You prepared for Staff+, aced the technical rounds, but the offer comes back as Senior. This happens frequently. Companies down-level when they detect gaps between your narrative and demonstrated scope.
Watch for warning signs during interviews. If interviewers keep asking about individual contributions instead of team influence, they may be calibrating you lower. If system design questions focus on implementation details instead of architectural trade-offs, you're being evaluated at Senior level. Recognizing this mid-loop lets you adjust your answers to show Staff+ scope.