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Senior director of engineering salary
Average senior director of engineering salary
$177,949
Understanding Senior Director of Engineering Salaries
The average Senior Director of Engineering salary stands at $177,949 annually, translating to approximately $86 per hour. This role is essential for guiding engineering projects and aligning technical strategies with business goals.
Salary estimates can vary widely based on factors such as geographic location, industry sector, and individual experience. For example, top-paying states for this role include California, New York, and Texas, where salaries often exceed the national average.
Industries like technology and aerospace frequently offer higher compensation compared to sectors such as manufacturing or education. Additionally, professionals with extensive experience or those leading large teams tend to command higher salaries, reflecting their expertise and leadership responsibilities.
For those considering a career as a Senior Director of Engineering, it’s beneficial to explore key industries and states to identify lucrative opportunities. By understanding these dynamics, you can better position yourself for a rewarding career in engineering leadership.
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Where can a Senior Director Of Engineering earn more?
Senior director of engineering salary estimates from across the web
Average senior director of engineering salary by state
The average senior director of engineering salary in Alaska, Nevada, and California are the highest in the U.S. The lowest average senior director of engineering salary states are Illinois, Iowa, and Missouri.
- State view
- County view
Highest paying states for senior directors of engineering
| Rank | State | Avg. salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Alaska | $211,094 | $101.49 |
| 2 | Washington | $190,135 | $91.41 |
| 3 | Idaho | $175,024 | $84.15 |
| 4 | Louisiana | $167,898 | $80.72 |
| 5 | California | $193,220 | $92.89 |
| 6 | Utah | $171,070 | $82.25 |
| 7 | Nevada | $194,482 | $93.50 |
| 8 | Montana | $172,110 | $82.75 |
| 9 | Oregon | $191,611 | $92.12 |
| 10 | Arizona | $174,141 | $83.72 |
| 11 | Oklahoma | $148,907 | $71.59 |
| 12 | Massachusetts | $155,627 | $74.82 |
| 13 | Mississippi | $143,880 | $69.17 |
| 14 | New Hampshire | $153,289 | $73.70 |
| 15 | Maine | $153,532 | $73.81 |
| 16 | Wisconsin | $150,983 | $72.59 |
| 17 | South Dakota | $148,585 | $71.44 |
| 18 | Wyoming | $142,646 | $68.58 |
| 19 | Hawaii | $169,015 | $81.26 |
| 20 | New Mexico | $148,721 | $71.50 |
| 21 | District of Columbia | $147,966 | $71.14 |
| 22 | Texas | $149,199 | $71.73 |
| 23 | Colorado | $148,380 | $71.34 |
| 24 | New Jersey | $149,128 | $71.70 |
| 25 | Michigan | $144,907 | $69.67 |
| 26 | North Dakota | $141,992 | $68.27 |
| 27 | Tennessee | $145,486 | $69.95 |
| 28 | Ohio | $144,519 | $69.48 |
| 29 | Delaware | $142,148 | $68.34 |
| 30 | Alabama | $135,137 | $64.97 |
| 31 | Rhode Island | $136,426 | $65.59 |
| 32 | Indiana | $143,250 | $68.87 |
| 33 | Minnesota | $142,854 | $68.68 |
| 34 | Nebraska | $140,940 | $67.76 |
| 35 | Arkansas | $135,544 | $65.17 |
| 36 | Kansas | $139,115 | $66.88 |
| 37 | New York | $134,709 | $64.76 |
| 38 | Connecticut | $135,544 | $65.17 |
| 39 | Pennsylvania | $135,636 | $65.21 |
| 40 | Vermont | $141,908 | $68.22 |
| 41 | Virginia | $135,702 | $65.24 |
| 42 | Florida | $138,194 | $66.44 |
| 43 | Georgia | $136,033 | $65.40 |
| 44 | West Virginia | $132,221 | $63.57 |
| 45 | Maryland | $133,642 | $64.25 |
| 46 | Illinois | $131,088 | $63.02 |
| 47 | North Carolina | $123,795 | $59.52 |
| 48 | Iowa | $129,088 | $62.06 |
| 49 | Missouri | $127,718 | $61.40 |
| 50 | Kentucky | $123,948 | $59.59 |
| 51 | South Carolina | $123,639 | $59.44 |
Highest paying cities for senior directors of engineering
The highest-paying cities for senior directors of engineering are San Francisco, CA, Seattle, WA, and Phoenix, AZ.
| Rank | City | Avg. salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | San Francisco, CA | $223,273 | $107.34 |
| 2 | Seattle, WA | $210,272 | $101.09 |
| 3 | Phoenix, AZ | $186,654 | $89.74 |
| 4 | Salt Lake City, UT | $181,740 | $87.38 |
| 5 | Cambridge, MA | $156,985 | $75.47 |
| 6 | Austin, TX | $154,023 | $74.05 |
| 7 | Boulder, CO | $152,723 | $73.42 |
| 8 | Washington, DC | $149,443 | $71.85 |
| 9 | Indianapolis, IN | $144,409 | $69.43 |
| 10 | Eden Prairie, MN | $143,640 | $69.06 |
| 11 | McLean, VA | $138,494 | $66.58 |
| 12 | Jacksonville, FL | $138,267 | $66.47 |
| 13 | Atlanta, GA | $137,425 | $66.07 |
| 14 | Philadelphia, PA | $136,374 | $65.56 |
| 15 | Hartford, CT | $136,246 | $65.50 |
| 16 | New York, NY | $134,871 | $64.84 |
| 17 | Annapolis, MD | $134,110 | $64.48 |
| 18 | Chicago, IL | $131,851 | $63.39 |
| 19 | Kansas City, MO | $129,708 | $62.36 |
| 20 | Raleigh, NC | $125,211 | $60.20 |
Senior director of engineering salary details
A senior director of engineering's salary ranges from $120,000 a year at the 10th percentile to $262,000 at the 90th percentile.
