Technology · Level D4
Staff ML Engineer
Provides technical leadership of AI systems org-wide — a role where frontier-AI packages are genuine outliers.
Typical total compensation (US)
$530,000median
Range $485,000–$585,000 · base $265,000 · bonus $45,000 · equity $220,000
Indicative, sourced ranges — not a guarantee. Pin 'AI Compensation Benchmarks 2026'; Levels.fyi ML staff band (Meta E6 ~$678k, Google L7 ~$743k FAANG-skewed)
At a glance
Difficulty
High
Hiring demand
High
Competition
Medium
AI task-risk
Low
AI & this role: Technical leadership of AI systems. The move is to climb the scope ladder, not to fear the tool.
What differentiates you at this level
- leadershipTechnical leadership of AI systems org-wide