--- title: "EPD Career Leveling Framework" canonical: https://www.renatovaldes.com/workbook/leveling/ description: "Build six clear career levels and evidence-based performance reviews across Engineering, Product, Research, Design and Marketing. Read chapter two free." author: Renato Valdés-Olmos updated: 2026-09-11 --- # Build career levels your team can actually use. Write down what each role may decide, what good work looks like and what evidence a manager must bring to calibration. The result is a standard people can use before the meeting, inside it and after it. For EPD and IT leaders in startups and technology companies, working with People across Engineering, Product, Research, Design and Marketing. It also gives operating and talent partners a tested starting point for portfolio companies. **Format:** 51 pages, 14 sections, printable PDF and editable spreadsheets. **Price:** $39. **Free sample:** [Read chapter two without an email address](https://www.renatovaldes.com/workbook/leveling/#sample). ## What it helps you do - **Write the roles.** Set the six shared boundaries, then add the craft and decision rights each local role needs. - **Collect evidence during the work.** Record outcomes, context and observable behavior while people can still correct the facts. - **Run calibration.** Prepare each case, work through disagreement and leave with a recorded decision. ## What is included Company setup, performance record, evidence log, self-assessment, calibration scorecard, promotion case and transfer record, plus a worked example. ## Where to start Complete Company setup with your partners. Agree the role expectations and working standards, then use the evidence log and grading examples before calibration. ## Practical questions ### What do I receive? You can read the workbook on this site and download a printable PDF and editable .xlsx templates. The set includes all three. No physical book is shipped. ### Do I need the other workbooks? Start here if you are introducing the system. Compensation and Development use the levels and six axes defined in this workbook. ### Will this work with our HRIS and AI tools? Yes. Map the spreadsheet fields into your HR system and use a stable employee ID. Keep private notes out of the approved record. An AI client or MCP connection can read the exported JSON through your own file or drive connector, check for missing fields and prepare drafts. A person still approves every level, pay decision and development commitment. ### Why not use the framework built into our HR package? You may be able to. HR software handles forms, permissions, workflow and storage well. This set helps the leadership team decide what the fields mean, which evidence counts and who may make an exception. If the package can preserve those choices and keep assessment, pay and development separate, configure the process there. ### Why use this instead of a framework from an investor, COO or People team? Begin with theirs. It may save months and fit your HR software already. Then test it against work your company has done: which decisions were delegated, what craft the role required and what settled the disputed cases? Keep every part that answers those questions. Use this workbook for the gaps. ### Why six levels rather than nine? Six gives this system enough room to distinguish how work is done, what gets made, which problem matters, what the company refuses, what should survive its author and which constraints govern the company. Add another level when you can name the new decision, separate it from both neighboring levels and find the same boundary in more than one role. ### How do I get access? After checkout, an email goes to the address you paid with. Its private reader link opens the complete workbook. You can also open the reader from this page and enter the access key from the email. The sample remains a separate public chapter. ### Can I use it with my team? A single purchase covers one person, with sharing permitted with your own manager and managers who report to you while running a cycle. The $499 team license covers one leadership team or function at one company. Company-wide, multi-division or portfolio-company use needs an enterprise license. A single purchase can be credited toward the team license. Read the license. ### What if we need an enterprise rollout? Enterprise licenses start at $2,500 for company-wide, multi-division or portfolio-company use, procurement requirements and an agreed rollout scope. Contact me with the organizations, approximate audience, countries and timing for a quote. ### Can I get a refund? Read the complete sample chapter before buying. Because the workbook, PDF and editable files are delivered immediately, checkout asks you to acknowledge that the purchase becomes final when digital access begins. Duplicate charges, persistent access failures, material differences from the description and mandatory legal remedies remain covered. Read the access and refund terms. ### Are updates included? Every revision of v1 is included and sent to the address you paid with. Your purchase does not subscribe you to the essay newsletter. ### Can I get a company invoice? Stripe sends a receipt after purchase. Reply to it with your company name and tax number if you need a company invoice. Any applicable tax is shown at checkout. View the current product page, cover and free sample at [www.renatovaldes.com/workbook/leveling/](https://www.renatovaldes.com/workbook/leveling/).