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Salesforce Software Engineer Career Ladder

Every level of Salesforce's software engineering ladder from AMTS to PMTS — typical timelines, what changes at each level, why engineers get stuck, and how promotions actually work.

Last updated: 2026-03-23

Level Overview

LevelTitleTypical Years
AMTSAssociate Member of Technical Staff1–3 yr
MTSMember of Technical Staff1.5–2.5+ yr
SMTSSenior Member of Technical Staff2–3.5+ yr
LMTSLead Member of Technical Staff3–5+ yr
PMTSPrincipal Member of Technical Staff4–7+ yr

Promotion Cycle

Frequency

Twice yearly (February and August announcements)

Decision Maker

manager

Manager-driven. Your manager nominates you during the nomination window (November or May), assembles your case with performance data and V2MOM alignment, and presents it to leadership for approval. Promotions are announced to the organization in February and August.

Key Details

  • •Managers nominate in November and May — promotions announced in February and August
  • •V2MOM (Vision, Values, Methods, Obstacles, Measures) alignment is part of the evaluation framework
  • •Performance bonus targets: 10% for AMTS/MTS, 15% for SMTS/LMTS, 20% for PMTS — most engineers receive target
  • •Below LMTS, stock refreshers require an 'Exceed Expectations' rating — meeting expectations alone won't grow your equity
  • •RSUs vest over 4 years with a 1-year cliff, then quarterly — lower than FAANG equivalents at comparable levels
  • •Annual compensation adjustments happen separately in March-April
  • •Cross-team and cross-cloud visibility is a hard requirement for LMTS and above
  • •Fastest known MTS → SMTS promotion: 9 months; fastest SMTS → PMTS: ~18 months — but these are rare outliers
  • •2023 layoffs (~10% of workforce) tightened promotion budgets across the company

AMTS — Associate Member of Technical Staff

Junior / New Grad

Entry point for new grads and early-career engineers. You work on well-scoped tasks within a feature area with guidance from your MTS or SMTS. Your manager and tech lead break down problems for you, and you execute within Salesforce's multi-cloud codebase.

Typical Time at Level

1–3 years (typical: ~1.5 years)

Total Compensation (US)

$155K–$200K (median: $176K)

Source: Levels.fyi

Why Engineers Get Stuck Here

  • •Not ramping up on Salesforce's internal tooling and massive codebase fast enough
  • •Waiting for assignments instead of proactively picking up work
  • •Only taking tasks you already know how to do — staying in your comfort zone
  • •Not asking enough questions early, then struggling silently
  • •Weak communication — doing the work but not surfacing progress or blockers
How to get promoted from AMTS to the next level →

MTS — Member of Technical Staff

Mid-Level

First level of real independence. You own features end-to-end, contribute to design discussions, and work without someone scoping every task. You're expected to understand how your work fits into the broader cloud product and deliver without constant oversight.

Typical Time at Level

1.5–2.5+ years (typical: ~2.5 years)

Total Compensation (US)

$185K–$235K (median: $208K)

Source: Levels.fyi

Why Engineers Get Stuck Here

  • •Doing solid execution but not demonstrating technical leadership — no design docs with your name on them
  • •Impact limited to your immediate team — no visibility beyond your direct manager
  • •Not mentoring AMTS engineers or helping onboard new team members
  • •Avoiding ambiguity — only taking well-defined tasks instead of scoping your own work
  • •Not understanding the broader product architecture beyond your immediate feature area
  • •Below LMTS, stock refreshers require an 'Exceed Expectations' rating — doing 'good enough' work means your comp stagnates
How to get promoted from MTS to the next level →

SMTS — Senior Member of Technical Staff

Senior
Terminal Level

Team-level ownership and technical leadership. You own medium-to-large projects, author design docs, mentor MTS and AMTS engineers, and operate with minimal direction. You're expected to understand cross-team dependencies and drive technical decisions within your cloud. This is the most common level at Salesforce — many engineers spend their entire career here.

Typical Time at Level

2–3.5+ years (typical: ~3.5 years)

Total Compensation (US)

$220K–$280K (median: $248K)

Source: Levels.fyi

Why Engineers Get Stuck Here

  • •Impact limited to a single team — cross-team and cross-cloud visibility is required for LMTS
  • •Not driving projects to completion independently — still relying on your manager to clear blockers
  • •Lack of cross-cloud impact — Salesforce's multi-cloud architecture means you need to show influence beyond your own product
  • •Not demonstrating ownership of large-scope, multi-quarter initiatives
  • •Organizational politics — at LMTS, who knows about your work matters as much as the work itself
  • •Not mentoring SMTS peers or growing the next generation of senior engineers
  • •Promotion budget tightened after 2023 layoffs — fewer slots available even for qualified candidates
How to get promoted from SMTS to the next level →

LMTS — Lead Member of Technical Staff

Staff
Terminal Level

Cross-team and cross-cloud scope. You drive technical direction across multiple teams, own multi-quarter initiatives, and influence architecture decisions beyond your immediate product area. You're expected to represent your cloud's technical vision and grow SMTS-level engineers into future leads.

Typical Time at Level

3–5+ years (typical: ~5 years)

Total Compensation (US)

$297K–$352K (median: $314K)

Source: Levels.fyi

Why Engineers Get Stuck Here

  • •Scope limited to a single cloud or product area — PMTS requires org-wide influence
  • •Not influencing technical direction at the organizational level
  • •Lack of external visibility — no conference talks, blog posts, or industry recognition
  • •Not mentoring and growing SMTS-level engineers into leads
  • •Insufficient track record of sustained multi-quarter, cross-cloud impact
  • •VP-level visibility into your work is limited — leadership doesn't know your name

PMTS — Principal Member of Technical Staff

Principal / Senior Staff
Terminal Level

Organization-wide scope. You define technical strategy across multiple clouds, drive company-wide initiatives, and are recognized as a domain authority within Salesforce. Very few ICs reach this level — it requires sustained, visible impact over many years and strong VP-level sponsorship.

Typical Time at Level

4–7+ years (typical: ~7 years)

Total Compensation (US)

$370K–$460K (median: $408K)

Source: Levels.fyi

Why Engineers Get Stuck Here

  • •Impact not visible at the VP or SVP level
  • •Requires industry-level recognition and external thought leadership
  • •Must demonstrate sustained company-wide technical impact over multiple years

Additional Context

Salesforce uses the V2MOM framework (Vision, Values, Methods, Obstacles, Measures), created by Marc Benioff, as its strategic planning and performance alignment tool — from CEO level down to individual ICs. The MTS naming convention (Member of Technical Staff) is inherited from Bell Labs tradition. Salesforce's multi-cloud architecture (Sales Cloud, Service Cloud, Marketing Cloud, Commerce Cloud, etc.) means cross-cloud impact is a key differentiator at senior levels. The 2023 layoffs tightened budgets and slowed promotions, though the cycle has normalized. SMTS is the most common terminal level, roughly equivalent to a solid mid-career engineer at other large tech companies.

Data sourced from Team Blind (verified Salesforce employees), Levels.fyi, TeamRora, TheSalaryNegotiator, and Salesforce career pages. Compensation figures from Levels.fyi. Last verified March 2026.