Amazon prides itself on being a company of pioneers. When it comes to innovation, Amazon believes in placing bold bets and inventing, all in the best interest of their customers. It believes in making the world a better place with continuous growth and advancement of its products and services. As a senior software engineer at Amazon, you will have the opportunity to influence your team’s tech strategy. You will play a pivotal role in driving system architecture and spearheading best practices to enable quality products.
If you’re gunning for a senior software engineer role at Amazon, check out our technical interview checklist, interview questions page, and salary negotiation ebook to get interview-ready! Also, read How Hard Is It to Get a Job at Amazon? and Amazon Interview Process Guide 2021 for specific insights and guidance on software engineer tech interviews at Amazon.
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Jobs at Amazon come with many benefits and perks besides the base salary, which gets even better with your level of seniority in the company. In this article, we will discuss:
- Levels of Software Engineers at Amazon
- Role of an Amazon Senior Software Engineer
- Salary of an Amazon Senior Software Engineer
- Benefits of Working as an Amazon Senior Software Engineer
- Senior Software Engineer Salary: Comparison by Location
- Tips to Negotiate Amazon Senior Software Engineer Salary
- FAQs on Senior Software Engineer Salary
Levels of Software Engineers at Amazon
Every level of software engineer at Amazon comes with its salary band and set of benefits. The levels of software engineers at Amazon are:
- L4 - Software Development Engineer I (entry-level SDE)
- L5 - Software Development Engineer II
- L6 - Senior Software Development Engineer
- L7 - Principal SDE
- L8 - Senior Principal SDE
- L10 - Distinguished Engineer
Source: Levels.fyi
Roles and Responsibilities of an Amazon Senior Software Engineer
The main roles and responsibilities of an Amazon senior software engineer are:
- Driving technical direction and feature roadmap of large-scale cloud systems.
- Helping in hiring and shaping the team to execute tasks in the best possible manner.
- Working closely with a cross-functional team of engineers, designers, marketers, and product managers for designing, testing, and iterating on solutions in a fast-paced environment.
- Working on team building new experiences/features.
- Creating a technical strategy for business problems.
- Working closely with business and technical stakeholders to drive measurable results.
- Successfully launching software for Amazon and resolving architectural deficiencies.
- Contributing to improving engineering, testing, and operational excellence best practices in your team.
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Amazon Senior Software Engineer Salary and Salary Components
Before we look at the average salary of a senior software engineer at Apple, let’s first find out what that compensation comprises.
The following are the salary components in a senior software engineer’s salary at Amazon:
- The Base Component: This amount indicates the fixed component of your salary.
- Cash Bonus: This variable component is tied to your annual performance and is paid out annually if your performance is up to standard. It usually varies for engineers even in the same salary band.
- Stock options: These are Restricted Stock Units (RSUs) issued to employees. Once vested, they can be freely traded.
The average yearly senior software engineer Amazon salary, ranked by level, is given below:
It’s clear from these average pay statistics that senior software engineers at Amazon earn impressive salaries across all levels.
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Benefits of Working as an Amazon Senior Software Engineer
Besides the attractive senior software development engineer salary Amazon offers, it also provides a lot of flexible plans and choices to take care of its employees. Some of the benefits include:
Health
- Flexible medical plan
- Health savings account
- Dental plan
- Vision plans
- Flexible spending accounts for health and dependent care.
Financial Security
- Amazon’s 401(k) plan
- Company-paid basic life and accidental death and dismemberment insurance
- Company-paid short-term and long-term disability
Network of Support
- Amazon’s free Employee Assistance Program
- Online resources for parents whose children struggle with developmental disabilities, elder care referrals, and assistance
- Financial counseling, estate planning in the event of a life-threatening illness or death
Adoption Assistance
- Maternity and parental leave
- Fully paid maternity and parental leave
- Leave share
- Ramp back
Other Benefits
- Time off
- Employee discount
- Amazon’s Career Choice program
Senior Software Engineer Salaries: Comparison by Location
Here are the top senior software engineer salaries in the United States based on location (average annual salary):
Tips to Negotiate Amazon Senior Software Engineer Salary
Here are some points that will help you negotiate a higher Amazon salary for senior software engineer positions:
- Familiarize yourself with the company standards as well as the industry average.
- Remember to factor in the perks and benefits.
- You are not obligated to share the compensation you are currently receiving.
- You don’t necessarily have to share the compensation you are expecting.
- Build a good relationship with the hiring manager.
- Do not insist on receiving written offers.
- Remember to ask for a relocation package.
- There is a lot of publicly available compensation data. Compare the offer you have received before agreeing to anything.
Read The Ultimate Guide to Salary Negotiation at FAANG for Software Engineers to hone your negotiation skills and get an offer that matches your value.
FAQs on Senior Software Engineer Salary
1. What is the salary of a senior software engineer at Amazon?
The average salary of a senior software engineer at Amazon is around $164,445 per year.
2. How does the average salary of a senior software engineer role differ in San Jose compared to New York City?
The average salary of a senior software engineer in San Jose is $164,780 per year, while it is $129,475 per year in New York.
3. How does the Amazon senior software engineer salary compare with the average salary range for this job?
The average senior software engineer’s salary at Amazon is $164,445 per year, while the average salary for the role of a senior software engineer in the United States is $124,818 per year.
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