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Seniority Profile · California

Lead / Director Electrical 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.

Adrian Serafin, founder and editor of RateOrchardBy Adrian SerafinFounderUpdated May 4, 2026
BLS percentile range
P75 to P90 of the California OES distribution for Electrical Engineers.
DOL OFLC offered median
$213,595
Across 210 certified filings at this wage level.
Real disclosed salaries

Lead / Director Electrical Engineers in California: actual employer-disclosed pay

Public records from 210 certified H-1B Labor Condition Applications filed with the U.S. Department of Labor. Median offered wage: $213,595. 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.

LevelFilingsMedian offer
Level IV — fully competent210$213,595

Top employers filing for this role

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

EmployerMost-filed titleFilingsMedian
Apple Inc.Hardware Systems Engineering34$213,595
Tesla, Inc.Staff Controls Engineer20$226,450
Meta Platforms, IncDesign Verification Engineer10$224,989
Zoox, Inc.Senior Sensor Engineer6$176,000
California Independent System Operator CorporationElectrical Engineer6$174,039
Lucid USA, Inc.Staff ADAS/AD Feature Owner6$175,656
Microsoft CorporationSilicon Engineering6$245,800
Navitas Semiconductor USA, Inc.Senior Director, Technical Marketing5$163,020
Also, Inc.Staff Electronics Testing & Validation5$245,000
Astera Labs INCSenior Principal Platform Diagnostic SE3$213,595

Recent sample filings

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

  • Senior Sensor Engineer at Zoox, Inc.
    $190,000
    Foster CityWage Level IVDecided Sep 26, 2025I-200-25262-320949
  • Hardware Systems Engineering at Apple Inc.
    $217,630
    CupertinoWage Level IVDecided Sep 25, 2025I-200-25261-317820
  • Principal Wireless Systems Engineer at Delart Technology Services LLC
    $217,630
    SunnyvaleWage Level IVDecided Sep 23, 2025I-200-25260-313611
  • Hardware Systems Engineer at Meta Platforms, Inc
    $256,662
    FolsomWage Level IVDecided Sep 22, 2025I-200-25259-310539
  • Staff Electric Engine System Engineer, Electrical at Archer Aviation Inc.
    $217,630
    San JoseWage Level IVDecided Sep 19, 2025I-200-25255-306852
  • Electrical Engineer at California Independent System Operator Corporation
    $185,000
    FolsomWage Level IVDecided Sep 18, 2025I-200-25254-302136
  • Product Manager at TE Connectivity Corporation
    $220,000
    FremontWage Level IVDecided Sep 18, 2025I-200-25254-301211
  • Senior Automation Controls Engineer at CEPHEID
    $154,245
    LodiWage Level IVDecided Sep 17, 2025I-200-25253-298629

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.