Google Program Manager Salaries, Compensation & Expectations
Becoming a Program Manager at Google is no mean feat. Here's what you can expect to make if you land that PM position, broken down by base salary, stock and bonus per year.
Working at Google represents a dream job for many in the IT sector, but what does the company pay? If you’d like tips for IT job applications or want to know the salaries of various tech jobs, 4 Day Week is the place for you.
Aside from providing professionals the opportunity to apply for a whole host of jobs, we also run a blog revolving around tech work and salaries. Today we’ll look at what a Google program manager role pays and explore related topics such as what rival companies offer for the same role. Let’s begin!
What is the Salary of a Google Program Manager?
The average annual salary for a Google program manager in the United States is around $205,000 (Glassdoor, 2022). This estimate includes base pay and additional pay, with the former making up around three-quarters of the total compensation package.
Depending on the source you use, this would put a Google program manager’s income about 155-185% above that of the average American. However, $205K is just an average, of course. The likely range for a Google program manager’s salary across the US is $139,000 to $355,000, again, including base pay and other types of compensation. Your salary would largely depend on the program manager level.
There are also different types of program managers at Google. As a whole, though, many examples, such as that of a Google technical program manager salary, would be around the same as the average Google product manager’s pay in general.
Google Program Manager Salary Levels
According to Levels FYI, the estimated range of Google program manager salaries is $162,000 to $307,000, depending on the level. Please note that stock benefits and bonuses do not always apply, but in most cases, they do.
Here is Level.fyi’s break down of the estimated salary based on level:
| Level | Base Salary | Stock per year | Bonus | Level 3 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Level 3 | $112,000 | $37,000 | $13,000 | $162,000 |
| Level 4 | $137,000 | $42,000 | $20,000 | $200,000 |
| Level 5 | $173,000 | $70,000 | $29,000 | $272,000 |
| Level 6 | $187,000 | $80,000 | $40,000 | $307,000 |
In terms of your salary trajectory, this would mean the following:
- Level 3 → Level 4: +23%
- Level 4 → Level 5: +36%
- Level 5 → Level 6: +13%
- Level 3 → Level 6: +90%
Stock Vesting Schedules
As for stock, the figures given in the previous section are averages and in reality will vary based on your vesting schedule. Put simply, a vesting schedule provides an employee with a lump sum of stock options over a given timeframe.
Main Vesting Schedule
- Year 1 - 33% vests or 2.75% monthly
- Year 2 - 33% vests or 2.75% monthly
- Year 3 - 22% vests or 1.83% monthly
- Year 4 - 12% vests or 1.00% monthly
Alternate 1
- Year 1 - 50% vests or 4.17% monthly
- Year 2 - 28% vests or 2.33% monthly
- Year 3 - 12% vests or 1.00% monthly
- Year 4 - 10% vests or 0.83% monthly
Alternate 2
- Year 1 - 36% vests or 3.00% monthly
- Year 2 - 28% vests or 2.33% monthly
- Year 3 - 20% vests or 1.67% monthly
- Year 4 - 16% vests or 1.33% monthly
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Alternate 3
- Year 1 - 40% vests or 3.33% monthly
- Year 2 - 28% vests or 2.33% monthly
- Year 3 - 20% vests or 1.67% monthly
- Year 4 - 12% vests or 1.00% monthly
Alternate 4
- Year 1 - 25% vests or 2.08% monthly
- Year 2 - 25% vests or 2.08% monthly
- Year 3 - 25% vests or 2.08% monthly
- Year 4 - 25% vests or 2.08% monthly
Please note that the vesting schedule can, in practice, vary from a monthly to quarterly vesting based on how many shares you own.
An RSU or restricted stock unit (a.k.a. Restricted securities) is company stock that is not entirely transferable prior to certain conditions being met (e.g., a specific period of time has passed). Google calls their RSUs ‘Google Stock Units’ or GSUs. However, they are virtually the same thing.
Here is how your schedule is affected by the number of GSUs you own:
- 31 GSUs or less - annual schedule
- 32 to 63 GSUs - semi-annual schedule
- 64 to 159 GSUs - quarterly schedule
- 160 GSUs or more - monthly schedule
Technical Google Program Manager Salary
Of course, given that the role of a Google program manager is related to that of a TPM, it may interest you to know how much this job pays too. After all, you may decide to apply for a higher-level TPM role in the future.
