Senior Data Engineer Salary in Dresden (2026)
Senior data engineers in Dresden earn €78,000–€102,000 per year, with a median of €85,000. At this level, you architect the data infrastructure that powers Europe's largest semiconductor cluster — Infineon's yield analytics, GlobalFoundries' real-time fab monitoring, and Bosch's IoT manufacturing intelligence. The purchasing power at €85K in Dresden matches €110K+ in Munich.
Key Facts
- Senior data engineers earn €78K–€102K with median of €85K
- Lead/Staff roles at Infineon/GlobalFoundries reach €88K–€102K
- Data Architect/Head roles reach €95K–€115K+
- Semiconductor data architecture is the highest-value specialization
- Purchasing power at €85K matches €110K+ in Munich
Salary by Sub-Level
- Senior (5–8 years): €78,000–€88,000
- Lead/Staff (8–12 years): €88,000–€102,000
- Data Architect/Head (12+ years): €95,000–€115,000+
Architecture-Level Responsibilities
Senior data engineers in Dresden design enterprise data platforms for high-stakes semiconductor manufacturing. Infineon's data architecture must handle real-time processing of millions of sensor data points per day with strict latency requirements. GlobalFoundries' manufacturing data platform integrates equipment monitoring, process control metrics, and quality analytics into unified platforms. These architectures require both engineering depth and deep domain understanding.
The Semiconductor Data Architecture Premium
Senior engineers who can design end-to-end data architectures for semiconductor manufacturing — combining real-time streaming, time-series processing, yield analytics, and predictive maintenance pipelines — are Dresden's most sought-after data professionals. This combination of skills is globally scarce and commands the top of the salary range.
Hybrid Cloud-Fab Architecture
The unique challenge in Dresden: fab data often has security, compliance, or latency requirements that prevent cloud-only architectures. Senior data engineers must design systems that seamlessly bridge on-premises fab infrastructure with cloud analytics, creating architectures that are secure, performant, and maintainable. This hybrid expertise is Dresden's distinctive senior data engineering requirement.
Top Hiring Companies
Career Advice
At senior level, shift from building pipelines to architecting semiconductor data platforms. Deep Kafka, streaming, and time-series architecture expertise is your highest-value skill in Dresden. Combine it with semiconductor manufacturing data modeling to become indispensable. Infineon and GlobalFoundries offer the strongest compensation and most complex data architecture challenges. The ESMC greenfield data infrastructure build is a career-defining opportunity for senior data engineers.
Senior Data Engineer Insights — Dresden
Senior Data Engineer salaries in Dresden range from €78,000 to €102,000, a relatively tight 28% range suggesting standardized compensation for this role. The median of €85,000 sits below the midpoint, suggesting more positions cluster toward the entry-to-mid-level end of the range.
Dresden's cost of living index of 66/100 represents moderate living costs. At a median salary of €85,000, senior data engineer professionals here enjoy solid purchasing power relative to higher-cost tech hubs.
The hiring landscape for senior data engineer in Dresden is anchored by employers like Infineon, GlobalFoundries, and Bosch, along with 2 other notable employers. These employers offer competitive packages that generally align with market rates, with differentiation coming through benefits, growth opportunities, and work flexibility.
Demand for senior data engineer in Dresden centers around expertise in Data Architecture, Apache Kafka, Cloud Data Platforms, plus 2 other core competencies. Candidates with strong proficiency across these areas tend to command offers closer to the €102,000 ceiling, and have natural transition paths into roles like Data Engineer or Data Architect.
Related Roles in Dresden
Explore salary information for similar positions and compare compensation across different roles.
| Role | Location | Salary Range | Median |
|---|---|---|---|
| Senior DevOps Engineer | Dresden | €78,000 - €105,000 | €88,000 |
| Senior Product Manager | Dresden | €72,000 - €95,000 | €80,000 |
| Senior ML Engineer | Dresden | €82,000 - €110,000 | €92,000 |
| Senior Software Engineer | Dresden | €78,000 - €100,000 | €86,000 |
| Senior Data Scientist | Dresden | €75,000 - €98,000 | €83,000 |
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Frequently Asked Questions
What does a senior data engineer earn in Dresden?
Senior data engineers earn €78,000–€102,000 base with a median of €85,000. Lead/Staff roles at semiconductor companies earn €88,000–€102,000. Data Architect and Head of Data Engineering positions reach €95,000–€115,000+. After Dresden's low housing costs, purchasing power matches €110,000–€140,000 in Munich.
How does the path from data engineer to data architect work in Dresden?
Typical progression: Data Engineer (€50K–€73K, 2–5 years) → Senior Data Engineer (€78K–€88K, 5–8 years) → Lead/Staff (€88K–€102K, 8–12 years) → Data Architect or Head (€95K–€115K+, 12+ years). Key transition: shifting from individual pipelines to enterprise platform architecture. Semiconductor manufacturing domain expertise accelerates this path significantly.
Is streaming architecture (Kafka) essential for senior data engineers in Dresden?
Yes. Semiconductor manufacturing generates continuous real-time data that must be processed with minimal latency. Kafka is the standard tool for streaming manufacturing data at Infineon, GlobalFoundries, and Bosch. Senior data engineers without streaming expertise are limited to a smaller set of roles. Deep Kafka knowledge combined with time-series database expertise is the highest-leverage skill investment for Dresden data engineers.
Can I reach €100K as a data engineer in Dresden?
Yes, at Lead/Staff or Head level. Lead/Staff data engineers at Infineon or GlobalFoundries reach €88K–€102K. Head of Data Engineering and Data Architect roles approach €95K–€115K+. The ESMC (TSMC) fab will offer competitive data infrastructure roles. Contracting (€80–€110/hour) is another route to €100K+ effective compensation.
What distinguishes Dresden data engineering from other German cities?
The semiconductor manufacturing context is unique. Dresden data engineers work with high-frequency sensor data, time-series at massive scale, real-time quality control pipelines, and hybrid cloud-fab architectures. This creates globally differentiated expertise — there are very few places in the world where you can build this specific skill set. Berlin and Munich offer breadth; Dresden offers depth in a globally strategic industry.
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