# Senior Level Summary – Backend Developer Competency Evaluation

This document serves as a reference during external interviews to assess whether a candidate meets our Senior level requirements. It details the scoring model, required proficiencies, validation criteria, and provides a comprehensive table of skills with the expected levels.

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## Scoring Model

- **Basic:** 1 point  
- **Intermediate:** 3 points  
- **Advanced:** 5 points  
- **Expert:** 7 points

At the Senior level, all **Core Skills** must be demonstrated at an **Expert** level (7 points), while **Secondary Skills** must be maintained at or above their specified minimum levels. The overall score is determined by the sum of points from both Core and Secondary skills.

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## Required Skill Proficiencies

### Core Skills (Must be Expert – 7 points each)
- **SQL**
- **OOP & Programming**
- **Java**
- **REST Services**
- **Persistence Frameworks**
- **Spring**
- **Transactions**
- **CI/CD**
- **Design Patterns**
- **Git**
- **Test**
- **Architecture**
- **Microservices**
- **Security**
- **AWS**
- **Algorithms & Data Structures**
- **Logging**

*These 17 core skills reflect the deep technical mastery expected of a Senior Backend Developer. Notice that, compared to previous definitions, **NoSQL** has been removed from the core skills since it is not considered as essential at this level.*

### Secondary Skills (Minimum Levels)
- **Soft Skills:** Expert (7 points)
- **Web:** Basic (1 point)
- **Scrum:** Intermediate (3 points)
- **Building/Packaging:** Intermediate (3 points)
- **Documentation:** Intermediate (3 points)
- **Spring Ecosystem:** Expert (7 points)
- **Cryptography:** Expert (7 points)
- **IaaC:** Basic (1 point)
- **Workstation:** Basic (1 point)
- **NoSQL:** Intermediate (3 points)

*These secondary skills complement the core technical areas with essential soft skills, system thinking, and operational capabilities. In particular, while **Algorithms & Data Structures** and **Logging** are now core (and thus indispensable), skills like **NoSQL**, **Scrum**, and **Workstation** have been moved to the secondary category and set to lower thresholds.*

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## Senior Level: Scoring Tables

### Core Skills

| Skill                        | Expected Level (Senior) | Points (Expected) |
|------------------------------|-------------------------|-------------------|
| **SQL**                    | Expert                  | 7                 |
| **OOP & Programming**      | Expert                  | 7                 |
| **Java**                   | Expert                  | 7                 |
| **REST Services**          | Expert                  | 7                 |
| **Persistence Frameworks** | Expert                  | 7                 |
| **Spring**                 | Expert                  | 7                 |
| **Transactions**           | Expert                  | 7                 |
| **CI/CD**                  | Expert                  | 7                 |
| **Design Patterns**        | Expert                  | 7                 |
| **Git**                    | Expert                  | 7                 |
| **Test**                   | Expert                  | 7                 |
| **Architecture**           | Expert                  | 7                 |
| **Microservices**          | Expert                  | 7                 |
| **Security**               | Expert                  | 7                 |
| **AWS**                    | Expert                  | 7                 |
| **Algorithms & Data Structures** | Expert          | 7                 |
| **Logging**                | Expert                  | 7                 |

*Core Skills Total:* 17 skills × 7 points each = **119 points**

### Secondary Skills

| Skill                             | Expected Level (Senior) | Points (Expected) |
|-----------------------------------|-------------------------|-------------------|
| **Soft Skills**                   | Expert                  | 7                 |
| **Web**                           | Basic                   | 1                 |
| **Scrum**                         | Intermediate            | 3                 |
| **Building/Packaging**            | Intermediate            | 3                 |
| **Documentation**                 | Intermediate            | 3                 |
| **Spring Ecosystem**              | Expert                  | 7                 |
| **Cryptography**                  | Expert                  | 7                 |
| **IaaC**                          | Basic                   | 1                 |
| **Workstation**                   | Basic                   | 1                 |
| **NoSQL**                         | Intermediate            | 3                 |

*Secondary Skills Total:* 7 + 1 + 3 + 3 + 3 + 7 + 7 + 1 + 1 + 3 = **36 points**

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## Total Minimum Points Calculation

- **Core Skills Total:** 119 points  
- **Secondary Skills Total:** 36 points  
- **Overall Total Minimum Required:** 119 + 36 = **155 points**

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## Validation Process for Senior Candidates

A candidate is classified as Senior if they meet **all** the following criteria:

1. **Core Skills Requirement:**  
   Every Core skill must be demonstrated at an Expert level (7 points). If any Core skill is below Expert (e.g., Advanced at 5 points), the candidate does not satisfy the Senior criteria.

2. **Secondary Skills Requirement:**  
   All Secondary skills must be maintained at or above the specified minimum levels.

3. **Total Points Requirement:**  
   The candidate’s cumulative score (from both Core and Secondary skills) must be **at least 155 points**. A score below this threshold indicates the candidate does not fully meet the Senior level expectations.

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## Usage in External Interviews

- **Interviewers:** Use this document to objectively verify that a candidate’s skills align with our Senior-level expectations.
- **Candidates:** May refer to this summary to understand the depth and breadth of expertise required at the Senior level.
- **Decision-Makers:** Rely on the scoring and validation process as a rigorous, objective measure of a candidate’s readiness to lead, mentor, and drive technical strategy.

This summary, along with the detailed scoring tables and validation criteria, serves as a definitive reference for assessing Senior Backend Developer competencies during interviews.

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