Goldman Sachs levels, Analyst to Partner.
Scope, not title, sets the band.

Entry level, typically the first 2 to 3 years out of undergrad. Owns the modeling, data, and deck production that supports a deal or trade: building and checking financial models, comparable analyses, pitch materials, and the underlying spreadsheets. Engineering uses the same Analyst title, with no separate numbered E-ladder.

Works under close direction from Associates and VPs. Success is accurate, fast, well-formatted output and reliability under deadline pressure, not independent deal framing.

Impact is at the task and workstream level inside one deal team or desk. The 2 to 3 year window is a conventional reporting heuristic, not a Goldman policy, and many analysts move on or are promoted around year three.

Title on a resume reads simply as Analyst; lead with the modeling, transaction, or production work you owned and one quantified outcome. IBD and markets total compensation is commonly reported around $165K to $240K (public industry reporting, year-end 2025); engineering Analyst total compensation is around $126K on levels.fyi, observed June 2026. Indicative, not official Goldman figures.

Mid level, typically 3 to 4 years in band, reached either by direct post-MBA hire or by promotion from Analyst. Owns workstreams end to end: manages the analysts, drives the model and analysis, and is the day-to-day point of contact on execution. Engineering Associates own features and standard projects with some guidance.

Drives assigned workstreams to completion with limited oversight, starts to manage client and internal communication, and scopes ambiguous requests into concrete analyst tasks.

Impact spans a full workstream within a deal or a project area on a desk. The post-MBA versus promoted split is conventional reporting, and the 3 to 4 year band is a typical heuristic, not a fixed clock.

Title reads as Associate; lead with workstreams owned, execution managed, and people coordinated, plus a quantified result. IBD and markets total compensation is commonly reported around $285K to $500K (public industry reporting, year-end 2025); engineering Associate total compensation is around $158K on levels.fyi, observed June 2026. Indicative, not official Goldman figures.

Senior level and the firm's deliberately long-tenure band: many people stay VP for years rather than passing through quickly. Owns deal or desk execution, manages associate and analyst teams, and carries real client and revenue responsibility. Engineering VPs own cross-team technical scope under the same title.

Operates independently on execution, owns client relationships and internal coordination, and is trusted to run transactions or a book with limited supervision. This is where many careers plateau by design.

Impact is deal-wide or desk-wide and durable. The VP to MD jump is the hardest step on the ladder and is gated to the firm's biennial MD-selection cadence, so time in the VP band is typically measured in years, not months. Conventional reporting, not Goldman policy.

Title reads as Vice President; lead with deals or books owned, revenue influenced, and teams managed, not execution mechanics. IBD and markets total compensation is commonly reported around $525K to $800K (public industry reporting, year-end 2025); engineering VP total compensation is around $207K on levels.fyi, observed June 2026. Indicative, not official Goldman figures.

Senior leadership. Owns client relationships, revenue, and franchise responsibility for a coverage area, product, or desk, and is accountable for originating and closing business rather than executing it hands on. MD has two tiers: the ordinary Managing Director and, above it, the elite Partner Managing Director described below.

Sets direction for a business area, owns the most important client relationships, and is a primary revenue and leadership authority the firm relies on. Selection to MD is biennial, every two years, so promotion is gated to a fixed cadence.

Impact is business-line and franchise level. Reaching MD is highly selective and tied to the two-year selection cycle. Conventional reporting, not an official Goldman statistic.

Title reads as Managing Director; lead with revenue owned, franchise and client outcomes, and business built. Pay is fee and performance dependent and varies widely: IBD and markets total compensation is commonly reported in a wide $1M to $2M-plus band (public industry reporting, year-end 2025), which should be read as a loose bracket, not a midpoint. Engineering MD pay has too thin a public sample to cite a reliable number, so none is published here. Indicative, not official Goldman figures.

The top tier of the firm, formally Partner Managing Director. Fewer than 1 percent of roughly 47,000 staff (Q1 2026) hold the title. Partners carry the broadest franchise, client, and leadership responsibility and are the closest thing to owners of the business.

Among the most senior decision-makers at the firm, shaping strategy, the most consequential client relationships, and capital and leadership decisions across the business.

Impact is firm level. The most recent Partner class, the Class of 2024, added 95 new partners effective January 1, 2025, the largest of the Solomon era; new partners averaged roughly 16 years at the firm. Selection is biennial, and the next class is expected in 2026. Conventional reporting, not an official Goldman statistic.

Title reads as Partner or Managing Director; describe this level qualitatively by franchise, firm-level leadership, and longevity. Partner compensation is opaque, with no reliable public number, so no hard pay figure is published here on purpose; any figure circulating should be treated as unverified.