💰 $218K–$250K salary range
Median: $230K · Based on 20 public job postings · Updated April 19, 2026
This senior engineering position is crucial for high-growth companies. Staff Data Engineers design and optimize the foundational data infrastructure critical for training large language models and powering machine learning inference systems. Compensation for this role typically ranges from $218K to $250K, with a median of $230K, based on an analysis of 20 recent job postings. Professionals commanding top pay demonstrate expertise in building scalable real-time data pipelines, advanced MLOps platform integration, and optimizing vector databases for retrieval augmented generation (RAG) applications. Strong leadership in architecting robust, high-performance data platforms directly impacts model development cycles and product scalability within the AI landscape, making this a highly valued and compensated role.
