Our Developer IV

Impact level
Project/Team

You increasingly possess and demonstrate strong development knowledge. You are a reliable team-player and start being the go-to person in your project team or area of expertise. You can see the bigger picture and tackle complex tasks. We also expect you to show exemplary behaviour in line with company values and contribute to solving technical project challenges. You are involved in the deployment process using already set up tools, you can configure these tools with the help of others. You help in the recruitment process by reviewing technical assignments and assist in the technical interview with new candidates.  At this point in your career, you may choose to deepen your knowledge in a specific area of your interest. Elements recognises that specialisations (e.g., Security, DevOps), in certain areas bring an important added value to the company, so, if you have such an ambition, we ask you to approach your Team Lead and discuss whether your interest indeed matches with Elements’ priorities. Valuable specialisations can really increase your impact, so this is where we see some developer IVs reach a comparable impact level to Senior I. Bear in mind that some areas of expertise will require tech leading experience and therefore, can only be realised with enough seniority (e.g., you need to be Senior II to become an Architect). 

Required competence
levels for this position

Listening
3
Oral & Written expression
2
Timing
2
Sensitivity
2
Communication
Helping
3
Approachability
3
Adaptability
2
Feedback
2
Reliability
2
Empathy
2
Working with others
Growth Mindset
2
Knowledge
3
Quality Orientation
3
Craftsmanship
Planning & Organisation
2
Creative problem solving
3
Pragmatism
2
Resilience
2
Commercial Awareness
2
Effectiveness

Core competence
expectations

Communication
Listening
3

1) Listens to others actively and grasps the bigger context.
In meetings you pro-actively steer towards agreements.
You summarise and clarify complex and sensitive messages so that the agreements are clear for everyone.
You make people feel heard and understood.

Oral & Written Expression
2

1) Can express both individual and team ideas and approaches.
You can do an effective handover.
Able to create documentation.
2) Can voice opinions constructively, have a balanced debate about the choices within the project team.
You can constructively argue and defend your choices within your project team.
3) Ensures understanding
You seek input from your colleagues.
You present a message in different ways to increase understanding.
You proactively check if you are understood.
You simplify a tech solution so that non tech people can understand your message.
You can explain the core of what you are working on.

Timing
2

1) Communicates relevant actions in a timely manner.  
You raise concerns about your project in a timely manner.

Sensitivity
2

1) Reminds colleagues to switch to English when needed.
2) Adjusts communication style and message depending on the audience.
You use non-technical jargon when talking with clients.
You are mindful about leaking sensitive info when talking in a public space or with ex-colleagues.
You are sensitive about sharing your colleague’s personal situation/story without their explicit consent. 3) Is increasingly sensitive to not so obvious non-verbal cues and tries to react adequately.
You notice that something is off with your colleague, you take adequate action.

Working with others
Helping
3

1) Establishes a culture of proactive cooperation.
You propose pair programming sessions.
You encourage colleagues to contribute to organisation wide initiatives such as hackathon, all hands and so on.
You set an example by volunteering to review candidates’ assignments during recruitment.  2) Actively contributes to resolving conflict.
You notice that your team is struggling with the client for a while now, you propose to involve the team lead or another relevant party to help you resolve the conflict.

Approachability
3

1) Is approachable and makes others feel comfortable to discuss anything. You create space for people to approach you and discuss (personal) situations that may impact their work.

Adaptability
2

1) Rapidly adapts to new information, changing conditions or unexpected obstacles.
Someone in the team unexpectedly falls sick for a few weeks, you adapt to the new workload and organise work accordingly. The client suddenly changes priorities due to unexpected reasons; you show readiness in going along with the changes. The company rules out a new branding, you embrace the changes. 2) Demonstrates flexibility and willingness to step out of the comfort zone to support team and goals.
You are willing to travel between offices (BCN ← → ALM).
You are willing to work at a client’s location. 3) Can handle different ways of working.
You can adapt to different teams' / clients' / cultures' way of working.
4) Acknowledges and learns from mistakes and successes.
You are quick to admit you have done something wrong when relevant and are able to apologise.

Feedback
2

1) Gives specific and relevant feedback in a constructive manner.
When you give feedback, you consider potential solutions / improvements for the common goal.
You point out potential impacts on the team. You give specific compliments. 2) Is open to receive constructive feedback, is willing to have a dialogue and acts upon the feedback when it is appropriate.
Your colleague is concerned about you being late for the team meetings recently, they approach you and share their feedback constructively.
You recognise what they tell you and find solutions to resolve their concern.

