Seniority Profile · California

Lead / Director Chemists 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.

By Adrian SerafinFounderUpdated May 4, 2026

BLS percentile range

— – —

P75 to P90 of the California OES distribution for Chemists.

DOL OFLC offered median

$152,984

Across 56 certified filings at this wage level.

Real disclosed salaries

Lead / Director Chemists in California: actual employer-disclosed pay

Public records from 56 certified H-1B Labor Condition Applications filed with the U.S. Department of Labor. Median offered wage: $152,984. 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	56	$152,984

Top employers filing for this role

Companies with the most certified filings for Lead / Director Chemists in California. Median offer is across all of that employer's filings.

Employer	Most-filed title	Filings	Median
Gilead Sciences, Inc.	Senior Scientist, Analytical Ops	7	$152,984
Amgen Inc.	Process Development Sr. Scientist	5	$133,993
Genentech, Inc.	Scientist	3	$152,984
Bristol-Myers Squibb Company	Principal Scientist Biotherapeutics Protein Characterization	3	$158,671
Janssen Research & Development, LLC	Sr. Scientist II Disc Chem	2	$156,900
Ideaya Biosciences Inc.	Principal Research Scientist, Medicinal Chemistry	2	$158,988
Eli Lilly and Company	Advisor Chemistry and Chemical Biology	2	$148,320
STA Pharmaceutical US LLC	Analytical Chemistry Manager	2	$129,626
Novartis Institutes for BioMedical Research, Inc.	Principal Scientist I	2	$129,251
Vertex Pharmaceuticals Incorporated	Medicinal Chemistry Senior Research Scientist	2	$129,251

Recent sample filings

A snapshot of recent certified offers. Each line is a real, public, verifiable record.

APPLICATION DEVELOPMENT ENGINEER/SCIENTIST, EXPERT at AGILENT TECHNOLOGIES, INC.
$196,000
SANTA CLARAWage Level IVDecided Sep 17, 2025I-200-25253-300395
Senior Manager, Analytical Development at Corcept Therapeutics Incorporated
$186,500
Redwood CityWage Level IVDecided Sep 15, 2025I-200-25251-293643
Senior Scientist I at Cytokinetics, Inc.
$154,000
South San FranciscoWage Level IVDecided Sep 3, 2025I-200-25238-269525
Director of Electrolyzer Research at Verdagy, Inc.
$165,000
Moss LandingWage Level IVDecided Aug 18, 2025I-200-25223-232741
Global Supply Chain Chemist at CORESHELL TECHNOLOGIES, INC.
$165,000
San LeandroWage Level IVDecided Aug 11, 2025I-203-25216-220653
Site Leader at kdc/one SoCal Laboratories, LLC.
$175,000
WalnutWage Level IVDecided Jul 17, 2025I-200-25191-165544
Sr. Scientist II Disc Chem at Janssen Research & Development, LLC
$156,900
San DiegoWage Level IVDecided Jun 30, 2025I-200-25174-120359
Scientist at Genentech, Inc.
$152,984
South San FranciscoWage Level IVDecided Jun 26, 2025I-200-25170-110168

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.