Currently in the team match phase. I was told upfront (prior to loop) about this being an L6 SDM - this is a major downgrade from my current scope (4 teams, 25+ ppl) yet I went forward for interview practice and with the hope they would see some L7 potential. I need some datapoints from Amazonians to decide if this is worth my time. Location: Bay Area 1. How is the WLB in the retail org? 2. Which group should I join for the best opportunity at rapid career growth - retail, Alexa, AWS, or something else? 3. Are there teams / groups that need L6 SDMs to lead other managers? 4. What would be a theoretical max offer I can expect? Will asking $750k be considered crazy on my part? Is there a cap on the # of RSUs granted? 5. I understand there are no "benefits". Is there a bonus %? 6. How are refreshers granted at Amazon? My priorities are reasonable WLB (up to 55 hrs / week), and fast growth. Career growth is a major reason for exploring opportunities. Offer pending, no new TC. Current TC: ~ $600k (stonks)
Recruiter screwed you by having you interview for L6 sdm. Upleveling in loops almost never happens, though I see downlevels a lot. 1) super team dependent, I know people who work 80hrs and I know people who work 20 hrs (as L6 sdms) 2) everything has rapid growth, aws will be the best if you are looking for L7 asap but Amazon internal promo process isn't worth it. It will take you min 1.5y to make L7 and that is very fast. L6 SDM is career level for a lot of people 3) I frequently see L6 sdms leading other L6 sdms, but as a general rule YOU have to build up your org. No one will put an L6 sdm in charge of multiple pre existing teams. But generally you need to manage 2 or 3 teams to get the L7 promo 4) new TC band for L6 sdm in bay area caps at about 575k without needing an exception. with an exception it can go to almost 700k (but your HM must really want you) 5) no bonus 6) refreshers at Amazon are to keep you at your TC target. But they assume a 15% growth yoy
Thank you for the detailed response! I have sucked at interviews in the past so was only happy to get the opportunity to interview. Not a good idea in hindsight. Couple of follow up questions: 7. How easy is it to get approvals for team expansion with a good business case? How about internal acquisitions / consolidation? I have mostly grown teams the latter way. 8. My recruiter and client partner are both retail. Can I ask for team matches on AWS at this stage?
Very easy to get approval for team expansion if you have a business case. Many directors want to expand their org and many teams are always hiring
Easy to change teams once you are in. Recruiter works for a certain org, and might not have visibility into the expectations/scope of other roles.
Along those lines, how common is up leveling as part of an internal change? Can I go from L6 to L7 during an internal change (assuming interview process etc.)
You can’t get up leveled at internal transfer. it almost never happens. Also keep in mind changing teams usually means resetting your promo timeline unless the HM knows you well.
Hiring L6 SDM at SF. You will have 7-10 HC next year. My team’s HC overall has been growing at 50% for two consecutive years. DM me if interested.
Would you’re team do better TC than OP’s current?
You still hiring SDM’s?
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I can speak for a few of your questions: #2 AWS on average tends to have the most growth opportunity. It surely varies team by team. #3 it’s really rare that a newly hired L6 SDM go have another manger reporting to him/her. If the scope is the concern you should only interview for L7 position #4 $750k is only possible for L7 role Rest questions are widely available by a quick search in Blind.
Thanks! Since I already cleared the (previously agreed) L6 loop, is it too late to ask to be reconsidered for L7 if I do not find a good team match?
Not 100% sure, but I suspect it’s too late to negotiate to up level, since the interview setup for L7 is significantly different than L6.