Lead / Director Chemical Engineers salary in California
Roles that direct strategy, lead teams, or hold full functional ownership. Typically ten or more years of experience or a Director-class title with budget responsibility.
Lead / Director Chemical Engineers in California: actual employer-disclosed pay
Public records from 44 certified H-1B Labor Condition Applications filed with the U.S. Department of Labor. Median offered wage: $165,060. Every figure below is an actual offered salary an employer attested to under federal law.
By DOL wage level
DOL classifies every offer into one of four wage levels based on the role's experience and skill requirements.
| Level | Filings | Median offer |
|---|---|---|
| Level IV — fully competent | 44 | $165,060 |
Top employers filing for this role
Companies with the most certified filings for Lead / Director Chemical Engineers in California. Median offer is across all of that employer's filings.
| Employer | Most-filed title | Filings | Median |
|---|---|---|---|
| Western Digital Technologies, Inc. | Principal Engineer, Hardware Development Engineering | 6 | $178,651 |
| Applied Materials, Inc | Process Engineer | 3 | $168,138 |
| Apple Inc. | Systems Design Engineering | 3 | $165,500 |
| Amgen Inc. | Associate Director Engineering | 2 | $184,054 |
| Applied Materials, Inc. | Process Engineer | 2 | $158,610 |
| Lam Research Corporation | Process Engineer | 2 | $147,410 |
| Chevron Corporation | Product Performance Analyst | 1 | $212,700 |
| Stacked Energy, Inc. | Cell Engineer | 1 | $178,651 |
| LS Power Development, LLC | Director, Systems Integration Engineering | 1 | $240,000 |
| FUJIFILM Electronic Materials U.S.A., Inc. | Plant Manager | 1 | $178,651 |
Recent sample filings
A snapshot of recent certified offers. Each line is a real, public, verifiable record.
- Principal Engineer, Hardware Development Engineering at Western Digital Technologies, Inc.$178,651San JoseWage Level IVDecided Sep 8, 2025I-200-25241-276978
- Product Performance Analyst at Chevron Corporation$212,700RichmondWage Level IVDecided Sep 4, 2025I-200-25239-270799
- Associate Director Engineering at Amgen Inc.$195,000Thousand OaksWage Level IVDecided Aug 22, 2025I-200-25227-245887
- Cell Engineer at Stacked Energy, Inc.$178,651San JoseWage Level IVDecided Aug 12, 2025I-200-25218-223753
- Principal Engineer, Hardware Development Engineering at Western Digital Technologies, Inc.$178,651San JoseWage Level IVDecided Jul 25, 2025I-200-25199-186448
- Principal Engineer, Hardware Development Engineering at Western Digital Technologies, Inc.$178,651FREMONTWage Level IVDecided Jul 25, 2025I-200-25199-186456
- Director, Systems Integration Engineering at LS Power Development, LLC$240,000San DiegoWage Level IVDecided Jul 16, 2025I-200-25190-162451
- Plant Manager at FUJIFILM Electronic Materials U.S.A., Inc.$178,651HollisterWage Level IVDecided Jul 15, 2025I-200-25189-158818
Source: U.S. Department of Labor, Office of Foreign Labor Certification. Disclosed wages reflect what employers attested to pay; actual paid wages may differ. Only certified filings are shown — denied and withdrawn cases are excluded.