Goal: Reward impact, not titles or location. Pay follows what you deliver.
Open roles: holdex.io/c/jobs | Mission: holdex.io/about
Same job, same level pays the same, and more results earn more reward. The framework stays simple and consistent so growth doesn't get renegotiated case by case.
Every role falls into one of two buckets: delivery or acquisition.
Delivery covers building and rendering the service: engineering, design, and the operational work that keeps an account running. It's paid on hard skill and cost-effectiveness. Developers are paid per code delivered, billed hourly per month, and the levels below set what that skill looks like at each stage.
Acquisition covers client acquisition and retention: sales and business development. It's commission-based on closed deals, and if you bring in a lead that gets onboarded and you're positioned to join as Partner for that account, a fixed rate is added on top of commission, per Pay by Level below.
The two tracks are judged on different things by design. Delivery is judged on skill and problems solved, the same principle DEV-440 states for reviewing pull requests: value delivered, not effort spent. Acquisition is judged on closed business, not on hours logged or activity performed. Research, CRM upkeep, and reporting are methods, not deliverables: they support acquisition work but aren't paid for on their own.
Four levels, each with its own traits, culture, and goals.
Entry operates with a student mindset: bug-free execution, fast learning, clear communication, and taking feedback well. Entry follows the Developer Guidelines, understands the goals handed to them, and solves the Problems already scoped for it: researches, estimates, and presents a solution, while helping other Entry-level teammates.
Intermediate is a confident executor: solves complex problems, leads small parts of a project, helps Entry-level teammates, and holds strong opinions. Where Entry solves the Problems it's given, Intermediate additionally breaks a whole Goal into its full set of Problems (per DEV-150), identifies real problems rather than symptoms, prioritizes them, and reviews Entry-level teammates' work.
Lead owns projects end to end: runs full projects, delegates, coaches the team, aligns work with the business, and inspires. Lead sets timelines, ensures delivery, and distributes work to whoever fits it best.
Partner thinks in the big picture: owns multiple projects, shapes strategy, says no when needed, and grows the culture. Partner defines business goals and priorities and improves the rules and values everyone else works within.
Entry is the trial phase run by holdex/trial: unpaid, and it ends when the trial goal clears and the contributor graduates to Intermediate.
Intermediate and Lead are paid an hourly rate agreed per engagement and recorded in your own Special Terms, which HR prepares from the template in holdex/contractor-terms and stores privately. Ask your lead for your number. The rate is fixed for the engagement, not the total: more hours delivered still means more pay, per Core Rules above.
Partner is paid a fixed rate plus a percentage of the deals they close. The exact numbers are set by leadership per deal: ask your lead for the current terms.
Every level above Entry requires ongoing compliance with the Developer Guidelines. Falling out of compliance is a demotion back to Entry, not a warning: the rate that comes with a level is conditional on holding the bar, not a status earned once.
Entry grows by learning, executing, and asking questions. Intermediate grows by solving, teaching, and leading small pieces of work. Lead grows by owning projects, delegating, and coaching. Partner grows by setting strategy, scaling the business, and knowing when to say no.