Morgan Stanley Data Engineer Salary by Level

Morgan Stanley data engineer compensation by level, from individual interview and offer reports. The numbers update as more reports land, so they stay current and data-engineer-specific rather than the generic software-engineer bands most pages quote.

Last updated: Proudly published by: Jeff Wahl
$209K
Senior median TC
35
Reports in the pool
4
Levels with data
L4
Typical entry level

Data engineer total comp by level

Each level's figure is the median of individual Morgan Stanley data engineer offers at that level, so it reflects a typical outcome rather than an average pulled up by a few large packages. Total comp counts base salary plus equity and bonus annualized over the vest, and the range shown is the middle half of offers, with the top and bottom quarters trimmed off. These are data-engineer figures specifically, which run below the all-software-engineer bands most comp sites quote at the same level.

L3Entry$109Kmedian
Base$105KRange$106K–$118KReports6 · 0-2 yrsMorgan Stanley loop
L4Mid$175Kmedian
Base$175KRange$143K–$188KReports11 · 2-5 yrsMorgan Stanley loop
L5Senior$209Kmedian
Base$179KRange$193K–$227KReports15 · 5-10 yrsMorgan Stanley loop
L7Principal$210Kmedian
Base$170KRange$210K–$245KReports3 · 12+ yrsMorgan Stanley loop
Updated 35 verified salary reports

Every Morgan Stanley comp sample on record

One dot per reported offer, plotted against years of experience and colored by level. Toggle levels or switch between total comp and base. The spread is the honest picture the medians summarize.

Updated 33 Morgan Stanley comp samples
33 plotted

Culture and sentiment at Morgan Stanley

What the offer feels like from the inside, not just the number. Glassdoor and forum readings plus happiness and layoff-risk signals, updated as new data lands.

Glassdoor
3.9
overall rating
Blind sentiment
mixed
employee forum tone
Employee happiness
Neutral
data engineers
Layoff risk
Low
signal: structured_branch
Updated 4 Morgan Stanley signals

Glassdoor and forum readings are third-party aggregates; the happiness and layoff-risk tiers are modeled weekly from primary signals.

How the offer level (and the comp curve) is decided

Your level is set during the loop, before team match. The band widens with seniority, so the same performance lands very different comp depending on which curve you get placed on.

100%

Recruiter calibration

before the loop

The recruiter sets a target level from your experience and project scope, and shares a band. The band is a bracket, not the offer.

60%

Interview loop

coding · modeling · design · behavioral

Performance sets your final level. Strong rounds bump you a level; a weak round drops you. This is where the comp curve is decided.

34%

Debrief / committee

level call

Interviewers compare notes and set level and band. Consistency across rounds matters as much as any single strong one.

21%

Offer + negotiation

band is set, equity flexes

Base, bonus, equity, and sign-on are visible. Equity usually has the widest band and is the main lever; a written competing offer moves it most.

bar height = candidates still in the running = stage where the most people are cut

Reading the equity, not just the headline number

The most misread part of a big-tech offer is the equity curve. A multi-year RSU grant is not a flat annual number, and what you negotiate should account for how it vests and refreshes.

Equity

Your offer includes a 4-year RSU grant worth $240K. What is your equity income in Year 4, and what should you actually negotiate?

What earns the signal

Works out the vest: roughly $60K/yr if it vests evenly, and recognizes the original grant ends after 4 years, so without refreshers equity income drops in Year 4-5.

Negotiates the equity grant and the refresher expectation, not just base, and notes the grant is fixed in shares at signing so the dollar value floats with the stock.

knows the vestexpects the cliffnegotiates equity
What sinks it

Assumes the RSU value is a fixed cash amount that continues forever, and negotiates only base.

Ignores refreshers and stock movement, so the Year-4 drop is a surprise.

treats RSU as cashignores refreshersbase-only
The equity line is where the real money and the real negotiation are

How Morgan Stanley pay splits: base, bonus, equity

The composition behind each level's total comp, from individual offer reports. Equity is the lever that grows with seniority.

BaseBonusEquity
Entry
$105K
$118K
Mid
$175K
$200K
Senior
$179K
$211K
Principal
$170K$40K
$210K

Median base, bonus, and annualized equity per level from individual Morgan Stanley offer reports. The equity share climbs sharply at senior levels. the headline total moves with the stock, not the base.

Updated Morgan Stanley offer reports

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