Software engineer salary, by level
A senior software engineer at a large technology firm in London earns a base salary of $150k to $210k plus a cash bonus target of 10% to 20%, so about $210k in cash. Principal sits near $390k. Equity is missing from all of these figures and is most of senior technology compensation.
A level only means something once you know whose ladder it is. Senior maps to Google L5, Meta E5 and Amazon SDE III, and Amazon runs a level behind the other two throughout.
Every level
| Level | Base | Bonus | Total (mid) | Reached at |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| EntryGoogle L3 · Meta E3 · Amazon SDE I | $70k to $100k | 5% to 15% | $95k | On joining |
| MidGoogle L4 · Meta E4 · Amazon SDE II | $110k to $150k | 10% to 20% | $150k | 2y |
| SeniorGoogle L5 · Meta E5 · Amazon SDE III | $150k to $210k | 10% to 20% | $210k | 4y |
| StaffGoogle L6 · Meta E6 · Amazon Principal | $205k to $280k | 15% to 25% | $290k | 7y |
| PrincipalGoogle L7 · Meta E7 · Amazon Sr Principal | $255k to $380k | 15% to 30% | $390k | 11y |
Aggregated and rounded from several published data sets. Ranges, not offers. Compare all five tracks.
What the cash figures leave out
Equity is missing from these bands and is most of senior technology compensation. A grant vests over four years and moves with the share price, so two people on identical offers a year apart can end up far apart. Compare offers on annualised equity, never on the headline grant. Note also that Amazon runs a level behind: their SDE I is L4 where Google and Meta start at 3.
Weighing it against something else
Other tracks
For what these jobs involve day to day and how people get into them, see the career track map. For live application windows, the opportunity tracker.
Getting to the next rung
Analyst to associate
Most people arrive here from a banking analyst job. This is that decision, including when to stay and when to move across.
Buyside Recruitment Bootcamp
The headhunter playbook, the modelling test and the case, for anyone crossing into private equity, hedge funds or asset management.