AI Engineer (Grad Rotation) Negotiating salary based on mid-level architectural impact?
Hi all,
I’m currently in the first rotation of a graduate program at a major Australian bank. I’ve been heavily involved in our AI roadmap and have been given significant autonomy. I’ve just been offered a permanent role on the team, but I’m struggling to reconcile the offer with the actual technical complexity and impact of the work I’ve delivered.
The Context:
Role: AI Engineer.
Current Offer: ~$95k base + super + bonus.
Market Context: Standard grad roll-offs at the firm are tracking at a ~$110k.
My Achievements (First Rotation):
I haven't been doing standard "grad" tasks. I’ve architected an autonomous multi-agent framework that is currently integrated into our data governance compliance pipelines.
The Workflow: I’ve leveraged tools like GitHub Copilot as force multipliers, allowing me to ship production-grade architecture at a velocity that would typically require senior-level oversight.
The Architecture: The system functions as a live reasoning engine, it handles context retrieval via custom RAG pipelines, autonomously resolves data discrepancies, and de-risks our production deployments by validating them against strict internal security schemas.
The Impact: This work has moved past "prototype" into our core production strategy. It’s received direct visibility from GM/CIO-level leadership and was featured in a recent town hall.
The Dilemma, Junior vs. Mid-Level Definitions:
According to current industry benchmarks, here is how the roles are defined:
Junior/Entry-Level (0–2 years): Typically focuses on learning and execution, such as cleaning data, prototyping models, and implementing algorithms under the watch of more senior team members. The salary range for this tier is $80,000 to $120,000.
Mid-Level (3–5 years): This professional takes ownership of entire features or model pipelines. They are responsible for translating business problems into technical solutions and solving tough challenges without constant oversight. The salary range for this tier is $120,000 to $170,000.
Why I fit the Mid-Level Tier:
My output aligns with the mid-level definition because I have moved beyond "executing tasks" into taking full ownership of entire model pipelines. I am autonomously translating business problems (like our governance compliance bottleneck) into production-ready technical solutions without needing constant oversight.
I am pushing to negotiate for a $115k base salary. My reasoning is that I’m fully committed to this team and the roadmap we’re executing. I don't want to just optimize for today; I’m planning to stay here long-term. Establishing a fair, market-aligned base salary now is crucial, as I don’t want to feel underpaid as the complexity of my work scales up and I take on even more technical ownership.
My Questions:
Is a $115k base reasonable for a grad who is operating at a mid-level impact, or am I overvaluing "impact" vs. "tenure" in a big bank?
If HR is rigid on the "grad tier" base salary (the $95k range), what are the best workarounds to bridge the gap? (e.g., specific sign-on bonus structures, formal 6-month review clauses with a salary floor?)
TL;DR: I’m a first-rotation grad who architected a production-grade autonomous agent framework. I’ve been offered $95k base, but my work aligns with mid-level engineering (which ranges from $120k–$170k per the AI Jobs Australia benchmark). I want $115k to reflect this output and ensure long-term pay fairness as I scale my technical ownership. Is this a realistic ask?