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Home / Compensation / Databricks / ML Engineer
Total compensation for a Databricks ML Engineer ranges from about $235K at the entry level to $1.8M+ at the most senior bands, with a typical mid-level package around $535K. Below is the full breakdown by level - base salary, annual equity, and bonus - from public-source data.
Public-source estimates (Beta). Last updated 2026-05. Figures are annualized USD.
| Level | Years | Base (p50) | Equity/yr (p50) | Bonus (p50) | Total (p25-p90) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| IC2ML Engineer (Junior) | 1-3 YOE | $180K | $75K | $20K | $235K - $395K |
| IC3ML Engineer | 3-6 YOE | $220K | $145K | $30K | $320K - $590K |
| IC4Senior ML Engineer | 6-10 YOE | $265K | $220K | $45K | $425K - $840K |
| IC5Staff ML Engineer | 9-14 YOE | $310K | $365K | $60K | $590K - $1.2M |
| IC6Distinguished ML Engineer | 13+ YOE | $360K | $595K | $80K | $810K - $1.8M |
Junior ML IC. Equity at tender price.
Mid-level. Mosaic / foundation-model orgs hire heavily.
Senior IC. Common ladder for engineers from FAANG L5.
Staff IC. Heavy equity component.
Distinguished IC. External hires rare.
Databricks ML engineer / applied scientist tracks the SWE ladder (IC2-IC6). Mosaic ML (acquired 2023) and the foundation-model platform team pay top-of-band. Equity at tender price.
6 rounds. 5 of them can be practised here - each one below links the rep that trains it.
Recruiter screen
30 minutes. Background and team (ML platform, applied ML, or research).
Technical screen
60 minutes. Coding at a Medium-to-Hard bar.
Free rep: Coding challenges with a real sandbox →Onsite: Coding (x2)
60 minutes each. Algorithms and applied coding.
Free rep: Coding challenges with a real sandbox →Onsite: ML fundamentals
60 minutes. Training, evaluation, and your past ML work.
Free rep: Machine learning questions →Onsite: ML system design
60 minutes. Distributed training, serving, feature pipelines, or LLM tooling.
Free rep: Design walkthrough: Design an ML Model Training Pipeline / Platform →Onsite: Hiring manager
45 minutes. Technical depth and values.
Free rep: STAR answers: Truth-Seeking & First Principles (Databricks Culture) →The full Databricks prep pack → what they value, topic emphasis, and the questions candidates ask.
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