What does a staff engineer do?

A staff engineer sets technical direction across teams, drives architectural decisions, mentors senior engineers, and often represents the engineering organization in cross-functional strategy discussions.

What is the salary for a staff engineer?

Total compensation for staff engineer roles ranges from $180k to $320k+, including base salary, equity, and bonuses. FAANG and top startups pay at the upper end.

How do I become a staff engineer?

Build a track record of leading high-impact projects, develop deep expertise in a domain, contribute to org-wide technical strategy, and demonstrate influence beyond your immediate team.

9,620+ JobsUpdated Jun 10, 2026

Staff Engineer Jobs

Staff Engineer roles represent the top of the individual contributor or management ladder. These positions combine deep technical expertise with organizational influence, commanding $180k–$320k+ in total compensation at leading tech companies.

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Salary Range

$80k – $280k

Top Companies

SiriusXM, Council on Foreign Relations, Jobs via Dice, PerformYard, National Geographic Society, Pearson +41 more

Job Types

96% Full Time, 4% Contract

Top Locations

Washington, Arlington, CA, Fairfax

Work Model

92% On-Site, 6% Hybrid, 2% Remote

Experience Levels

26% manager, 20% Director+, 16% principal

We found 9,620 staff engineer jobs currently hiring in locations including Washington, Arlington, CA. Salaries range from $80k to $280k based on experience, location, and company size. Work arrangements include On-Site (92%), Hybrid (6%), Remote (2%). Top employers include SiriusXM, Council on Foreign Relations, Jobs via Dice and 44 other companies.

Companies Hiring for Staff Engineer Jobs

SiriusXM2 jobs

Council on Foreign Relations2 jobs

Jobs via Dice2 jobs

PerformYard1 job

National Geographic Society1 job

Pearson1 job

+41 more companies hiring. Sign up to see all.

Career Path & Salary Progression

Lead

Salary varies

6 jobs

Staff

$80k–$110k

7 jobs

Director+

$155k–$190k

10 jobs

Latest Jobs Added

Sr. Director of Strategic Finance

PerformYard

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Staff Engineer Jobs

Companies Hiring for Staff Engineer Jobs

Career Path & Salary Progression

Latest Jobs Added

Senior Director of Strategic Finance

Vice President, Crisis Communications and PR

Lead Specialist, Enterprise Customer Success

Director Total Rewards

Executive Vice President, Chief Information Technology Officer

Technical Writer - Journeyman

Pharmacy Technician Trainee

Chief of Network Strategy

Community Sales & Market Development Manager

Director of TPM – Listener Experience

F/T Front Desk Agent - Breckenridge

Housing/Residential Construction Manager (Mosca, CO)

Business Development Manager, Transportation , SLG Verticals

Vice President of Sales

Internal Communications Lead - (Herndon, VA)

Director of TPM – Listener Experience

Part-Time Professional Organizer & Project Manager Arlington, VA

Project Manager II

Construction Project Manager, PE/CCM

Director of Media Relations and Executive Communications

Associate Project Manager

Global Delivery Partner Project Manager

HR Policy Advisor

Project Manager - Water/Wastewater Plant Construction

Director of Media Relations and Executive Communications

Senior Producer and Project Manager

Directeur(trice) de la Fabrication et de la Production Director of

Lead Data Scientist - AgenticAI

Senior Staff Engineer, SRE/DevOps, Product Software

SATCOM Network Engineer

Staff Tax Accountant

Lead & Mid Animator role

Technical Manager (Production Support) – Appian Exp is Must at Washington

Assistant Vice President of Human Resources

Lead Medical Science Liaison, Molecular Imaging (Mid-Atlantic)

Lead Fullstack Engineer

Account Manager (Remote)

Business Operations Coordinator

Staff Software Engineer – Backend (Python / Typescript / Big Data / AWS /

Director of Sales

Telecommunications Project Manager

Advanced Problem Resolution (APR) Team Lead / Telecom Lead Technician

Principal Software Engineer, Field Engineering

Fractional Role: Technical Product Manager / Scrum Master

Associate Principal, AI & CX Solutions Strategist

Director of Brand Strategy & Communications

Strategic Pursuits Manager, Federal Civilian, Public Sector

Director Information Security & Risk Management

Vice President, Sales Executive - Government & Public Services - IBM Focus

Senior Project Manager

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