Lead / Director Civil 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 Civil Engineers in California: actual employer-disclosed pay
Public records from 66 certified H-1B Labor Condition Applications filed with the U.S. Department of Labor. Median offered wage: $150,384. 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 | 66 | $150,384 |
Top employers filing for this role
Companies with the most certified filings for Lead / Director Civil Engineers in California. Median offer is across all of that employer's filings.
| Employer | Most-filed title | Filings | Median |
|---|---|---|---|
| HDR Engineering, Inc. | Hydraulic Structures Engineer | 4 | $145,090 |
| Kleinfelder, Inc. | Senior Professional | 2 | $160,493 |
| Grandhi Consultants, LLC | Consulting Structural Engineer | 2 | $166,400 |
| Simpson Gumpertz & Heger Inc. | Senior Project Manager | 2 | $155,480 |
| AECOM Technical Services, Inc. | Construction Project Manager V | 2 | $149,285 |
| Black & Veatch Corporation | Civil Engineer 4 | 2 | $145,434 |
| Secretariat Advisors LLC | Civil Engineer-Construction Delay Manager | 2 | $170,000 |
| BlueScope Buildings North America, Inc. | Estimating Engineer, PE | 2 | $129,875 |
| RailPros, Inc. | Engineer VI “ Project Manager | 2 | $147,160 |
| Urbaser, Inc. | Head of Technical Department | 2 | $151,406 |
Recent sample filings
A snapshot of recent certified offers. Each line is a real, public, verifiable record.
- Senior Professional at Kleinfelder, Inc.$160,493CampbellWage Level IVDecided Sep 30, 2025I-203-25266-327976
- Senior Project Manager at T J K M$187,046PleasantonWage Level IVDecided Sep 23, 2025I-200-25259-312144
- Consulting Structural Engineer at Grandhi Consultants, LLC$166,400HighlandWage Level IVDecided Sep 5, 2025I-200-25240-272832
- Senior Project Manager at Simpson Gumpertz & Heger Inc.$155,480Newport BeachWage Level IVDecided Sep 3, 2025I-200-25239-269704
- Civil Engineer V at Moffatt & Nichol$134,659San DiegoWage Level IVDecided Aug 22, 2025I-200-25227-245123
- Senior Engineer at Accenture Infrastructure and Capital Projects, LLC$180,000Los AngelesWage Level IVDecided Aug 13, 2025I-200-25218-226214
- Project Engineer at Ghilotti Bros., Inc.$220,000San RafaelWage Level IVDecided Aug 12, 2025I-200-25217-222418
- Construction Project Manager V at AECOM Technical Services, Inc.$142,000San DiegoWage Level IVDecided Aug 5, 2025I-200-25211-208629
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.