineering.
Career Ladder is also commonly called Competency Matrix, Leveling. The terms are used interchangeably in most Product Operations contexts.
Career Ladder is part of the Product Operations vocabulary under the roles category. Product Ops leaders use this concept when running planning rituals, setting operating standards, and aligning cross-functional stakeholders.