Compare profiles
Side-by-side leveling, scope, and market pay. Add up to four via ?keys=SWE.GEN.P5,SWE.GEN.P6.
| vs | P6 IPE.GEN.P6 Principal Platform Architect (Senior Principal/Distinguished Engineer) | P5 IPE.GEN.P5 Expert Platform Engineer (Principal Engineer) | P4 IPE.GEN.P4 Advanced Platform Engineer (Staff Engineer) | P3 IPE.GEN.P3 Career Level Platform Engineer (Senior Engineer) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Market pay | — | — | — | — |
| Level | P6 · P6 — Principal Professional | P5 · P5 — Expert Professional | P4 · P4 — Senior Professional | P3 · P3 — Mid-Level Professional |
| Function | Infrastructure and Platform Engineering | Infrastructure and Platform Engineering | Infrastructure and Platform Engineering | Infrastructure and Platform Engineering |
| Focus | General | General | General | General |
| Typical years | 12–18 | 8–12 | 5–8 | 3–5 |
| Scope | Organization-wide architecture and the hardest problems | Multiple systems or a technical domain | A system or set of related features | Features or a sub-system end-to-end |
| Autonomy | Defines direction; minimal oversight | Sets direction within the domain | Self-directed; reviewed at critical decision points | Works independently on standard work; reviewed on the non-standard |
| Impact | Organization-wide | Org / multi-team outcomes | Multi-team / function outcomes | Project / team outcomes |
| Decision rights | Sets technical strategy for a major area | Authority over a technical domain | Owns technical decisions for a system; influences adjacent design | Owns implementation decisions for own scope |