QA Career Ladder
Tại sao quan trọng
- Retention: clear path → less attrition.
- Hiring: candidate ask "growth path?"
- Calibration: standardize across team.
- Promotion fairness: transparent criteria.
Ladder typical
| Level | Title | Years | Scope |
|---|
| L1 | Junior QA | 0-2 | Own test case execution |
| L2 | QA Engineer | 2-4 | Own module testing |
| L3 | Senior QA | 4-7 | Own product area, mentor |
| L4 | Staff QA / SDET | 7-10 | Cross-team initiative |
| L5 | Principal QA | 10+ | Org-wide strategy |
| M1 | QA Lead | 5+ | Manage 5-10 people |
| M2 | QA Manager | 7+ | Manage 10-20 people |
| M3 | Head of QA | 10+ | Department, strategy |
| M4 | VP Quality / CTO of QA | 15+ | C-suite |
Two tracks
- IC (individual contributor) — depth technical.
- Manager — people + delivery.
Promotion criteria
- Technical mastery for level.
- Scope of impact.
- Mentorship (L3+).
- Strategic thinking (L4+).
- Cross-functional influence (L4+).
Salary band VN (2026)
- L1: 12-18M.
- L2: 20-30M.
- L3: 30-50M.
- L4: 50-80M.
- L5: 80-120M.
- M1: 50-70M.
- M2: 70-100M.
- M3: 100-160M.
Anti-pattern
- "Up or out" — pressure unhealthy.
- Promotion only via mgmt → IC capped.
- No criteria → political.
VN context
FPT có rõ band, Tiki / Shopee VN có ladder modern. Startup không có → newcomer ngại join.