Software Engineering Salaries in Queensland
A Senior Software Engineer in Queensland earns $140k to $175k base salary a year before super, or $850 to $1,100 a day on contract.
Below are all 21 Software Engineering roles in the 2026-27 guide, from Test Analyst to Chief Technology Officer. The bands are for roles in Brisbane and across Queensland.
Check your salary against the guide21 Roles, Base Salary and Day Rate
| Role | Band on a shared scale from $60k to $340k | Base salary | Contract day rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| Leadership and architecture | |||
| Chief Technology Officer | Also called CTO. | $235k to $335k | $1,450 to $2,050 |
| Head of Engineering | Also called Software Engineering Director. | $180k to $260k | No contract rate in the guide |
| Enterprise Architect | Common stacks: TOGAF, ArchiMate. | $170k to $240k | $1,050 to $1,400 |
| Engineering Manager | Also called Software Development Manager, Software Engineering Manager and Development Manager. | $155k to $220k | No contract rate in the guide |
| Solution Architect | Also called Solutions Architect, Enterprise Solutions Architect, Software Architect and API Architect. Common stacks: Azure, AWS, TOGAF. | $150k to $200k | $1,000 to $1,150 |
| Engineering Lead | Also called Technical Lead, Technical Team Lead, Software Development Team Lead and Lead Full Stack Developer. Common stacks: .NET, Java, TypeScript, AWS, Azure. | $150k to $185k | $1,000 to $1,350 |
| Core engineering | |||
| Principal Engineer | Also called Principal Software Engineer. Common stacks: .NET, Java, Python, AWS, Azure, Kubernetes. | $170k to $210k | No contract rate in the guide |
| Senior Software Engineer | Also called Senior Developer, Senior .NET Developer, Senior Java Developer and Senior Python Developer. Common stacks: .NET, Java, Python, TypeScript, AWS, Azure. | $140k to $175k | $850 to $1,100 |
| Software Engineer | Also called Software Developer, .NET Developer, Java Developer and PHP Developer. Common stacks: .NET, Java, Python, TypeScript, AWS, Azure. | $95k to $120k | $750 to $900 |
| Front-end, back-end and full stack | |||
| Back-End Developer | Also called Backend Developer and Node.js Developer. Common stacks: .NET, Java, Node.js, Python, SQL, AWS. | $100k to $160k | $750 to $1,100 |
| Full Stack Developer | Also called Full Stack Engineer and Full Stack JavaScript Developer. Common stacks: JavaScript, TypeScript, React, Node.js, .NET, AWS. | $110k to $155k | $800 to $1,100 |
| Front-End Developer | Also called Front End Engineer, React Developer and Front End Web Developer. Common stacks: JavaScript, TypeScript, React, Angular, Vue.js. | $100k to $155k | $750 to $1,050 |
| Mobile | |||
| Mobile Developer | Also called iOS Developer, Android Developer, Mobile Application Developer and Mobile Engineer. Common stacks: Swift, Kotlin, React Native, Flutter. | $115k to $160k | $900 to $1,200 |
| Quality engineering | |||
| Test Manager | $135k to $170k | $950 to $1,200 | |
| Test Automation Engineer | Also called Automation Test Engineer, Automation Tester, Automation Test Analyst and Automation Engineer. Common stacks: Selenium, Playwright, Cypress, Postman, TypeScript. | $110k to $165k | $800 to $1,200 |
| Test Lead | Also called Lead Test Analyst. Common stacks: Selenium, Playwright, Jira. | $110k to $160k | $900 to $1,050 |
| Senior Test Analyst | Also called Principal Test Analyst. Common stacks: Jira, SQL, Postman. | $100k to $135k | $700 to $900 |
| Test Analyst | Also called Quality Assurance Analyst and Quality Assurance Engineer. Common stacks: Jira, SQL, Postman. | $90k to $125k | $600 to $750 |
| Enterprise platforms | |||
| SAP Consultant | Also called SAP Functional Consultant and SAP Technical Consultant. Common stacks: SAP S/4HANA, SAP Fiori. | $120k to $185k | $900 to $1,250 |
| Salesforce Developer | Common stacks: Salesforce, Apex, Lightning Web Components. | $120k to $170k | $850 to $1,300 |
| SharePoint and M365 Developer | Also called SharePoint Developer. Common stacks: SharePoint Online, Microsoft 365, Power Platform, Power Automate, SPFx. | $115k to $150k | $800 to $1,100 |
Base salary in Australian dollars a year, before super. Day rates are what the contractor is paid for an 8-hour day, before super.
These bands cover Queensland as a whole. Pay on the Gold Coast and Sunshine Coast depends on the employer, so ask us for a current figure for your role.
Digital Native's own bands, drawn from a number of research points and trusted data sources.
Reviewed 12 November 2026.
The Market
What We Are Seeing in Software Engineering
Software roles are the largest share of the jobs we have recruited since 2022: software engineers, back-end, front-end and full stack developers, architects and testers, for Queensland technology companies and government agencies.
Questions
Software Engineering Pay, Answered
What does a Senior Software Engineer earn in Queensland?
A Senior Software Engineer in Queensland earns $140k to $175k base salary a year, before super, in our 2026-27 guide.
What is the contract day rate for a Senior Software Engineer in Queensland?
$850 to $1,100 a day in our 2026-27 guide. Day rates are what the contractor is paid for an 8-hour day, before super.
Which Software Engineering roles pay the most in Queensland?
By the top of the base salary band: Chief Technology Officer ($235k to $335k), Head of Engineering ($180k to $260k) and Enterprise Architect ($170k to $240k).
Where Do You Sit?
No contract day rate in the guide for this role.
- .NET
- Java
- Python
- TypeScript
- AWS
- Azure
- Guide range
- $140k to $175k
- Midpoint
- $157.5k
- Contract day rate
- $850 to $1,100
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