Lead / Director Mechanical 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 Mechanical Engineers in California: actual employer-disclosed pay
Public records from 218 certified H-1B Labor Condition Applications filed with the U.S. Department of Labor. Median offered wage: $181,397. 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 | 218 | $181,397 |
Top employers filing for this role
Companies with the most certified filings for Lead / Director Mechanical Engineers in California. Median offer is across all of that employer's filings.
| Employer | Most-filed title | Filings | Median |
|---|---|---|---|
| Apple Inc. | System Product Design Engineer | 40 | $183,633 |
| Lucid USA, Inc. | Senior ADAS Feature Owner | 23 | $166,878 |
| Tesla, Inc. | Staff Mechanical Design Engineer | 19 | $195,714 |
| Zoox, Inc. | Technical Program Manager | 8 | $176,000 |
| Meta Platforms, Inc | Product Design Engineer | 6 | $218,675 |
| FORD MOTOR COMPANY | Systems Engineering Supervisor | 5 | $180,000 |
| Nuro, Inc | Sr. Software Engineer, Autonomy | 5 | $220,000 |
| Zoox Inc. | Staff Vehicle Attribute Engineer | 4 | $173,079 |
| The Boeing Company | Structural Analysis Engineer | 4 | $136,989 |
| Archer Aviation Inc. | Sr. IPT Quality Lead | 3 | $225,000 |
Recent sample filings
A snapshot of recent certified offers. Each line is a real, public, verifiable record.
- Staff Regulatory Affairs Specialist at Dexcom, Inc.$146,000San DiegoWage Level IVDecided Sep 29, 2025I-200-25265-324703
- Sr Technical Project Mgr at Tesla, Inc.$157,259LathropWage Level IVDecided Sep 26, 2025I-200-25262-321167
- Senior SCADA Engineer at SOLV Energy, LLC$145,642OrangevaleWage Level IVDecided Sep 26, 2025I-200-25262-322795
- Project Engineer 3 at Safran Cabin Inc.$142,355Costa MesaWage Level IVDecided Sep 26, 2025I-200-25262-322631
- Senior SCADA Engineer at SOLV Energy, LLC$145,642San DiegoWage Level IVDecided Sep 26, 2025I-200-25262-322807
- System Product Design Engineer at Apple Inc.$185,869SunnyvaleWage Level IVDecided Sep 25, 2025I-200-25261-317302
- Senior Mechanical Design Engineer at Electric Hydrogen Co$185,869San JoseWage Level IVDecided Sep 25, 2025I-200-25261-317354
- I&S Process/Equipment Development Engineer at Apple Inc.$171,600San DiegoWage Level IVDecided Sep 25, 2025I-200-25261-317375
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.