Security engineer salaries in the UK and US (2026)
Security people who can read code and fix what they find are scarce, and priced like it. Here’s the 2026 picture for startups.
Updated November 2026. All figures are drafts pending Jono’s sign-off.
United Kingdom.
Base salary for permanent hires at venture-backed startups. London, then the rest of the UK.
| Level | London | Rest of UK |
|---|---|---|
| Junior (0-2 yrs) | £45k-£60k | £35k-£50k |
| Mid-level (2-4 yrs) | £65k-£85k | £52k-£70k |
| Senior (5+ yrs) | £85k-£115k | £70k-£95k |
| Staff / lead | £110k-£145k | £90k-£115k |
| Head of Security | £130k-£180k | £105k-£145k |
United States.
Base salary. San Francisco and New York, then everywhere else, including remote.
| Level | SF / NY | Other US and remote |
|---|---|---|
| Junior (0-2 yrs) | $125k-$155k | $105k-$135k |
| Mid-level (2-4 yrs) | $155k-$195k | $130k-$165k |
| Senior (5+ yrs) | $190k-$245k | $160k-$205k |
| Staff / lead | $235k-$295k | $195k-$245k |
| Head of Security | $250k-$340k | $210k-$285k |
Typical option grants.
For a mid-level or senior hire, as a percentage of the company.
- Seed
- 0.2%-0.7%
- Series A
- 0.05%-0.3%
- Series B+
- 0.02%-0.12%
What moves the number.
- 01Engineering depth. Security engineers who write code earn more than those who write policy.
- 02Cloud expertise. Real depth on your cloud carries a premium.
- 03Audit experience. Having led a SOC 2 or ISO 27001 audit adds to the number.
- 04Incident ownership. Being on the hook when things go wrong is paid for.
If you’re hiring one.
- Be clear whether you need an engineer or a compliance lead. Same budget line, different person.
- Your earliest security hire sets the culture. Hire someone engineers like working with.
- Expect regulated sectors like fintech and health to pay more.
Ranges are typical, not limits. A great candidate in a hot market can sit above them.