Snowflake Software Engineer Salary

Snowflake is a top cloud storage provider and hires tons of software engineers at different levels and specialties. Known for providing competitive compensation and benefits packages in its industry, Snowflake does pay its software engineers very well. However, the Snowflake software engineer salary varies depending on role, level, location, engineering specialty, and other factors. So, how much can you expect to earn as a software engineer at Snowflake? Our salary negotiation team is here to help you figure that out.

With hands on experience negotiating hundreds of tech job offers, we provide insights based on real-world Snowflake salary negotiations and compensation research. In this guide, you'll find detailed information on Snowflake software engineer levels, the key components of a Snowflake software engineer salary, and a breakdown of average Snowflake SWE salary and total compensation packages by level and location.

Want to Negotiate Your Offer? Get offer-specific guidance from a Snowflake Salary Negotiation Coach. We help software engineers negotiate competitive job offers.

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Snowflake uses a standard tiered structure for its software engineering roles that is similar to most tech companies. However, they differentiate their software engineering role titles across multiple Snowflake levels, meaning you'll find several levels even within the same title. For instance, the designation "Senior Software Engineer" will correspond to IC3 or IC4.

Understanding these Snowflake software engineer levels are important before interviewing with and accepting an offer at Snowflake, as they influence your software engineering responsibilities, total compensation, and career trajectory within Snowflake. Snowflake determines the Snowflake levels based on a combination of factors, including years of experience, the scope of responsibilities, software engineering focus, and the overall impact of the role.

In this section, we provide an overview of the Snowflake software engineer levels to help you navigate their role levels. As a software engineer at Snowflake, you can follow either an Individual Contributor (IC) or Engineering Manager (M) career path. Below are the Snowflake levels for the IC track:

• Snowflake IC1 Software Engineer (SDE)

• Snowflake IC2 Software Engineer (SDE)

• Snowflake IC3 Software Engineer (Senior SDE)

• Snowflake IC4 Software Engineer (Senior SDE)

• Snowflake IC5 Software Engineer (Principal SDE)

• Snowflake IC6 Software Engineer (Principal SDE)

We focus on the Snowflake software engineering levels for the IC track on this page, but for reference here are the Snowflake Engineering Manager levels for the engineering manager track:

• Snowflake Software Engineering Manager (M3)

• Snowflake Senior Software Engineering Manager (M4)

• Snowflake Engineering Director (M5)

• Snowflake Senior Engineering Director (M6)

In a Snowflake software engineer salary package, you’ll find a few core compensation components. For more in-depth details from us on Snowflake’s compensation structure, you can check out our Snowflake Salary Negotiation and Software Engineer Salary Negotiation articles. Below is a quick overview of what to expect before we cover the average compensation for Snowflake SWE salary.

Snowflake Base Salary

This is the fixed amount you’ll receive in each paycheck for your Snowflake SWE salary. There are set base salary ranges for each Snowflake software engineering level and location.

Snowflake Performance Bonus

The performance bonus is a percentage of your Snowflake base salary, determined by both individual and company performance. The target bonus percentage is typically around 15% for most Snowflake SDE levels.

Snowflake Equity Package

Upon joining Snowflake, you'll receive an initial grant of Snowflake Restricted Stock Units (RSUs). This Snowflake SWE salary benefit will vest over a four-year period in equal increments, meaning you'll receive 25% of your RSUs each year at Snowflake. There is a one-year vesting cliff so you’ll get 25% one year after the vesting start date and then your Snowflake RSUs will vest quarterly in 6.25% increments over the remaining three years.

Snowflake Sign-on Bonuses

Snowflake rarely offers software engineers a sign-on bonus as part of offer package. That’s because they focus heavily on a higher base salaries and equity grants compared to other tech companies.

Snowflake Stock Refreshers

These are annual Snowflake RSU equity grants that you may receive based on your annual software engineering performance review at Snowflake.

Snowflake has a set base salary and total compensation range for all Snowflake software engineer levels. While Snowflake typically aims to pay new hire software engineers within the lower to mid-range of these Snowflake software engineer salary bands, we’ve successfully negotiated Snowflake software engineer salaries closer to the top end of each pay range.

Below, we’ve listed the average compensation for Snowflake software engineers across the Snowflake levels. Note that these figures are Snowflake SWE salary averages based on our research and negotiation experience, and not the top end of the Snowflake engineer salary bands. To identify and reach the top end of the pay range and secure a competitive Snowflake software engineer salary, we recommend working with an Snowflake Salary Negotiation Coach.

Snowflake SDE Salary (IC1)

Here is the average compensation we’ve seen for an IC1 Snowflake SDE salary.

Snowflake SWE Salary (IC2)

Here is the average compensation we’ve seen for an IC2 Snowflake SWE salary.

Snowflake Senior Software Engineer Salary (IC3)

Here is the average compensation we’ve seen for an IC3 Snowflake senior software engineer salary.

Snowflake Sr Software Engineer Salary (IC4)

Here is the average compensation we’ve seen for an IC4 Snowflake sr software engineer salary.

Snowflake Principal Engineer Salary (IC5)

Here is the average compensation we’ve seen for an IC5 Snowflake principal engineer salary.

Snowflake offers competitive pay for its software engineers, but a Snowflake engineer salary can vary significantly depending on the location. For example, a Snowflake software engineer salary in California won't be the same as a Snowflake software engineer salary in Washington or other locations. As a one of the largest tech companies, Snowflake closely monitors cost-of-living differences when setting their base salary and total compensation ranges for software engineers.

Below, we’ve listed the average compensation for software engineers in some of Snowflake's key hiring locations for software engineers at the Snowflake engineer salary level (IC3). These figures are based on our research and negotiation experience and represent averages, not the top end of the Snowflake SWE salary bands. To identify and reach the top end of the Snowflake engineer salary range and secure a competitive offer at Snowflake in your specific location, we recommend working with an Snowflake Salary Negotiation Coach.

Snowflake Software Engineer Salary San Mateo, CA

Here is the average compensation we’ve seen for Snowflake Software Engineer Salary San Mateo, CA.

Snowflake Software Engineer Salary Bellevue, WA

Here is the average compensation we’ve seen for Snowflake Software Engineer Salary Bellevue, WA.

Increasing the pay in your job offer at Snowflake requires a deep understanding of their compensation philosophy and the right salary negotiation strategy. Our expert Snowflake Salary Negotiation Coaching will help you navigate the negotiation and secure the top end of the Snowflake engineer salary band.