Lead / Director Computer Hardware 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 Computer Hardware Engineers in California: actual employer-disclosed pay
Public records from 125 certified H-1B Labor Condition Applications filed with the U.S. Department of Labor. Median offered wage: $225,834. 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 | 125 | $225,834 |
Top employers filing for this role
Companies with the most certified filings for Lead / Director Computer Hardware Engineers in California. Median offer is across all of that employer's filings.
| Employer | Most-filed title | Filings | Median |
|---|---|---|---|
| Meta Platforms, Inc | ASIC Engineer, Design Verification | 32 | $227,000 |
| Google LLC | Hardware Engineer | 12 | $246,500 |
| Apple Inc. | Imaging, Sensing and Power Architect Engineer | 8 | $215,592 |
| Intel Corporation | Graphics Hardware Engineer | 8 | $197,683 |
| CEREBRAS SYSTEMS INC. | Senior Member of Technical Staff | 6 | $215,600 |
| Waymo LLC | Hardware Development Engineer | 3 | $329,000 |
| Microsoft Corporation | Hardware Engineering | 3 | $262,700 |
| Samsung Semiconductor, Inc. | Principal Engineer | 3 | $197,683 |
| Tenstorrent USA Inc. | Principal Engineer | 2 | $229,590 |
| Arm, Inc. | Senior Principal AI Hardware Engineer | 2 | $210,371 |
Recent sample filings
A snapshot of recent certified offers. Each line is a real, public, verifiable record.
- ASIC Engineer at Meta Platforms, Inc$210,642Menlo ParkWage Level IVDecided Sep 29, 2025I-200-25265-324785
- Principal Engineer at Tenstorrent USA Inc.$229,590Santa ClaraWage Level IVDecided Sep 25, 2025I-200-25261-319329
- Hardware Engineer at Netflix, Inc.$229,590Los GatosWage Level IVDecided Sep 19, 2025I-203-25256-307231
- Senior Principal AI Hardware Engineer at Arm, Inc.$229,590San JoseWage Level IVDecided Sep 17, 2025I-200-25253-300607
- FE Engineering at Apple Inc.$229,590Santa ClaraWage Level IVDecided Sep 15, 2025I-200-25251-294291
- Senior Integration Engineer at Foundation Robotics Labs, Inc.$220,000San FranciscoWage Level IVDecided Sep 9, 2025I-200-25245-280348
- FE Engineering at Apple Inc.$229,590Santa ClaraWage Level IVDecided Sep 8, 2025I-200-25244-279186
- Senior Staff Engineer at SAMSUNG AUSTIN SEMICONDUCTOR,LLC$229,590San JoseWage Level IVDecided Sep 4, 2025I-200-25239-271360
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.