Engineering Manager Salary at Startups
What startups pay engineering managers, from the pay their live postings state: base salary as the employer writes it, on roles still taking applications.
257 of 678 live roles state payChecked dailyUpdated
Median base pay
$239Ka year
The median of 226 live engineering manager postings that state pay in US dollars, as of October 2026. Each posting counts at the middle of its range.
- Middle half of postings
- $200K–$270K
- One in ten pays over
- $313K
- A typical posted range
- $203K–$265K
- Under $160K: 17 postings
- $160K–$180K: 12 postings
- $180K–$200K: 24 postings
- $200K–$220K: 36 postings
- $220K–$240K: 28 postings
- $240K–$260K: 33 postings
- $260K–$280K: 30 postings
- $280K–$300K: 19 postings
- $300K–$320K: 10 postings
- $320K–$340K: 4 postings
- $340K–$360K: 5 postings
- $360K and up: 8 postings
By level
As the title states it: "Senior", "Staff" and so on. Mid-level is a title with no level in it.
MedianMiddle half10th to 90th percentile
- Mid-level$228K$190K–$263K · 164 postings
- Senior$248K$218K–$279K · 40 postings
- Director or head of$265K$227K–$289K · 20 postings
By city
Each in the currency its postings use. Pounds, euros and Canadian dollars aren't converted.
MedianMiddle half10th to 90th percentile
- Remote$223K$198K–$260K · 118 postings
- San Francisco$281K$247K–$320K · 27 postings
- New York$255K$226K–$287K · 31 postings
Who pays the most
Companies with at least three live engineering manager postings stating pay, by their median.
MedianMiddle half10th to 90th percentile
- Anthropic$445K$445K · 6 postings
- Harvey$314K$314K–$323K · 4 postings
- Discord$292K$287K–$306K · 4 postings
- Mercury$269K$247K–$269K · 3 postings
- Brex$266K$263K–$270K · 4 postings
- Justworks$243K$243K · 3 postings
- True Anomaly$228K$216K–$244K · 3 postings
- Twitch$218K$218K · 5 postings
- Fanatics$214K$214K · 5 postings
- Anduril Industries$210K$190K–$216K · 3 postings
Find the ones that fit you
Paste your LinkedIn. Antijob finds startup roles posted today and writes you a short, tailored email to the person who can hire you.
Common questions
How much does an engineering manager make at a startup?
As of October 2026, the median base pay startups advertise for engineering managers is $239K a year, across 226 live postings that state it in US dollars. The middle half of those postings pay between $200K and $270K, and one in ten pays over $313K.
How much does a senior engineering manager make at a startup?
Postings with "senior" in the title have a median of $248K a year, across 40 of them, against $228K for titles that state no level. The middle half pay $218K–$279K.
Which companies pay engineering managers the most?
Among companies with at least three live postings stating pay, the highest medians are at Anthropic ($445K), Harvey ($314K), Discord ($292K) and Mercury ($269K).
Where do engineering managers earn the most?
San Francisco, with a median of $281K a year across 27 postings, against $223K for remote roles.
Does an engineering manager at a startup get equity?
Often, though few postings say how much: 50% of the 812 engineering manager postings we've read mention equity. The figures on this page are base pay only.
Where do these figures come from?
From the postings themselves: the pay range each employer states, on roles still taking applications, which we check against the company's own careers page every day. Each posting counts once, at the middle of its range. Postings that don't state pay, and pay in other currencies, are left out of the main figures.