Arizona‘s tech ecosystem has exploded in recent years, with Silicon Valley stalwarts like Apple, Google, Meta and Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company building massive new offices and factories across Phoenix, Tucson and suburban regions statewide.
Overall employment in Arizona‘s tech industry has grown by 25% over the past 5 years according to data from CompTIA. Software developer jobs alone are projected to experience 30% growth by 2028 as companies hire technical talent to drive expansions into emerging technologies like artificial intelligence, autonomous vehicles, cloud computing and data analytics. Arizona‘s investments in attracting top tech employers coupled with its low cost of living, tax incentives and wealth of university talent have positioned the state to nurture a thriving hub of high-paying technology careers.
This guide will spotlight the top 8 highest paying roles within Arizona‘s flourishing innovation economy – exploring typical responsibilities, required skills, average salaries adjusted for cost of living, top employers, college training programs and insider perspectives from professionals working within the state‘s bustling technology scene.
Data Engineer: $121,923 Adjusted Average Salary
Data engineers architect the expansive digital infrastructure behind data-driven innovations – designing pipelines to collect, store and organize huge datasets so data scientists and analysts can uncover mission-critical insights.
Day-to-Day Responsibilities
- Meet with stakeholders across the business to understand analytics goals and data challenges
- Design and integrate data storage systems across platforms like Hadoop, Spark and cloud data warehouses
- Develop scripts and ETL processes to migrate data from relational databases and APIs into data lakes and marts
- Optimize infrastructure performance for speed, scalability and reliability
- Monitor systems and debug issues as they arise
"My team handles the complex ‘plumbing‘ work to pipe terabytes of unstructured data from platforms across the company into reliable, accessible data lakes. We partner closely with data scientists and analytics users to ensure they can count on clean, robust systems for mining data and training AI models."
- David S., Lead Data Engineer at AvnetKey Skills and Experience
- Bachelor‘s degree in CS, math, engineering or data science; master‘s degree a plus
- 3+ years experience with Python, SQL, Spark, Airflow and cloud platforms like AWS
- Expertise building high volume data pipelines, ETL processes and warehousing architecture
Average Salary in AZ: $114,217 | $121,923 adjusted for cost of living
Top Companies Hiring: Avnet, Discount Tire, Flex, General Motors, GoDaddy, Intel, Meta
Relevant Undergraduate Degrees:
- Arizona State University: BSE in Data Science & Analytics
- University of Arizona: BS in Data Science
Machine Learning Engineer: $136,742 Adjusted Average Salary
Machine learning engineers develop AI systems capable of automatically discovering patterns within large datasets and using those patterns to predict outcomes or classify new data points.
Day-to-Day Responsibilities
- Research and implement state-of-the-art ML approaches including supervised and unsupervised learning, deep neural networks and reinforcement learning
- Train classification, forecasting and recommendation machine learning models on sample datasets
- Continuously test and enhance model performance by tuning hyperparameters and revising features/architectures
- Deploy models within data pipelines and business applications like personalized user interfaces or automated decision systems
- Monitor and retrain systems to adapt to new data over time
"I specialized my MS thesis work on few-shot learning and landed a role right here in Tucson applying similar techniques to improve supply chain forecasting for a large retailer. Arizona is an ideal living environment with opportunities to get hands-on developing innovative applications of machine learning across many industries"
- Leah W. Machine Learning Engineer at Vector Launch
### Key Skills and Experience
- Master‘s or PhD degree in ML, computer science or related technical field
- 3+ years experience building, deploying and managing ML models, preferably in cloud environments
- Expert-level Python programming and common toolkits like Tensorflow, Keras, PyTorch and scikit-learn
Average Salary in AZ: $130,279 | $136,742 adjusted for cost of living
Top Companies Hiring: Axway, Freeport-McMoRan, General Dynamics, Honeywell, Intel, Microchip, Raytheon
Relevant Graduate Degrees:
- Arizona State University: MSc in Computer Science – Machine Learning
- University of Arizona: MS in Applied Machine Learning
Cloud Architect: $205,357 Adjusted Salary
Cloud architects manage complex migrations of legacy infrastructure and software systems onto efficient, agile cloud platforms like AWS, Google Cloud and Microsoft Azure – overseeing both initial transitions and long term administration.
Day-to-Day Responsibilities
- Evaluate infrastructure and application environments then design appropriate cloud migration plans
- Build POCs and minimum viable cloud setups showcasing potential transformations
- Manage transitions of operating systems, databases, networks and other business systems onto cloud IaaS/PaaS
- Continuously monitor utilization, performance, security policies and costs
- Research and implement new cloud-native capabilities to improve scale, automation and reliability
I led the cloud migration strategy for a series of acquisitions at a PE-backed SaaS company here in Scottsdale - first targeting quick wins lifting and shifting their most critical legacy apps to add reliability then gradually refactoringapps to cloud-native architectures over 12-18 months. Cloud talent is still relatively scarce here so compensation has rapidly increased.
