How levels line up
Every role on the board carries one of five levels, read from its title. Employers use different ladders for the same work, so here is how the buckets usually correspond. Treat it as a map, not a contract: the same title can sit a level apart at two companies, and years are typical rather than required.
| Level here | What it usually means | Meta | Amazon | Microsoft | Apple | Startups & security vendors | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Junior / entry0–2 years | First security role or an internship. Works on defined tasks with review; learning the environment is part of the job. | L3 | E3 | L4 (SDE I / Security Engineer I) | 59–60 (SDE) | ICT2 | Analyst I, Associate, Engineer I |
| Mid2–6 years | Owns features or investigations end to end without close supervision. Most postings without a seniority word in the title land here. | L4 | E4 | L5 (SDE II / Security Engineer II) | 61–62 (SDE II) | ICT3 | Engineer II, Analyst II, Security Engineer |
| Senior5–12 years | Leads projects across a team, sets technical direction for a problem area, mentors. The most common title on this board. | L5 | E5 | L6 (Senior SDE / Senior Security Engineer) | 63–64 (Senior) | ICT4 | Senior Engineer, Senior Analyst, Lead |
| Staff / principal8+ years | Influence across an organisation: architecture, standards, the hardest incidents. Titles vary the most here (Staff, Senior Staff, Principal, Distinguished, Architect). | L6–L7 (Staff, Senior Staff) | E6–E7 | L7 (Principal) | 65–67 (Principal) | ICT5–ICT6 | Staff, Principal, Architect, Distinguished |
| Leadership8+ years | Manages people or owns a security function: Engineering Manager, Head of, Director, CISO. Pay depends on scope more than on years. | M1–M2, Director | M1–M2, D1 | L6–L8 managers | 63–70 managers, Partner | M1–M3 | Manager, Head of Security, Director, VP, CISO |
How pay is compared
A posted band is compared with other posted bands in the same role family and level, in the same region when enough exist, then more broadly. The typical band is the median bottom and median top of that set, and the verdict uses midpoints with a 10% tolerance. Bands are wide on purpose, so "in line", "above" and "below" are rough placements, not a score on the offer.