At Amazon, engineering roles are structured into levels (e.g., L4, L5, L6, L7, L8…) and each level corresponds to increasing scope of ownership, impact, mentoring and compensation. Knowing how levels map to experience, role, compensation and expectations helps you evaluate job offers, plan your growth path, and negotiate effectively.
Below are key levels for software engineers at Amazon: L4 (SDE I entry), L5 (SDE II), L6 (SDE III), L7 (Principal SDE), L8 (Senior Principal/Staff), and beyond. Compensation scales significantly with seniority and scope of work.
Level 4 – Software Development Engineer I (SDE I)
Typical Experience: ~0‑2 years (new graduate or early career software engineer).
Role & Responsibilities:
- Work under guidance; build small features or modules.
- Write code, tests, debug production issues, get ramped.
- Collaborate with peers, take reviews, follow best practices.
- Learn internal systems, architecture, tooling, Amazon’s scale.
Compensation (approx by region): - U.S.: Entry base salaries for SDE I often ~$111K–$121K, with total compensation (including RSUs & bonus) approx ~$136K (based on prior public data).
- U.K.: For L4 SDE at Amazon in the U.K., total comp around ~£80K in some data sets (base ~£60K + ~£12.8K stock + ~£7.5K bonus).
- India / Canada: Less frequently disclosed. For early‑career engineers in India, base salaries are significantly lower than U.S., but stock/bonus elements may add up.
Key Takeaways: - This level is foundational: performance is about reliability, clean code, ramping fast.
- To move up: show ownership of moderately sized tasks, get comfortable with production systems, begin influencing beyond your immediate module.
Level 5 – Software Development Engineer II (SDE II)
Typical Experience: ~2‑4 years (can vary by domain).
Role & Responsibilities:
- Own complete features or modules with moderate complexity.
- Participate in design discussions, make trade‑offs, own delivery from conception to production.
- Mentor interns/junior engineers; influence team practices.
- Coordinate with adjacent teams, manage dependencies, start thinking about system scale.
Compensation (approx): - U.S.: Reports suggest average total comp for SDE II at Amazon around ~$283K in some datasets (e.g., base ~$144K + stock + bonus) for more experienced individuals.
- U.K.: For L5 in the UK, approximate total comp might be ~£135K (base ~£91.5K + ~£42.4K stock) from some data.
- India / Canada: Specific numbers harder to find publicly, but expect significantly lower base than U.S., though stock/bonus may still be meaningful for top candidates.
Key Takeaways: - At this level you’re expected to deliver end‑to‑end, influence design, take ownership.
- If you want to progress to L6, demonstrate you can handle higher complexity, cross‑team work, mentorship, and measurable impact.
Level 6 – Software Development Engineer III (SDE III)
Typical Experience: ~5‑8+ years in many cases, though domain and specialty matter.
Role & Responsibilities:
- Act as a senior IC or technical lead for significant features or multiple modules.
- Make architectural decisions, ensure scalability, reliability, manage trade‑offs, optimize performance, drive metrics.
- Mentor other engineers (junior and mid‑level), influence team and even cross‑team practices.
- Collaborate with leadership, contribute to product roadmaps, technical strategy for your domain.
Compensation (approx): - U.K.: For SDE III (L6) in UK, one data point shows median total comp ~£191K (base ~£118.3K + ~£69.6K stock + ~£3K bonus).
- U.S.: Reports indicate SDE III can have total comp around ~$373K for Amazon SA (Software Engineer L6) according to aggregates.
- Canada / India: Again, fewer public datapoints. But expect significant jump from earlier levels.
Key Takeaways: - Your role is leadership in engineering (though still IC track). You are architecting, influencing, mentoring, and responsible for large scale delivery.
- To move to L7: demonstrate impact at product or cross‑team level, consistent leadership, drive for high scale.
Level 7 – Principal Software Development Engineer
Typical Experience: ~8‑12+ years (varies widely).
Role & Responsibilities:
- Lead major product areas or systems; you set technical direction for significant scope.
- Influence multiple teams, own architecture across domains, ensure long‑term maintainability and scalability of systems.
- Mentor senior engineers, represent technical strategy, collaborate with executive leadership, possibly external partnerships.
Compensation (approx): - U.S.: For Amazon software engineers at L7, total compensation can approach ~$700K+ (based on aggregated compensation data).