Reliability
2

1) Shows commitment, dedication and accountability in the work in general.
You can be trusted to follow through on all projects and aspects of your work. 2) Gains trust by openly and consistently sharing their own position, ideas and reasoning.
You are transparent and consistent in your actions.
You inform internal and external clients honestly about potential risks and disadvantages. 3) Can think independently and voice their opinion.
You are not influenced by rumours, people's convictions and social pressure and take actions to seek the truth.  

Empathy
2

1) Has a ‘social antenna’.  
You can view the situation from your colleague's perspective.
You ask additional questions about someone’s views and emotional remarks to truly understand how they are/think.
You show appreciation through minor remarks or behaviour. 2) Has an eye for making everyone feel included.

Craftsmanship
Growth mindset
2

1) Experiments with new developments.
2) Shares their knowledge with less experienced colleagues.
3) Learns from mistakes.
4) Can see opportunities.

Knowledge
3

1) Masters various aspects of their work.
2) Shows passion, inspires and is a reliable source for advice, an example to others.
You are the go-to person in the team when there are questions related to your field.

Quality orientation
3

1) Creates great quality output independently.
2) Reviews the quality of other people’s work.
Provides insightful remarks during PRs and encourages team reviews.
3) Can review team’s overall work quality and suggests high-level effective improvements.
During a project implementation, you take a step back to see if the work is still on the right track and if it will still meet the desired quality standards. 4) Can make suggestions to improve the overall work quality at Elements.
When you see that the skeleton project is no longer up to date, you suggest relevant changes.

Effectiveness
Planning & Organising
2

1) Is fully aware of the necessary steps to complete their work.
You are able to say “no” to certain requests in order to complete your priorities.
2) Can make an effective planning for their own tasks, considering all the important variables (productivity, deadlines, priorities, availability of team members, etc.).
You regularly take a step back to see if you are still working on the right things.
You initiate a meeting when necessary and create an agenda for it.

Creative problem-solving
3

1) Can break down complex problems into manageable components.
You are the go-to person when a problem arises.
2) Can find solutions in complex situations, weighing the solution against the impact and resources.

Pragmatism
2

1) Notices and suggests quick wins as well as implements them.
You make suggestions to improve the way of working.
2) Is practical and results oriented.
3) Recognises the value of time and collaborates on practical decisions.
You gladly support practical initiatives because you understand that certain things need to be decided pragmatically.
You need to order something for the office, going to the shop will cost you 2 EUR cheaper, but you will spend over 1 hour on it, you choose to order the item online and spend 5 minutes on it. 4) Can make compromises.
You are willing to compromise to get a desired outcome, even if the compromise means you may not get everything you want.

Resilience
2

1) Is aware of their emotions, behaviours, mental and physical health and invests time in recovery. 
You recognize the signs and symptoms that stress you out. 
You try to keep a healthy work-life balance, for example you stay away from Slack during your off time unless it is urgent. 2) Brings positive energy and stays optimistic.

Commercial awareness
2

1) Can spot commercial opportunities within the current project and knows how to act upon them.
You recognize opportunities to inform clients of the ways Elements could help them to improve their product.  
You provide options for the customer, always keeping a focus on what can be achieved (or has been achieved) rather than what we can’t do or haven’t finished.
You listen, understand, respond and provide solutions to customers that makes it easy for them to do business with you.
You are not only a developer but also a problem solver for the client. 2) Has a high-level understanding of the digital agency market and knows what we as Elements have to offer in that market.
You can identify the kind of digital products we work on or could work on.
You are honest about the limitations of our services and refer the client elsewhere if needed. 3) Gets to know our clients and their market.
You listen carefully and make sure the client feels heard and important.
You investigate the market that the client operates in to get a general idea of what is at play.
You gain the clients trust and respect.
You are aware of the clients' goals for the project and every now and then you anticipate on how to fulfil their needs.

Take control of your career path.

These definitions and behavioural examples must not be seen as a checklist, they are intended to serve you as a solid reference point to (1) take control of your professional path, (2) to assess your colleagues’ professional contribution and (3) recruit new teammates.