What is a senior director of engineering's salary?
| Percentile | Annual salary | Monthly salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 90th Percentile | $262,000 | $21,833 | $126 |
| 75th Percentile | $218,000 | $18,167 | $105 |
| Average | $177,949 | $14,829 | $86 |
| 25th Percentile | $144,000 | $12,000 | $69 |
| 10th Percentile | $120,000 | $10,000 | $58 |
Highest paying senior director of engineering jobs
The highest paying types of senior directors of engineering are engineering director, director of software development, and product management director.
| Job title | Annual salary | Monthly salary | Hourly rate | Job openings |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Research And Development Manager | $117,507 | $9,792 | $56.49 | 125,447 |
| Design Manager | $102,637 | $8,553 | $49.34 | 61,273 |
| Research And Development Director | $137,944 | $11,495 | $66.32 | 102,901 |
| Engineering/Maintenance Manager | $99,907 | $8,326 | $48.03 | 125,639 |
| Engineering Program Manager | $122,604 | $10,217 | $58.94 | 148,543 |
| Product Management Director | $156,724 | $13,060 | $75.35 | 170,460 |
Top companies hiring senior directors of engineering now:
Which companies pay senior directors of engineering the most?
Senior director of engineering salaries at Apple and Google are the highest-paying according to our most recent salary estimates. In addition, the average senior director of engineering salary at companies like eBay and PayPal are highly competitive.
| Rank | Company | Average salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Apple | $253,454 | $121.85 |
| 2 | $246,145 | $118.34 | |
| 3 | eBay | $242,526 | $116.60 |
| 4 | PayPal | $241,266 | $115.99 |
| 5 | NVIDIA | $240,820 | $115.78 |
| 6 | Adobe | $236,214 | $113.56 |
| 7 | Fanatics | $235,903 | $113.41 |
| 8 | Western Digital | $232,551 | $111.80 |
| 9 | Sephora | $231,878 | $111.48 |
| 10 | Juniper Networks | $231,739 | $111.41 |
| 11 | $224,432 | $107.90 | |
| 12 | PlayStation | $223,717 | $107.56 |
| 13 | Kabam | $223,713 | $107.55 |
| 14 | Credit Karma | $223,574 | $107.49 |
| 15 | Playphone | $221,099 | $106.30 |
| 16 | 8x8 | $220,791 | $106.15 |
| 17 | Cisco | $219,953 | $105.75 |
| 18 | Edwards Lifesciences | $219,741 | $105.64 |
| 19 | Eli Lilly and Company | $216,863 | $104.26 |
| 20 | Macy's | $216,119 | $103.90 |
Wage gap by gender, race and education
Senior Director Of Engineering salary by industry
The average senior director of engineering salary varies across industries:
- The average senior director of engineering salary in the technology industry is $200,692, the highest of any industry.
- The average senior director of engineering salary in the finance industry is $187,329.
- Senior directors of engineering in the media industry earn an average salary of $156,187, the lowest of any industry.
Highest paying industries for senior directors of engineering
| Rank | Industry | Average salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Technology | $200,692 | $96.49 |
| 2 | Start-up | $187,329 | $90.06 |
| 3 | Manufacturing | $163,453 | $78.58 |
| 4 | Media | $156,187 | $75.09 |
High paying senior director of engineering jobs
Senior director of engineering salary trends
The average senior director of engineering salary has risen by $32,536 over the last ten years. In 2014, the average senior director of engineering earned $145,413 annually, but today, they earn $177,949 a year. That works out to a 11% change in pay for senior directors of engineering over the last decade.
Compare senior director of engineering salaries for cities or states with the national average over time.
Average senior director of engineering salary over time
Compare senior director of engineering salaries for individual cities or states with the national average.
Senior director of engineering salary by year
| Year | Avg. salary | Hourly rate | % Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | $178,000 | $85.55 | +3.1% |
| 2025 | $172,000 | $82.86 | +2.8% |
| 2024 | $168,000 | $80.53 | +2.2% |
| 2023 | $164,000 | $78.80 | +2.2% |
| 2022 | $160,000 | $77.08 | +1.4% |
Recently added senior director of engineering salaries
| Company | Job | Location | Date added | Salary |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| WEX | SR Director, Data Lake Engineering | Ione, CA | 06/30/2025 | $201,000 |
| WEX | SR Director, Benefits Engineering | Chicago, IL | 06/30/2025 | $207,000 |
| Audubon Engineering | Senior Director, Data Engineering and Infrastructure | Day, NY | 06/30/2025 | $201,155 |
| Bloomenergy | Senior Director-Process Engineering | San Jose, CA | 06/30/2025 | $241,900 |
| Relativity | SR Director, Factory Engineering | Long Beach, CA | 06/29/2025 | $240,000 |
| Roblox | Senior Director of Engineering, User Connection | San Mateo, CA | 06/29/2025 | $448,990 |
| Explore Charleston | SR. Director, Platform Engineering-Consumer Data | New York, NY | 06/29/2025 | $180,000 |
| Rsinternboard | SR Director, Factory Engineering | Long Beach, CA | 06/29/2025 | $240,000 |
| Salesforce | Senior Director, Forward Deployment Engineering | San Francisco, CA | 06/28/2025 | $225,200 |
| Workday, Inc. | SR Director or Director, Machine Learning Engineering, Agent Factory | Pleasanton, CA | 06/28/2025 | $272,800 |
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