Skip to content
BuildList

Mechanical & Physical Systems salaries

What companies building the future pay, straight from their own job postings.

2,065 openings with posted pay · Updated Oct 30, 2026

Browse jobs
On this page

Find high-paying roles

Sorted by top of posted range

Mechanical & Physical Systems

2,065 matching openings with posted pay
1
Vice President, Matter Compiler Engineering

Atomic Machines · Emeryville, CA · Executive

$350k–$500k / year
2
Staff Mechanical Engineer - Data Center Cooling

Lambda · San Francisco, CA · Staff / Principal

$349k–$465k / year
3
Staff Mechanical Engineer

Lambda · San Francisco, CA · Staff / Principal

$314k–$465k / year
4
Mechanical Engineer, Hardware Systems

OpenAI · San Francisco, CA · Senior

$266k–$455k / year
5
Mechanical Engineer, PCBA Test Infrastructure, Robotics

OpenAI · San Francisco, CA · Senior

$318k–$423k / year
6
Senior Field Engineer, Data Center Design and Engineering

Anthropic · Remote · Senior

$320k–$405k / year
7
Data Center Architect, CSA

Anthropic · Remote · Staff / Principal

$320k–$405k / year
8
Data Center Mechanical Engineer

Anthropic · Remote · Senior

$320k–$405k / year

Median base salary

$160k

2,065 openings with posted pay

Typical range

$130k–$188k

25th to 75th percentile

Across all 26,267 openings with posted pay, the median is $175k. Annual base salary. Equity and bonus excluded. Methodology

Mechanical & Physical Systems by sector

Bar shows 25th to 75th percentile

Compute & Semiconductors108 openings
Typical range $157k–$222k
$187k
Robotics66 openings
Typical range $150k–$209k
$183k

Mechanical & Physical Systems by location

Bar shows 25th to 75th percentile

Washington, D.C.148 openings
Typical range $155k–$217k
$190k

By role

All openings · Bar shows 25th to 75th percentile

AI & Autonomy1,577 openings
Typical range $180k–$283k
$230k
Software & Data3,863 openings
Typical range $171k–$256k
$214k
Infrastructure, IT, & Security2,254 openings
Typical range $160k–$250k
$200k
Product, Programs, & Systems2,170 openings
Typical range $162k–$238k
$195k
Business Development & Customer Ops3,367 openings
Typical range $135k–$248k
$185k
Marketing & Design1,040 openings
Typical range $150k–$225k
$184k
Electrical & Firmware2,224 openings
Typical range $146k–$216k
$177k
Finance, Legal, & Compliance1,361 openings
Typical range $128k–$228k
$170k
Mechanical & Physical Systems2,065 openings
Typical range $130k–$188k
$160k
Business & People Operations1,410 openings
Typical range $113k–$183k
$148k
Supply Chain & Procurement973 openings
Typical range $110k–$180k
$145k
Test, Quality, & Reliability2,252 openings
Typical range $98k–$176k
$140k
Manufacturing & Production1,711 openings
Typical range $79k–$154k
$115k

Methodology

All figures come from salary ranges companies publish on their own job postings, pulled from their applicant tracking systems hourly. Nothing is self-reported or estimated.

Pay in other currencies is converted at fixed recent exchange rates. Hourly, weekly, and monthly pay is annualized. Everything is base salary only. Equity and bonus are excluded because postings rarely quantify them.

Stats are medians and quartiles of each posting's range midpoint, weighted by open roles. Groups with fewer than 30 openings (8 for a single company) are not shown.

Numbers reflect currently open roles, not historical offers. About 56% of tracked openings post pay. US pay-transparency laws drive most disclosure, so coverage skews to US roles. Explore hiring patterns in the hiring report.

Frequently asked questions

What is the median salary at companies building the future?
The median posted base salary is $175k per year, across 26,267 live openings at 530 companies. The middle half of postings falls between $135k and $225k.
Which startup roles pay the most?
AI & Autonomy roles lead at a $230k median, followed by Software & Data ($214k) and Infrastructure, IT, & Security ($200k), based on the ranges companies post on live openings.
Which companies building the future pay the highest salaries?
MatX tops the list with a $394k median posted base salary, ahead of Aaru ($353k) and Anthropic ($345k), among companies with eight or more openings that post pay.
Do startup job postings include salary?
About 56% of the openings BuildList tracks post a pay range. Disclosure is highest at US companies covered by pay-transparency laws, so coverage skews to US roles.
Where does this salary data come from?
From the pay ranges companies publish on their own job postings, pulled hourly from their applicant tracking systems and normalized to annual base salary. Equity and bonus are excluded. Nothing is self-reported or estimated.

These numbers come from 26,267 live openings. Browse the roles behind them.

Browse JobsGet Weekly Jobs