At Sigma Computing, We’re Doing Away with Engineering Titles

We have removed engineering titles from our systems and made levels private. This means that in internal Sigma Computing systems, everyone who is a software engineer will be listed as a “Software Engineer”.

Why are we doing this? Our culture is one of high ownership, signified by our “Nurture like a Crane” principle. When engineers take on an initiative, we expect them to drive it to successful resolution, regardless of their levels or titles. Ownership is not reserved for higher levels, and we want everyone to feel equally empowered to take on that ownership.

We expect conversations to happen based on merit and knowledge, not based on whether someone’s title is the highest one. Often, organizations use shortcuts like titles to assign value to someone’s contribution, and we want to acknowledge the unique expertise that each person brings to our team. When someone is not sure who on a team to talk to, we expect them to ask a question in the team chat and get a response from the person most suited to answer the question independent of seniority.

Our approach to this is focused on inclusivity and ownership. We believe we are Smarter Together, and we want to give every opportunity for people to contribute.

When an engineer presents an idea, we expect everyone to be Curious & Constructive, provide critical feedback and suggest other options, regardless of that engineer’s level.

We are not the first company to do this. Many companies have removed titles to promote a flatter operation model. Engineers still have a level, and they use it with their manager to help guide their careers and identify skills they can grow to have increased impact for our customers.

As a company we believe in Aiming for Greatness. Removing titles is a bold step, which elicits strong opinions from different people. We believe this is the right move for our company and the culture we’re setting.

Check out our careers page and come help us empower everyone to use their data, no SQL required!

‍