Here is Levels FYI breaks down for the salary of a Google TPM based on level:
| Level | Base Salary | Stock per year | Bonus | Total Salary |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Level 3 | $122,000 | $30,000 | $16,000 | $167,000 |
| Level 4 | $144,000 | $60,000 | $25,000 | $229,000 |
| Level 5 | $172,000 | $96,000 | $33,000 | $300,000 |
| Level 6 | $200,000 | $141,000 | $50,000 | $391,000 |
| Level 7 | $244,000 | $224,000 | $67,000 | $535,000 |
In terms of your salary trajectory, this would mean the following:
- Level 3 → Level 4: +37%
- Level 4 → Level 5: +31%
- Level 5 → Level 6: +30%
- Level 6 → Level 7: +37%
- Level 3 → Level 7: +220%
As you can see, Google’s technical program manager role pays more than that of a program manager. It also features an additional seventh level with a total annual pay estimate in excess of half a million dollars.
Here is how salaries for a Google program manager and Google TPM compare:
- Average difference of all comparable levels - TPM pays 16% more
- Level 3 - TPM pays 3% more
- Level 4 - TPM pays 15% more
- Level 5 - TPM pays 10% more
- Level 6 - TPM pays 27% more
The vesting schedule for a Google TPM is the same as for a Google program manager, with five options, four of which are irregular.
How Does this Compare with Other Companies?
Regardless of the company, the average technology program manager makes around $97,000. But how does the salary of a Google program manager compare with those of other rival companies?
The estimated program manager salaries for other tech companies:
- Microsoft - $117,000
- Apple - $186,000
- Facebook - $121,000
- Amazon - $180,000
- Samsung - $139,000
As you can see, Google’s program manager salary beats several large tech companies and, in some cases, by quite a margin. Of course, these are averages, so a range of factors would determine what you would actually get paid if hired as a Google program manager.
Salary Factors for a Google Program Manager
Factors that may shape your salary as a Google program manager include things like::
- Level of experience.
- Program manager level.
- What city/state you live in.
- Education level.
- Certifications.
- Extra skills.
Geovarations in Compensation for a Google Program Manager
Let’s take a closer look at how salary differs based on geo variations (i.e., where you live). Please note that the figures provided are averages based on specific roles being advertised as of July 2022 (Levels FYI, 2022).
Moreover, these salary figures generally include a base salary, bonus, and estimated stock benefits. However, as mentioned, in some cases, stock figures or/and bonus figures are not applicable, although usually, they are. Geovaration can apply within given regions/states too.
Level 3 Salaries:
- National Average - $162,000
- Greater San Francisco Bay Area - $140,550
- Boston, Massachusetts - $265,000
Level 4 Salaries:
- National Average - $200,000
- Greater San Francisco Bay Area - $217,895
- Seattle, Washington - $205,450
- New York City, New York - $190,000
- Atlanta, Georgia - $215,000
- Minneapolis, Minnesota - $183,550
Level 5 Salaries:
- National Average - $272,000
- Greater San Francisco Bay Area - $272,780
- Seattle, Washington - $287,372
- New York City, New York - $345,851
- Austin, Texas - $264,000
- Durham, North Carolina - $230,750
Level 6 Salaries:
- National Average - $307,000
- New York City, New York - $339,000
- Atlanta, Georgia - $356,750
- Chicago, Illinois - $314,000
- Portland, Maine - $194,500
Money certainly isn’t everything, but a good salary and good company culture can really help you find a good work-life balance. More and more companies are starting to offer a four-day work week. And you can find them on 4 Day Week. We regularly post new remote-working opportunities from around the world. By signing up, you can also benefit from our weekly alerts for a wide range of 32-hour jobs.
Additional Employee Benefits
Here are some of the perks of working with Google:
- 20-30 days of PTO a year.
- For a 401K, Google provides a 50% match on employee contributions of up to $19,500.
- Medical, dental, and vision insurance for you and your dependents.
- Mental health app access.
- Onsite wellness centers.
- One-on-one finance coaching.
- Yearly cross-company pay equity analysis and adjustments.
- Student loan reimbursement.
- Fertility and growing family support.
- Parental leave.
- Baby bonding leave.
- Backup childcare.
- Survivor income benefit.
- Donation matching.
- On-site meals and snacks.
Learn More Through Our Blog
Today, we looked at the salary of a Google program manager, how this compares with the same job for rival companies, and what you should take on board for the interview process itself.
For more career-based content, check out our blog. We explore topics ranging from how you can set yourself apart from other candidates for interview questions to 30 tech companies with four-day work weeks.
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