Lead / Director Software Developers 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 Software Developers in California: actual employer-disclosed pay
Public records from 244 certified H-1B Labor Condition Applications filed with the U.S. Department of Labor. Median offered wage: $239,260. 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 | 244 | $239,260 |
Top employers filing for this role
Companies with the most certified filings for Lead / Director Software Developers in California. Median offer is across all of that employer's filings.
| Employer | Most-filed title | Filings | Median |
|---|---|---|---|
| Meta Platforms, Inc | Software Engineer | 19 | $232,000 |
| Netflix, Inc. | Software Engineer | 13 | $264,514 |
| Apple Inc. | Software Engineering Systems | 12 | $207,406 |
| NVIDIA Corporation | Software Engineer | 11 | $264,514 |
| Google LLC | Software Engineer | 9 | $269,000 |
| Oracle America, Inc. | Software Developer | 8 | $213,512 |
| Roblox Corporation | Senior Software Engineer | 7 | $289,460 |
| TikTok Inc. | Software Engineer | 5 | $275,000 |
| BYTEDANCE INC. | Software Engineer | 5 | $290,000 |
| TikTok U.S. Data Security Inc. | Software Engineer USDS | 5 | $285,000 |
Recent sample filings
A snapshot of recent certified offers. Each line is a real, public, verifiable record.
- Specialist Master at Deloitte Consulting LLP$217,400Woodland HillsWage Level IVDecided Sep 30, 2025I-200-25266-327173
- Staff Software Engineer - SRE at Insulet Corporation$200,000San DiegoWage Level IVDecided Sep 30, 2025I-200-25266-328233
- Senior Software Engineer at Roblox Corporation$238,520San MateoWage Level IVDecided Sep 30, 2025I-200-25266-328769
- Staff Engineer, Machine Learning at Hims, Inc.$210,000FolsomWage Level IVDecided Sep 30, 2025I-200-25266-327957
- Senior Staff AI Software Engineer at Gusto, Inc.$300,000San FranciscoWage Level IVDecided Sep 30, 2025I-200-25267-330210
- Solution Architect, Device & Behavior at Oscilar, Inc.$230,000San RamonWage Level IVDecided Sep 30, 2025I-200-25267-330192
- Sr Software Engineer - Infrastructure, TikTok Search Engine at TikTok Inc.$320,000San JoseWage Level IVDecided Sep 30, 2025I-200-25266-330005
- Senior Software Engineer at People Center, Inc. d/b/a Rippling$238,000San FranciscoWage Level IVDecided Sep 30, 2025I-202-25266-329660
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.