Netflix Senior Software Engineer Salary by Location and Level

Netflix holds a strong position in the “streaming war” among the various platforms. The company generated a whopping revenue of over $7.3 billion in the second quarter of 2021. However, it is worthwhile to mention that its outstanding growth rests in the hands of its software engineers. The company is also popular for paying a rewarding compensation package to them. If you are interested to know more about the Netflix senior software engineer salary, read on.

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In this article, we will cover:

• What are the roles of senior software engineers at Netflix?
• The salary structure of a senior software engineer at Netflix
• Different Netflix senior software engineer positions and their salaries
• Netflix senior software engineer salary vs. other tech giants
• Why does Netflix pay its software engineers higher than other similar companies?
• Netflix senior software engineer salary: Top 5 highest paying locations
• Top 11 benefits of being a senior software engineer at Netflix
• How to prepare for your next Netflix software engineering interview?
• FAQs

What Are the Roles of Senior Software Engineers at Netflix?

The job of the Netflix engineering team is to code, test, and check the tech stack of Netflix. Their work is to build new features and offer new algorithms to the service.

Discussed below are some of the senior software engineer roles and responsibilities.

Senior Software Engineer — Web Platform

Responsibilities

• Arrange discussions on architecture and mentor UI engineers.
• Monitor production environment.
• Research for new features and bring them to the web platform and more.

Eligibility

• Working knowledge in GraphQL, PWAs, and TypeScript.
• Experience in large-scale web application management.
• Past professional experience as a UI engineer.
• Excellent verbal communication skills.

Preferred Skills

• Ability to work as a team member.
• A strong advocate of improving system architecture.
• Capable of understanding the end user’s requirements.

Senior Software Engineer in Test-Acquisition AI

Responsibilities

• Responsible for managing primary entry points across web, TV, etc.
• Work closely with the UX and product management team to innovate A/B test concepts and more.

Eligibility

• Experience in software testing with TV, web, Android, iOS.
• Strong coding skills in one of the programming languages (For example, JavaScript).
• Excellent skills in determining coding issues and debugging the same.
• Skilled in applying test tools like Selenium to resolve difficult software problems.

Senior Software Engineer — Core Data Platform

Responsibilities

• Resolve issues at both applications and systems.
• Analyze data and troubleshoot difficult operational problems.
• Ability to work as a teammate with stakeholders and other team members.

Eligibility 

• Over 5 years of experience in software development.
• Excellent coding skills in Java, Golang, and Python.
• Working knowledge in operating and improving distributed systems.
• Strong expertise in RDMS.

Additional Skills

• Create code and review code to check its functionality.
• Create high-quality software applications.
• Strong intent to improve coding practice by applying software designs.

The Salary Structure of a Senior Software Engineer at Netflix

As per levels.fyi, the average salary of a senior software engineer at Netflix is $512,000 per year in the United States. Now, let’s dive deeper into the salary breakdown:

• Total Annual Income: $512,000
• Base: $502,000
• Stock: $10,000

The annual salary of a senior software engineer at Netflix varies with the job role, location, and working experience.

Netflix Senior Software Engineer Salaries by Level

There are no tier-based job levels available at Netflix. The lack of levels is suitable for an organization like Netflix. It is because the company does not work on multiple projects like other tech giants.

Moreover, Netflix values talent over hierarchy. The company hires skilled candidates with years of working experience in the field. Hence, every software engineer at Netflix is a senior engineer.

The senior positions are differentiated via various departments.

Here are a few mentions:

Senior Software Engineer (Department: Platform)

• Annual Salary: $893,000
• Working Experience: 19
• Years at the Company: 8
• Job Location: Los Gatos

Senior Software Engineer (Department: Video)

• Annual Salary: $861,000
• Working Experience: 15
• Years at the Company: 7
• Job Location: Los Gatos

Senior Software Engineer (Department: Data)

• Annual Salary: $630,000
• Working Experience: 20
• Years at the Company: 7
• Job Location: Los Gatos

Senior Software Engineer (Department: Distributed Systems Back–End)

• Annual Salary: $550,000
• Working Experience: 8
• Years at the Company: NA
• Job Location: Los Gatos

Senior Software Engineer (Department: Web Development Front-End)

• Annual Salary: $550,000
• Working Experience: 12
• Years at the Company: 1
• Job Location: Los Gatos

Senior Software Engineer (Department: Full Stack)

• Annual Salary: $460,000
• Working Experience: 10
• Years at the Company: 4
• Job Location: Los Gatos

Senior Software Engineer (Department: TVUI)

