Data Engineer — Recorded Future Salary Negotiation Guide
Negotiation DNA: Data Engineers at Recorded Future build the data pipelines that collect, process, and enrich billions of data points from the open web, dark web, and technical sources — powering the world's largest threat intelligence platform.
Compensation Benchmarks (2026)
| Level | Somerville/Boston (USD) | Remote US (USD) | Gothenburg (SEK) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mid (L3-L4) | $153,000–$213,000 | $138,000–$198,000 | kr565,000–kr765,000 |
| Senior (L5) | $210,000–$278,000 | $195,000–$263,000 | kr765,000–kr1,050,000 |
| Staff+ (L6+) | $275,000–$348,000 | $258,000–$330,000 | kr1,025,000–kr1,370,000 |
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Negotiation DNA — Why This Role Commands a Premium at Recorded Future
Data Engineers at Recorded Future build collection and processing pipelines for one of the most diverse data collection operations in cybersecurity. Sources include open web, dark web marketplaces, paste sites, code repositories, technical feeds, and more. Under Mastercard ownership ($2.65B), data infrastructure investment is expanding.
Lever 1: Multi-Source Data Collection
"Recorded Future collects from the broadest range of intelligence sources in the industry. I bring experience building reliable collection pipelines for diverse, often unreliable data sources — the foundational data engineering challenge."
Lever 2: Intelligence Data Processing
"Transforming raw collected data into structured intelligence requires sophisticated processing pipelines. My ETL and data quality expertise ensures high-fidelity intelligence output."
Lever 3: Scale Under Mastercard
"Mastercard's acquisition drives data volume expansion. I build the infrastructure that scales data processing to meet increasing demand from Mastercard's global customer base."
Lever 4: Dark Web Collection Expertise
"Dark web data collection requires specialized engineering — Tor integration, forum monitoring, and marketplace tracking. This rare expertise directly supports Recorded Future's unique intelligence capabilities."
Negotiate Up Strategy: Open at $168,000 base with equity/bonus valued at $50K-$70K/year. Accept-at floor: $223,000 total comp. Cite multi-source collection expertise and Mastercard scale expansion.
Evidence & Sources
- Mastercard acquisition of Recorded Future — $2.65B, 2024
- Recorded Future data collection methodology — 2025–2026
- Levels.fyi Recorded Future 2025–2026 compensation data
- Glassdoor Recorded Future salary data 2025–2026
- Data Engineer compensation benchmarks, Boston market — 2025–2026
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