There are two types of advances at Buffer: Level changes and step changes.

Promotions happen during level calibrations twice a year. These require approval and processing from your department head and the People & Finance team; the process is outlined further in ‣.

These are usually effective on the 1st of the month following the month the request is processed (i.e. will hit paychecks on the 15th).

Level changes

• “Levels” are large and distinct jumps in terms of area knowledge, role complexity and overall scope.
• Each Level of the Career Framework marks significant growth in your career, so a level change is a big deal!
• You can view the details of each Level in our Buffer Career Framework (Levels & Steps).

Step changes

• Two “steps” are housed within each Level of Career Framework. These are smaller milestones of ownership and impact. Read more about how steps work.

Note: In 2023, we adjusted this from 4 steps to 2 steps, as part of the overall Salary System update. To see the previous version, visit:

Universal Career Framework (OLD, replaced in 2023)