The median solutions engineer posting in Chicago at a tech startup offers $216K base, with the middle half between $190K and $226K — from 21 live pay ranges at 7 companies.
| Level | Postings | Median | Middle 50% |
|---|---|---|---|
| Level not stated | 5 | $185K | $185K–$190K |
| Senior | 8 | $216K | $216K–$227K |
| Staff+ | 8 | $212K | $192K–$260K |
| Company | Postings | Median | Middle 50% |
|---|---|---|---|
| Intercom | 5 | $226K | $190K–$228K |
| Databricks | 10 | $216K | $216K–$249K |
| Verkada | 2 | $185K | $185K–$185K |
| Sr. Solutions Architect Databricks |
$219K–$301K |
| Senior Solutions Architect Databricks |
$219K–$301K |
| Sr. Solutions Architect - Retail, Travel & Hospitality Databricks |
$219K–$301K |
| Sr. Forward Deployed Engineer (FDE) - Communications, Media, Entertainment & Games Databricks |
$182K–$250K |
| Sr. Forward Deployed Engineer (FDE) - Healthcare & Life Sciences Databricks |
$182K–$250K |
| Sr. Forward Deployed Engineer (FDE) - Financial Services Databricks |
$182K–$250K |
| Sr. Forward Deployed Engineer (FDE) - Retail Databricks |
$182K–$250K |
| Sr. Forward Deployed Engineer Databricks |
$182K–$250K |
Figures are the midpoint of each pay range published in a job posting (US$, base salary as posted), across open roles at the startups we track, recalculated daily. Postings without a range, interns and contractors are excluded. Updated Oct 23, 2026.