Site Reliability Engineer Salary Guide 2024

Site reliability engineering (SRE) is an in-demand field that companies rely on to keep their infrastructure moving so their workflow can operate smoothly. SREs are in high demand because they remove bottlenecks, ensure software reliability, solve complex problems, and can bridge the gap between development and operations in a DevOps organisation.   

In this guide, learn more about the SRE role, the education requirements, the potential salary, and more.

What is a site reliability engineer?

Site reliability engineers use software to address IT issues and keep systems running smoothly. 

SREs are valuable to businesses because they keep systems operational and updated. As an SRE, you’ll keep workflow moving by determining what new features can be launched by examining request latency, availability, error rates, system throughput, and reliability. Site reliability engineers work on project tasks and operations tasks. 

You'll work on automation as a site reliability engineer and minimise service interruptions.  You’ll oversee systems performance, incidents, and outages and be responsible for front-end and back-end systems.

How much does the average site reliability engineer make?

According to AmbitionBox, the average annual salary for a site reliability engineer in India is ₹11,24,477 as of  June 2023 [1]. The average pay range for all levels of experience is ₹4,50,000 to ₹28,00,000. 

Factors that may affect your salary

An SRE’s salary can vary for many reasons, including experience, location, skills, and education.

Level of experience 

Your years of experience can greatly impact your earning potential. Take time during those years of SRE experience to discuss with your supervisors what specialisation and continuing education you need to further your career. Ambition Box lists the following average salaries based on years of experience [1]: 

• 1 to 3 years of experience: ₹8.4L

• 3 to 4 years of experience  ₹9.7L

• 4 to 5 years of experience  ₹10.5L

• 5 to 6 years of experience: ₹12.8L

• 6 to 7 years of experience  ₹14.1L

• 7 to 8 years of experience  ₹15.2L

• 8 to 9 years of experience  ₹16.3L

• 9 to 10 years of experience  ₹17.7L

• 10 to 11 years of experience  ₹18.7L

Location

An SRE’s salary can also vary by location because each city has a different cost of living. The areas that typically offer higher wages are major cities with more expensive living expenses. Larger cities, such as Pune and Coimbatore, pay well above the average annual wage for site reliability engineers, while other cities’ salaries align with AmbitionBox's average. Here are some of the average base salary variations by some of the most populated cities in India, according to Indeed [2]:

• Pune, Mahashtra: ₹13,35,699

• Chennai, Tamil Nadu: ₹13,10,935

• Mumbai, Mahashtra: ₹13,01,638

• Bengaluru, Karnataka:₹12,41,026

• Hyderabad, Telangana: ₹11,85,286

Skill set 

The skills you need for an SRE career include programming and computer languages, but you’ll also need communication and problem-solving skills. You may work as part of a team, so you’ll need to work well with others.

Technical skills include using version control and monitoring tools, distributed computing, strong operating systems knowledge, and coding. The top 10 skills employers are looking for in site reliability engineers are [1]:

1. Python

2. Linux

3. Automation

4. AWS

5. Monitoring

6. DevOps

7. Networking

8. Troubleshooting

9. Docker

10. Kubernetes

Education 

Most employers seek candidates with a bachelor’s degree in computer science or a related field. Knowledge of programming languages and operating systems are attractive skills to have on your resume.

While pursuing your bachelor’s degree, you may also earn an internship to help you gain experience for an entry-level position. You can enhance your education by attending boot camps and earning certificates related to SRE work. 

Where can a site reliability engineer work? 

SREs can work in-house or remotely, offering you the flexibility to earn more working for a large company in a busy city from a lower-cost city. 

You can typically find SRE positions nationwide, and many large corporations hire onsite and remote SREs. Some companies that hire site reliability engineers are:

• Orange Business Services

• Citrix

• Freshworks

• Apple 

• Adobe 

• IBM

• Cisco Systems

• VMWare

• LinkedIn

Career advancements

Pursuing a graduate degree or certification is a good start when seeking to advance your SRE career. You can also transition into closely related fields, including software or DevOps engineering. Developing a speciality can keep your job secure with increased knowledge.

Once you have at least two years of professional experience, you may be able to advance to a senior site reliability engineer. With five to seven years of experience, you might become a lead site reliability engineer. Eight or more years of experience may qualify you for a principal site reliability engineer. According to Glassdoor, the average annual salaries for these job titles in India are [4]:

• Senior site reliability engineer: ₹17L to ₹30L

• Lead site reliability engineer: ₹15L to ₹21L

• Principal site reliability engineer: ₹28L to ₹38L

Next steps 

To become an SRE, be sure to earn a bachelor’s degree; then, you can expand your knowledge with certificate programs. Consider taking Google Cloud's Site Reliability Engineering: Measuring and Managing Reliability course on Coursera, which helps you explore more about the field or build upon your existing knowledge and skills. You might also explore Developing a Google SRE Culture offered by Google Cloud, which you can complete remotely in about eight hours.