- U.K.: Data shows upper bands for senior engineers (L7) around ~£273K total compensation (base ~£141K, stock ~£128K) for “Principal SDE” in UK. (Levels.fyi)
- India / Canada: Scarce public numbers; expect very high compensation for top candidates (including large stock/bonuses).
Key Takeaways: - At this level you are a technical leader with wide influence. You're no longer just delivering code but defining how engineering should operate.
- For further growth: focus on company‑wide influence, cross‑domain architecture, innovation and technical reputation.
Level 8 – Senior Principal / Distinguished Engineer / Staff IC
Typical Experience: ~10‑15+ years; senior domain experts.
Role & Responsibilities:
- You’re among engineering leadership (IC track). Define platforms, systems, long‑term vision, major technical initiatives across Amazon.
- Lead cross‑organization efforts, collaborate with senior leadership, external stakeholders, shape technical direction for entire businesses.
- Mentor other principal engineers, serve as technical architect of the company’s key systems.
Compensation (approx): - U.S.: Compensation at this level often reaches ~$1M+ total (based on data listing L8 software engineer at Amazon ~$998K).
- U.K. / India: Public data less precise; at this level compensation includes very large stock awards and long‑term incentives.
Key Takeaways: - This is elite territory. Scope is company‑wide or industry‑level. Coding may still happen, but your role is strategic, architectural, and governance‑oriented.
- To excel: demonstrate consistent innovation, broad influence, cross‑company leadership, architectural vision.
Summary Table
Here’s a summary of the levels, typical experience bracket, and approximate compensation bands across major regions (where data available):
| Level |
Role Title |
Experience |
U.S. Total Comp Approx |
U.K./India Notes |
Scope |
| L4 |
SDE I |
~0‑2 yrs |
~$136K (“entry”) |
U.K.: ~£80K total comp |
Features, learning, ramping |
| L5 |
SDE II |
~2‑4 yrs |
~$283K (for some cases) |
U.K.: ~£135K total comp |
End‑to‑end ownership, mentoring |
| L6 |
SDE III |
~5‑8 yrs |
~$373K (for some cases) |
U.K.: ~£191K total comp |
Lead modules, architecture, mentoring |
| L7 |
Principal SDE |
~8‑12+ yrs |
~$700K+ |
U.K.: ~£273K total comp |
Lead product/large systems, wide impact |
| L8+ |
Senior Principal/Staff Engineer |
10‑15+ yrs |
~$1M+ |
Global upper bands – very high |
Company‑wide platforms, strategy, innovation |
Additional Notes & Context
- Levels & Titles Variation: Amazon’s level names vary by team and domain (software vs hardware vs systems). For example: L4 is common for entry SDE I; L5 for SDE II; L6 for SDE III; L7 for Principal.
- Compensation Composition: Total compensation includes base salary, stock (RSUs), bonus/other pay. At higher levels, stock becomes a large component.
- Regional & Specialty Variation: Compensation varies significantly by country (cost of living, market premium). Also specialties like AWS, machine learning, hardware engineering may command higher compensation.
- IC vs Manager Path: These levels refer to the Individual Contributor (IC) track. The managerial path (Engineering Manager, Director, VP) has different levels and compensation ranges.
- Offers & Negotiation: When evaluating an offer at Amazon, ask: What level am I being hired into? What is the total comp (base + bonus + RSUs)? What is the stock vesting schedule? What is the scope of responsibilities? These matter more than just a “title.”
- Promotion & Expectations: To progress from one level to the next, you must increase scope, ownership, influence, mentoring, and measurable impact on business or engineering outcomes — not just years of experience.
Understanding Amazon’s engineering levels gives you a roadmap for where you are and where you want to go. Whether you’re early in your career or aiming for senior technical leadership, this guide helps you align your work, impact, skills and negotiations with the right level.
- Early career: focus on ramping, writing reliable code, understanding systems.
- Mid‑career: focus on ownership, mentoring, system design, delivery of large features.
- Senior: focus on architecture, cross‑team impact, technical leadership, driving metrics.
- Top levels: focus on long‑term vision, platform-level work, cross‑company influence, innovation.
With this framework, you can better evaluate offers, prepare for the next level, and shape your career trajectory at Amazon or comparable organizations.
