Posting what I know about Jane Street senior engineer compensation 2026 because the data is sparse and most posts conflate levels or are years old.
Context: I received an offer in early 2026 for a senior SWE role (roughly equivalent to L5/E5 at big tech), NYC-based, systems/trading infrastructure team.
Base: around $250k. Higher than most big tech senior roles but the structure is different from what you're used to.
Bonus: this is the main variable. Jane Street pays a year-end discretionary bonus that historically has been substantial. For senior roles in 2025/2026 I've heard 50-100%+ of base, depending on firm performance and individual contribution. Mine was communicated as 'target' around 70% of base but stated very explicitly as discretionary. They mean it. If it's a bad year, it's a bad year.
Equity: Jane Street is not public and does not have a traditional RSU grant. Instead, senior and above roles have an opportunity to participate in firm profits through the bonus structure. There is no equity vesting cliff in the FAANG sense. This changes the math a lot when you're comparing offers.
Total comp estimate: base + target bonus lands around $425-$500k total. In a strong firm year, senior people have cleared higher. In a weaker year it compresses.
vs FAANG comparison: a Google/Meta L5 in NYC with RSUs is often comping to $400-500k TC as well, but with RSU vesting protection. JS upside is real in good years but you carry more variance. That's the core tradeoff.
I ended up not taking the JS offer. Not comp-related, just the role scope. Happy to answer questions.