Part 3: Your Career Here
How We Think About Roles
We hire generalists, not specialists. Especially in the early years.
Our core role is the Product Builder: someone who can move across UX research, light design, product thinking, engineering, QA, and customer conversations. Not someone who does one thing brilliantly and hands off to someone else. Someone who can take a problem and ship a solution.
This doesn't mean everyone does everything. It means everyone can do more than one thing, and we flex based on what's needed.
Titles
Titles describe function, not rank. "Senior" means broader scope and more autonomy, not a bigger office or more people reporting to you.
We don't have management layers until we need them. Everyone reports to the founder until around 10 people. After that, we'll figure it out together.
How We Hire
Values first, skills second.
Someone who shares our values and has the motivation to learn will grow into the role. Someone technically brilliant but misaligned on values will cause problems that skill can't fix.
We'd rather leave a role empty than lower the bar.
Passion for our mission matters. We have a bias towards people who genuinely care about solving the problems we're solving. If you've worked in agencies or consultancies and experienced the pain firsthand, you'll understand why we're building this. That kind of motivation is hard to teach. Experience in our space is optional but welcome.
The Process
| Stage | What happens |
|---|---|
| Application | Written questions. We're looking for effort, clarity, and basic fit. |
| Values screen | 30-minute video call. Do you share how we work? No right answers, we're listening for authenticity. |
| Portfolio review | Async. Show us what you've built, walk us through it. |
| Role conversation | 45-minute video call. Can you do the job? Do we want to work together? |
| Paid work trial | 3-5 days, paid at day-rate. Real work on a real problem. |
| Offer | If it's a fit for both sides. |
No Whiteboard Interviews
We don't do algorithmic puzzles or trick questions. They test performance under artificial pressure, not ability to build products.
Instead, show us your work. Walk us through code you wrote. Explain your decisions. If you don't have a public portfolio, the paid work trial gives us both a chance to see how it feels.
The Paid Work Trial
This is the final stage before an offer. You work on a real problem for 3-5 days, paid at day-rate. Both sides are assessing fit in realistic conditions.
It's high-commitment, but it's the best way we know to avoid hiring mistakes. You get to see what working here is actually like. We get to see how you actually work.
Probation
All roles start with a 3-month probation period. One week's notice during probation (versus standard notice after).
This is a genuine mutual assessment, not a formality. If it's not working for either side, we part ways respectfully and quickly. Better for everyone.
Growth and Development
No Ladders, But There Is Growth
We don't have a 12-level career ladder with detailed competency matrices. That kind of thing makes sense at 500 people. At our size, it would be theatre.
What we do have:
- Regular feedback. You'll know how you're doing, not once a year but continuously.
- Expanding scope. As you demonstrate judgment and impact, you take on more.
- Learning support. Books, courses, conferences. If it helps you do better work, we'll fund it.
- Honest conversations. If there's a ceiling here, we'll tell you. If you'd grow faster somewhere else, we'll tell you that too.
Feedback Culture
Feedback flows in all directions. You'll give it to the founder. You'll get it from teammates. It's direct, specific, and kind.
We don't save feedback for formal reviews. If something's working, we say so. If something's not, we say that too, while it's still useful.
One-to-Ones
You'll have regular 1:1s with the founder (weekly in your first month, then fortnightly). These aren't status updates. They're for you: what's on your mind, what's blocking you, what you need.
Compensation
The Philosophy
We pay fairly and transparently. No negotiation theatre. No mystery about what people earn.
- Equal pay for equal work. Same role, same level = same pay, regardless of where you live.
- Salary ranges on job ads. You know what a role pays before you apply.
- Internal transparency. The team can see what everyone earns.
Salary Bands
| Role | Band |
|---|---|
| Product Builder | £65,000 - £90,000 |
| Senior Product Builder | £85,000 - £125,000 |
| Customer Success / Ops | £40,000 - £75,000 |
Where you land in a band depends on experience and scope. Movement within bands is based on growth, impact, and expanded responsibility.
Bands are reviewed annually.
No Negotiation
We don't negotiate salaries. Not because we're inflexible, but because negotiation rewards confidence and privilege, not merit.
When we make an offer, it's what we think is fair for the role and your experience. If you think we've got it wrong, tell us why. But we're not playing games where the best negotiator gets paid more for the same work.
Raises
We review compensation annually. Raises happen when:
- Your scope has expanded meaningfully
- You've grown into a higher level
- We adjust bands based on market data
We don't do cost-of-living adjustments automatically, but we do pay attention to whether our bands remain competitive.
Equity
Every single person who works at thredspan will have equity in some form. This is non-negotiable.
We haven't finalised the exact structure yet (vesting schedules, exercise windows, etc. are still being worked out with proper legal and tax advice). But the principle is set: everyone who helps build this company will share in its success.
Benefits
The Basics
- 4-day week. Monday to Thursday. Fridays off.
- Unlimited time off. With a 25-day minimum expectation.
- Flexible working. Work when and where you're most effective.
- Equal pay globally. Your location doesn't affect your salary.
Equipment
We'll provide what you need to do your job well:
- Laptop (Mac or equivalent)
- Monitor, keyboard, mouse
- Anything else that's reasonable
For home office setup, we'll help you get a decent chair and desk if you need them. We'd rather you're comfortable than saving us a few hundred quid.
Learning and Development
We'll fund:
- Books (just buy them, no approval needed)
- Courses and training relevant to your work
- Conference attendance (within reason)
If there's something you want to learn that would help you do better work, ask. The answer is usually yes.
In-Person Gatherings
- Quarterly planning days. We'll cover travel and accommodation.
- Annual retreat. Two days, somewhere worth going. Fully covered.
- First 90 days. We'll make sure you meet the team in person at least once.
Pension
UK employees: You'll be auto-enrolled in a workplace pension within 3 months of starting, as required by UK law. We contribute the minimum (3%) but plan to increase this as the company grows.
Employees outside the UK: We comply with all national pension and retirement requirements via Deel. Your specific entitlements depend on your country of employment.
Parental Leave
UK employees: You have statutory rights to maternity, paternity, adoption, and shared parental leave. These apply from day one of employment (eligibility criteria vary by leave type).
Employees outside the UK: We comply with all national parental leave requirements via Deel. Your specific entitlements depend on your country of employment.
We're planning enhanced parental leave policies as we grow. Until then, statutory entitlements apply. If you're expecting or planning, talk to us early so we can support you properly.
Other Stuff We're Thinking About
We're early stage. Some benefits we'd like to offer but haven't formalised yet:
- Mental health support
- Sabbaticals after long tenure
As we grow, we'll add to this. If there's something that would make a real difference to you, tell us.
This is Part 3 of the thredspan handbook. Next: Part 4: Joining thredspan