IT Salary Tracker: Senior positions in Silicon Valley

In the second installation of a month-long series of charts on job availabilities in Silicon Valley, we look at senior-level positions in the high-tech haven. Dice.com, Datamation's sister site and an Internet job board for IT professionals, contained 1,146 job listings for senior IT pros in Silicon Valley in April 2000. Senior software engineers were in highest demand, with 526 openings listed.

It should come as no shock that the most prestigious jobs in the IT oasis south of San Francisco Bay are paying on the whole extremely well. However, it is a bit surprising that the high end of salaries and contract rates isn't higher. After all, Silicon Valley being what it is, we expect to be appalled. On the whole, senior managers there make about what they would in New York or San Francisco. The highest salaries in dice.com's listings were for project managers, at an average of $100,500 per year and a maximum of $200,000. Hardware engineers drew the highest average contract rates, at $102 per hour. Maximum contract rates were offered at $140 per hour and went to systems administrators and project managers.

Results are based on averages or totals from the following information at dice.com: job title, job skills, and location. Benefits are not included in compensation listings. Next week: Java positions in Silicon Valley.

--Zach Rodgers

Highest salary by job type (average): Project managers, $100,500 yearly salary

Highest hourly contract rate by job type (average): Hardware engineers, $102 per hour

Top salaries in Silicon Valley: Senior vice president & senior director of network engineering, $200,000 yearly salary

Datamation/dice.com IT Salary Tracker Senior positions in Silicon Valley: salary by job type Source: Datamation/dice.com IT Salary Tracker/April 2000

Datamation/dice.com IT Salary Tracker Senior positions in Silicon Valley: contract rate by job type Source: Datamation/dice.com IT Salary Tracker/April 2000

Datamation/dice.com IT Salary Tracker Senior positions in Silicon Valley: top salaries by job title Source: Datamation/dice.com IT Salary Tracker/April 2000

Chart data compiled by Laurie Souza.