Salary Guide - Build & Maintain Core Systems
Lower band
Suitable for early-career candidates or those gaining experience.
Mid band
Reflects a fully capable, established performer.
Upper band
Reflects highly experienced, high-value talent with specialist capability.
| Role Title | Permanent (Annual base salary*) | Contracting (Daily rate*) | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lower | Mid | Upper | Lower | Mid | Upper | |
| CTO | From | $260,000 | N/A | N/A | N/A | |
| Head of/General Manager | $200,000 | $230,000 | $270,000 | N/A | N/A | N/A |
| Platform Engineer - Mid | $140,000 | $155,000 | $170,000 | $750 | $820 | $900 |
| Platform Engineer - Senior | $165,000 | $180,000 | $200,000 | $900 | $950 | $1,000 |
| Platform Engineer - Lead | $190,000 | $205,000 | $220,000 | $1,000 | $1,100 | $1,200 |
| Platform Engineer - Principal | $210,000 | $230,000 | $250,000 | $1,100 | $1,250 | $1,350 |
| DevOps Engineer - Junior | $90,000 | $105,000 | $110,000 | $550 | $600 | $650 |
| DevOps Engineer - Mid | $120,000 | $140,000 | $160,000 | $700 | $800 | $900 |
| DevOps Engineer - Senior | $155,000 | $175,000 | $185,000 | $900 | $1,050 | $1,150 |
| DevOps Engineer - Lead | $180,000 | $200,000 | $210,000 | $1,100 | $1,200 | $1,280 |
| DevOps Engineer - Principal | $210,000 | $235,000 | $265,000 | $1,300 | $1,450 | $1,600 |
| Cloud Engineer | $110,000 | $130,000 | $140,000 | $700 | $750 | $820 |
| Cloud Engineer - Senior | $140,000 | $160,000 | $170,000 | $850 | $910 | $1,000 |
| Cloud Engineer - Lead | $160,000 | $180,000 | $210,000 | $1,000 | $1,100 | $1,200 |
| Cloud Engineer - Principal | $180,000 | $210,000 | $240,000 | $1,200 | $1,300 | $1,400 |
| Network Engineer | $120,000 | $135,000 | $150,000 | $750 | $830 | $900 |
| Network Engineer - Senior | $145,000 | $165,000 | $185,000 | $900 | $970 | $1,050 |
| Network Engineer - Lead | $170,000 | $195,000 | $210,000 | $1,050 | $1,110 | $1,200 |
| Network Engineer - Principal | $195,000 | $220,000 | $245,000 | $1,200 | $1,400 | $1,500 |
| Network Architect | $180,000 | $210,000 | $230,000 | $1,100 | $1,200 | $1,350 |
| System Engineer | $130,000 | $140,000 | $150,000 | $650 | $730 | $800 |
| System Engineer - Senior | $150,000 | $160,000 | $170,000 | $800 | $880 | $960 |
| System Engineer - Lead | $160,000 | $180,000 | $200,000 | $950 | $1,050 | $1,170 |
| Service Desk (Lvl 1) | $60,000 | $68,000 | $75,000 | $300 | $350 | $400 |
| Service Desk (Lvl 2) | $70,000 | $80,000 | $88,000 | $400 | $450 | $500 |
| System Administrator | $90,000 | $110,000 | $125,000 | $480 | $570 | $680 |
If you are recruiting for or in a role that is not listed here and wish to discuss the market, please do not hesitate to reach out for a friendly, obligation-free conversation.
These figures are designed to cover most of the market; however, anomalies outside these ranges will exist due to factors such as security clearances, niche toolset requirements, on-call loading, and similar considerations.
*Figures exclude superannuation, bonuses, benefits and additional allowances. Figures last updated Jan 2026.
Explore other technology salary guides
Hudson publishes technology salary guides across key technology capability areas, supporting consistent benchmarking of roles, salaries and market trends across the technology workforce.