- Priya V., Lead Cloud Solutions Architect at ClearVoiceKey Skills and Experience
- 5 – 10 years experience administrating systems and networks with deep expertise around virtualization
- Working experience architecting and operating compute environments on AWS or Azure
- Sharp troubleshooting skills across storage, network and security layers
Average Salary in AZ: $195,540 | $205,357 adjusted for cost of living
Top Companies Hiring: Axway, Benchmark Electronics, Freeport-McMoRan, General Dynamics, Honeywell, Intel, Microchip Technologies
Relevant Certificates & Training:
- AWS Certified Solutions Architect
- Azure Solutions Architect
UX Designer: $99,077 Adjusted Average Salary
UX designers enhance how humans interact with digital products and services by conducting user testing to uncover pain points then applying principles of psychology, ergonomics and design to craft intuitive, delightful experiences.
Day-to-Day Responsibilities
- Plan and moderate usability studies, customer interviews and diary/camera studies examining product interactions
- Sketch sitemaps, user flows and wireframes to translate research insights into potential features and workflows
- Design visually appealing high-fidelity mockups applying established design language and brand standards
- Continuously iterate prototypes based on feedback from follow-on user testing
- Partner closely with engineers to advocate for users throughout development cycles
I shifted from graphic design freelancing in LA to a full-time UX role at a funded Series B startup here in Scottsdale. The pace is extremely fast-paced given our growth plans so I’m constantly testing and iterating new features. UX still feels like a relatively undefined, duct-tape role at many AZ tech companies so there’s ample opportunities to advance and lead design decisions as the industry matures.
- Sam T., Senior UX Designer at TrafficGuardKey Skills & Experience
- Bachelor‘s degree in human-computer interaction, cognitive psychology or visual design
- Strong portfolio demonstrating experience planning and conducting user research along with prototyping and testing flows and interfaces for complex digital products.
- Collaboration skills to translate research into actionable requirements in partnership with PM and engineering leads
Average Salary in AZ: $94,397 | $99,077 adjusted for cost of living
Top Companies Hiring: Axway, Freeport-McMoRan, GoDaddy, Limelight Networks, TuSimple, WebPT
Relevant Undergraduate Degrees:
- Arizona State University: Bachelor of Arts in Design, Media Arts & Design Technology
- University of Arizona: BA in Information Science & Arts, Information Interaction & Interface Design
Sales Engineer – $123,011 Adjusted Average Salary
Sales engineers fuse deep technical expertise with business savvy to match complex software, hardware and cloud infrastructure solutions to each customer‘s unique infrastructure constraints to close lucrative enterprise deals.
Day-to-Day Responsibilities
- Present solutions and conduct proof of concepts showcasing how technology capabilities align with prospects‘ use cases
- Configure quotes and proposals detailing technical specifications, pricing, and service levels
- Coordinate pre-sales technical assistance including feature briefings and solution design support
- Drive follow-on research and renewal conversations informed by customer implementation feedback
My electrical engineering background has been crucial in discussing power systems and semiconductors with customers here in Chandler and aligning robust solutions catered to their needs across aerospace, automotive and defense sectors. Commission potential is uncapped on large deals so overall comp can exceed $300-400K for top performers.
- Matt R., Technical Sales Engineer at Vicor CorpKey Skills & Experience
- Bachelor‘s degree in computer science, information systems or related engineering field
- 5+ years combined experience across technical pre/post-sales engineering, system administration or solution architecture
- Sharp communication and presentation abilities to build credibility with highly technical buyers
Average Salary in AZ: $117,106 | $123,011 adjusted for cost of living
Top Companies Hiring: Benchmark Electronics, Honeywell, Infosys, Insight, Intel, Microchip, TD Synnex
Relevant Undergraduate Degrees & Certificates
- Arizona State University: BS in Computer Systems Engineering + Salesforce Admin Certification
- University of Arizona: BS in Management Information Systems
The combination of top talent, business friendly policies, low taxes and affordable living has fueled rapid growth within Arizona‘s technology ecosystem – supporting exciting careers with competitive salaries. This guide highlighted 8 fast growing roles at the intersection of technology and business along with insider perspectives on Arizona‘s emergence as a leading hub for high-paying jobs empowering innovations in artificial intelligence, cloud infrastructure, data-driven systems and intelligent user experiences.
