Lead / Director Physicists 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 Physicists in California: actual employer-disclosed pay
Public records from 20 certified H-1B Labor Condition Applications filed with the U.S. Department of Labor. Median offered wage: $219,893. 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 | 20 | $219,893 |
Top employers filing for this role
Companies with the most certified filings for Lead / Director Physicists in California. Median offer is across all of that employer's filings.
| Employer | Most-filed title | Filings | Median |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lawrence Livermore National Security, LLC | Research Scientist (Magnetic Fusion & Plasma Physics) | 5 | $232,117 |
| Leland Stanford Jr. Univ/SLAC National Accelerator Lab | Health Physicist 3 | 4 | $147,198 |
| UCSF MEDICAL CENTER | Hospital Radiation Physicist | 2 | $290,867 |
| Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory | Physicist Research Scientist/Engineer | 2 | $137,574 |
| Scripps Health | Radiation Physicist | 1 | $205,088 |
| Cepton Technologies, Inc. | Senior Research Scientist | 1 | $260,000 |
| Meta Platforms, Inc | Lead Optical Engineer | 1 | $288,667 |
| 10x Genomics, Inc. | Staff Optical Engineer | 1 | $205,000 |
| Dignity Health Medical Foundation | Radiation Physicist | 1 | $214,261 |
| Q-CTRL, Inc | Lead Scientist | 1 | $200,000 |
Recent sample filings
A snapshot of recent certified offers. Each line is a real, public, verifiable record.
- Research Scientist (Magnetic Fusion & Plasma Physics) at Lawrence Livermore National Security, LLC$232,117San DiegoWage Level IVDecided Sep 8, 2025I-200-25241-278091
- Radiation Physicist at Scripps Health$205,088La JollaWage Level IVDecided Aug 26, 2025I-200-25231-252244
- Hospital Radiation Physicist at UCSF MEDICAL CENTER$264,971San FranciscoWage Level IVDecided Aug 5, 2025I-200-25210-208449
- Senior Research Scientist at Cepton Technologies, Inc.$260,000San JoseWage Level IVDecided Jun 6, 2025I-200-25150-033245
- Lead Optical Engineer at Meta Platforms, Inc$288,667SunnyvaleWage Level IVDecided May 12, 2025I-200-25125-935668
- Staff Optical Engineer at 10x Genomics, Inc.$205,000PleasantonWage Level IVDecided May 2, 2025I-200-25115-906127
- Health Physicist 3 at Leland Stanford Jr. Univ/SLAC National Accelerator Lab$147,198Menlo ParkWage Level IVDecided Apr 29, 2025I-200-25112-890598
- Research Staff Member (Physicist) at Lawrence Livermore National Security, LLC$496,167,568LivermoreWage Level IVDecided Apr 29, 2025I-200-25112-892425
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.