On Cadence you pick your own tier. Founders pay the tier rate, you receive 80% of it. The platform does not negotiate. Here is how to pick the right tier for where you are, and when to move up.
Tier is not a self-assessment, it is a signal to the algorithm. Setting your rate above your relevance score band sharply reduces match volume. You will not earn more by listing as Senior if your relevance score is in the Mid band, you will earn less, because matches will skip past you. Set honestly, the platform rewards it.
Your relevance score is updated weekly. It rolls up:
Tier bands kick in roughly: Junior under 60, Mid 60 to 75, Senior 75 to 90, Lead 90+. You can list at any tier, but the matching engine prioritizes engineers whose tier matches their score band.
You can opt into 20 hours / week or 10 hours / week at proportional pricing. This is set per match, not per profile, so you can take a 40-hour booking from one founder and a 20-hour booking from another.
Twice a year (March, September) we run a calibration sweep across the pool. Engineers whose ratings consistently outperform their tier are nudged up. Engineers whose ratings underperform are nudged down. Both are private nudges, not forced changes.
Anything else, engineers@cadence.work. Back to help center.