Know your worth. Understand market rates, negotiate with confidence, and evaluate the full picture beyond base pay.
These ranges reflect what we see across our placements in North America. Actual compensation varies by city, industry, company size, and specific technology stack. Use these as directional benchmarks, not guarantees.
| Level | Salary Range (USD) | Key Context |
|---|---|---|
| Junior (0-2 years) | $65,000 - $95,000 | Entry-level, learning fundamentals, mentored |
| Mid-Level (3-5 years) | $95,000 - $140,000 | Independent contributor, owns features |
| Senior (5-8 years) | $140,000 - $185,000 | Technical leadership, mentors others |
| Staff / Lead (8-12 years) | $170,000 - $225,000 | Cross-team impact, architecture decisions |
| Director / VP | $200,000 - $300,000+ | Organizational strategy, budget ownership |
| Level | Salary Range (USD) | Key Context |
|---|---|---|
| Junior (0-2 years) | $60,000 - $85,000 | Basic administration, monitoring |
| Mid-Level (3-5 years) | $90,000 - $130,000 | Cloud platforms, CI/CD, automation |
| Senior (5-8 years) | $130,000 - $175,000 | Architecture, reliability, security |
| Staff / Lead (8+ years) | $160,000 - $220,000 | Platform strategy, multi-cloud |
| Level | Salary Range (USD) | Key Context |
|---|---|---|
| Data Analyst | $65,000 - $100,000 | SQL, BI tools, reporting |
| Data Engineer | $110,000 - $170,000 | Pipelines, warehousing, Spark/Airflow |
| Data Scientist | $120,000 - $180,000 | ML models, statistics, Python/R |
| ML Engineer | $140,000 - $210,000 | Production ML, MLOps, LLMs |
| AI/Data Director | $190,000 - $280,000+ | Strategy, team building, roadmap |
| Level | Salary Range (USD) | Key Context |
|---|---|---|
| Security Analyst | $70,000 - $105,000 | Monitoring, incident response |
| Security Engineer | $110,000 - $160,000 | Architecture, tooling, compliance |
| Senior / Architect | $155,000 - $210,000 | Strategy, risk assessment, leadership |
| CISO | $220,000 - $350,000+ | Executive leadership, board reporting |
Note: Contract/hourly rates are typically 20-40% higher than salary equivalents due to the absence of benefits and employment taxes. A $150,000 salary role might pay $85-$100/hour on contract.
Most candidates leave money on the table because they do not negotiate, or they negotiate poorly. Here is how to do it right.
Before any salary discussion, know the market rate for your role, level, and location. Use Levels.fyi, Glassdoor, and Blind as starting points. Our recruiters can also share what we are seeing in current placements.
When asked "What are your salary expectations?", try to get their range first: "I would love to understand the budget for this role so I can see if we are aligned." If pressed, give a range based on your research.
If base salary is firm, there is often flexibility in signing bonus, equity, PTO, remote work days, professional development budget, or title. Everything is negotiable until the offer letter is signed.
If you have another offer, mention it honestly without being adversarial: "I am genuinely excited about this role. I do have another offer at $X, and I want to make sure we can get to a number that works for both of us."
After a verbal agreement, ask for the updated offer in writing before accepting. This protects both parties and avoids misunderstandings about what was agreed to.
Negotiation is a collaboration, not a battle. Express enthusiasm for the role, explain your reasoning clearly, and be willing to compromise. Burning bridges over $5K is rarely worth it.
Base salary is just one piece of the puzzle. Two offers with the same base pay can differ by $30,000 or more in total value. Here is what to compare:
A word of caution: Negotiating does not mean you always ask for more. It means you make an informed decision about whether the offer reflects your value. Sometimes the right answer is "yes, this is fair."
Professionals with hands-on experience in machine learning, LLMs, and AI infrastructure command a 15-30% premium over equivalent non-AI roles. This trend is accelerating.
AWS, Azure, and GCP expertise continues to drive compensation. Multi-cloud experience and infrastructure-as-code skills (Terraform, Pulumi) are especially valued.
With increasing regulation and cyber threats, security professionals are seeing 10-20% salary growth year-over-year. CISSP and cloud security certifications add significant value.
Companies are increasingly using contract and contract-to-hire arrangements. Skilled contractors can earn 30-50% more than salaried equivalents on an annualized basis.
Some companies adjust pay by location. A role paying $180K in San Francisco might offer $150K for remote workers in lower cost-of-living areas. Factor this into your evaluation.
Financial services, gaming, and healthcare IT tend to pay above average. Nonprofits and education pay below. The same role at the same level can vary 20-30% by industry.
Our recruiters see real compensation data every day. Let us give you an honest market assessment.