• Annual Salary: $330,000
• Working Experience: 3 years
• Years at the Company: NA
• Job Location: Los Angeles

Netflix Senior Software Engineer Salary vs. Other Tech Giants

If you are wondering what other leading tech companies pay to their software engineers, take a look below:

Facebook

• Total Annual Income: $390,631
• Base: $197,374
• Bonus: $35,996
• Stock: $157,261

Google

• Total Annual Income: $355,000
• Base: $188,000
• Bonus: $37,000
• Stock: $130,000

Amazon

• Total Annual Income: $334,175
• Base: $161,972
• Bonus: $10,133
• Stock: $162,070

Apple

• Total Annual Income: $320,000
• Base: $184,000
• Bonus: $24,000
• Stock: $111,000

Why Does Netflix Pay Its Software Engineers Higher Than Similar Companies?

“We would be relying on one tremendous person to do the work of many. But we would pay them tremendously.”– Reed Hastings, CEO of Netflix.

This speaks a lot about the company’s lucrative salaries to its software engineers. Moreover, it believes in the “rock-star principle.” Accordingly, Netflix loves to hire one “rock-star” software engineer and pay them more than others than recruiting 20 average engineers.

Further, he suggests that a lean workforce is beneficial. Managing top employees simplifies the process of running a business.

Netflix Senior Software Engineer Salary: Top 5 Highest-Paying Locations

Cities like Los Gatos, San Francisco, and others are known for housing the highest-paid software developers. Here are the top 5 locations where the senior software engineers at Netflix get the highest compensation per year:

• Los Gatos: $630,000
• New York: $540,000
• Los Angeles: $525,000
• San Francisco: $509,000
• San Jose: $500,000

Note: The salaries may vary based on job roles and working experience.

Top 11 Benefits of Being a Senior Software Engineer at Netflix

According to Forbes, “Netflix continues to grow its reputation as an attractive, sought-after employer.” As a result, the attrition rate has been about 3%  to 4% over the last 2 years. Moreover, according to Comparably, 90% of senior software engineers are satisfied with the benefits this company has to offer. These make it a reliable choice for experienced software engineers to join the company and uplevel their careers.

Further, Netflix manages to ease the “Monday blues” by offering the following benefits:

1. Provides free breakfast and lunch (5 days a week). Employees also enjoy free snacks and drinks.
2. Offers shuttle at Los Angeles and Los Gatos offices.
3. Unlimited personal vacation, sick leaves, and discounts on gyms to maintain employee wellness.
4. Offers health savings account and employee assistance program.
5. Dental, life, and disability insurance.
6. One year maternity and paternity leave. It also offers an on-site mother’s room for convenience.
7. Fully reimburse the employee conveyance via Uber and Lyft.
8. Provides fertility and adoption support, military leave, the flexibility of remote working.
9. Reimburse phone bills, on-site laundry.
10. Offers retirement support through 401(k), Employee Stock Purchase Program, Mega Backdoor Roth IRA, and more.
11. Pays for child, pet, adult backup care for 10 days.

Frequently Asked Questions

Q. What is the annual salary of a senior software engineer (API Development) at Netflix in Seattle?

The annual salary of a Netflix senior software engineer (API Development) is $504,000 in Seattle.

Q. What is the annual salary of Netflix’s senior back-end engineer with 16 years of work experience and 2 years at the company?

The annual salary of Netflix’s senior back-end engineer with 16 years of experience and 2 years at the company is $499,000 in Las Gatos.

Q. Does Netflix offer relocation benefits?

Yes. If Netflix relocates you for a new role from one city to another, it supports you and your family during relocation.

How to Prepare for the Netflix Software Engineering Interview

Indeed rated the interview at Netflix as “medium.” Therefore, strategic preparation is the key to crack technical interviews at this company. Take a look at how you can do it:

Think Out of the Box

Focus on creating new features that can contribute to the company’s growth. According to Aaron Blohowiak, Engineering Manager at Netflix, “Diversity of thought helps us make better decisions.” Thus, your technical knowledge must build new features that can address the end user’s problems.

Brush Up on Your Technical Skills

Practice the following coding topics:

• Arrays
• Trees
• Linked lists and more

You can expect questions like:

1. Determine if the value of three integers is equivalent to the given value.
2. Do you think that Binary search is a tree?
3. Write a code to determine the node in the Binary Tree.
4. What do you understand about Pickling and UnPickling in Python?

Tip: Netflix wants candidates to be proficient in C++, C, Python, Java. Use any of the languages with which you are familiar.

For more tips and interview questions, read:

• How to Crack a Netflix Software Engineer Interview
• Netflix Software Engineer Interview Questions

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