How much do engineering directors make at Google?

Engineering directors at Google make around $300,000 annually. The typical salary range for an engineering director is around $200,000 to $350,000 in a year, but salaries can go up to almost $500,000 for a highly qualified engineering director at Google.

What makes a great director of engineering?

The traits that make a great director of engineering are that someone is both strategic, analytical, and innovative. They are able to break down and translate complicated sets of data just as easily as they are able to lead a team of engineers, and they are willing to try new processes while respecting established standards.

Who is above the director of engineering?

The vice president of engineering is the role above the director of engineering. The director of the engineering role is typically where a person first starts to manage managers; where a vice president of engineering is where a person starts to manage the company as a whole.

What is an engineering director and how to become one

Updated January 8, 2025

4 min read

Quoted experts

Yi Yang PhD,

Steven Fernandez

An engineering director is a senior-level manager responsible for overseeing the activities of an engineering team. They are responsible for developing and implementing engineering strategies, managing budgets, and ensuring that projects are completed on time and within budget. An engineering director must also collaborate with other departments to ensure that engineering projects align with overall business goals. They also are responsible for hiring, training, and managing staff, as well as evaluating performance and providing feedback.

What general advice would you give to an engineering director?

Yi Yang PhD

Associate Professor, Pennsylvania State University - Abington

For new graduates beginning their careers in engineering, I would advise them to consider the broader impact of their work and look for opportunities to expand their management potential. While engineering is a highly technical field, it's important to recognize the value of leadership roles in preserving a culture of innovation. By taking on these positions, you can help ensure that companies prioritize long-term innovation over short-term gains (cutting R&D to boost the balance sheet), thus preserving the engineering culture that drives meaningful progress.

ScoreEngineering DirectorUS Average

Salary

9.2

Avg. Salary $162,252

Avg. Salary $59,228

Stability level

7.4

Growth rate 2%

Growth rate 0.3%

Diversity

1.6

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 0.16%

Asian 13.11%

Black or African American 3.15%

Hispanic or Latino 9.06%

Unknown 4.70%

White 69.81%

Gender

female 5.40%

male 94.60%

Age - 48

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 3.00%

Asian 7.00%

Black or African American 14.00%

Hispanic or Latino 19.00%

White 57.00%

Gender

female 47.00%

male 53.00%

Age - 48

Stress level

7.4

Stress level is high

7.1 - high

Complexity level

10.0

Complexity level is advanced

7 - challenging

Work life balance

3.5

Work life balance is poor

6.4 - fair

What are the pros and cons of being an engineering director?

Pros

High salary and benefits package
Opportunities for career advancement
Exposure to cutting-edge technologies and innovations
Chance to work on meaningful and impactful projects
Varied and challenging work environment

Cons

Balancing technical expertise with management skills can be challenging
Dealing with conflicts within the team or between departments
Frequent multitasking and juggling multiple projects simultaneously
Maintaining a work-life balance can be difficult
Needing to stay up-to-date with constantly evolving technologies and industry trends

Key steps to become an engineering director

Explore engineering director education requirements

Most common engineering director degrees

Bachelor's

66.6 %

Master's

19.6 %

Associate

7.4 %

Start to develop specific engineering director skills

Skills	Percentages
Java	7.19%
Architecture	7.14%
Infrastructure	6.10%
AWS	4.95%
Project Management	4.78%

Complete relevant engineering director training and internships

Accountants spend an average of 6-12 months on post-employment, on-the-job training. New engineering directors learn the skills and techniques required for their job and employer during this time. The chart below shows how long it takes to gain competency as an engineering director based on U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data and data from real engineering director resumes.

Research engineering director duties and responsibilities

Monitor and manage performance base on multiple KPI's.
Manage all FCC filings for the registration of license frequencies.
Improve network reliability and manage signal leakage and FCC compliance.
Lead implementation and remediation efforts to ensure HIPPA, SOX, and PCI compliance.

Get engineering director experience

Generally, it takes more than 10 years to become an engineering director. The most common roles before becoming an engineering director include engineering manager, chief engineer team lead and project manager.

Prepare your engineering director resume

When your background is strong enough, you can start writing your engineering director resume.

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