Compare profiles
Side-by-side leveling, scope, and market pay. Add up to four via ?keys=SWE.GEN.P5,SWE.GEN.P6.
| vs | P4 PDE.GEN.P4 Staff Engineer | P3 PDE.GEN.P3 Senior Engineer | P5 PDE.GEN.P5 Principal Engineer | P2 PDE.GEN.P2 Engineer II |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Market pay | — | — | — | — |
| Level | P4 · P4 — Senior Professional | P3 · P3 — Mid-Level Professional | P5 · P5 — Expert Professional | P2 · P2 — Developing Professional |
| Function | Product Development Engineering | Product Development Engineering | Product Development Engineering | Product Development Engineering |
| Focus | General | General | General | General |
| Typical years | 5–8 | 3–5 | 8–12 | 1–3 |
| Scope | A system or set of related features | Features or a sub-system end-to-end | Multiple systems or a technical domain | Defined deliverables / small features |
| Autonomy | Self-directed; reviewed at critical decision points | Works independently on standard work; reviewed on the non-standard | Sets direction within the domain | General supervision; reviewed at milestones |
| Impact | Multi-team / function outcomes | Project / team outcomes | Org / multi-team outcomes | Own and immediate-team deliverables |
| Decision rights | Owns technical decisions for a system; influences adjacent design | Owns implementation decisions for own scope | Authority over a technical domain | Routine technical choices within guidance |