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Director Software Engineer Jobs in California (NOW HIRING)

NetApp

Director, Software Engineer

San Jose, CA · On-site

$296K/yr

Job Summary The Director of Software Engineering leads multiple software engineering teams responsible for the delivery of innovative, scalable, secure, and reliable products and services. This role ...

NetApp, Inc.

Director, Software Engineer

San Jose, CA · On-site

$296K/yr

Job Summary The Director of Software Engineering leads multiple software engineering teams responsible for the delivery of innovative, scalable, secure, and reliable products and services. This role ...

Diality

Director, Software Engineering

Irvine, CA · Hybrid

$223K - $260K/yr

The Director of Software Engineering reports to Director of Product Development and leads Diality ... engineer contractors. * Familiarity with cloud-connected medical device systems, mobile ...

FloQast

Director, Software Engineering

Los Angeles, CA · On-site +1

$186K - $282K/yr

... software engineer * 10+ years working on teams using Agile methodologies and an iterative process (Scrum, Kanban, XP) to deliver software * Strong sense of product-mindedness when it comes to ...

FloQast

Director, Software Engineering

Los Angeles, CA · On-site +1

$186K - $282K/yr

... software engineer * 10+ years working on teams using Agile methodologies and an iterative process (Scrum, Kanban, XP) to deliver software * Strong sense of product-mindedness when it comes to ...

FloQast

Director, Software Engineering

Los Angeles, CA · On-site

$186K - $282K/yr

... software engineer * 10+ years working on teams using Agile methodologies and an iterative process (Scrum, Kanban, XP) to deliver software * Strong sense of product-mindedness when it comes to ...

Diality Inc

Director, Software Engineering

Irvine, CA · On-site

$270K/yr

The Director of Software Engineering reports to Director of Product Development and leads Diality ... engineer contractors. * Familiarity with cloud-connected medical device systems, mobile ...

SnapLogic

Director, Software Engineering

San Mateo, CA

$288K/yr

As the Director of Software Engineering, you are a hands-on, "rock star" Java developer and ... By balancing technical excellence with business ROI, you will spearhead SRE and agile process ...

SnapLogic

Director, Software Engineering

San Mateo, CA

$288K/yr

As the Director of Software Engineering, you are a hands-on, "rock star" Java developer and ... By balancing technical excellence with business ROI, you will spearhead SRE and agile process ...

Cotality

Director, Software Engineering

Irvine, CA · On-site

$271K/yr

Cotality is seeking a highly experienced and strategic Director of Software Engineering to lead our Digital Gateway initiatives. In this critical leadership role, you will hold ultimate ...

SnapLogic

Director, Software Engineering

San Mateo, CA · On-site

$288K/yr

As the Director of Software Engineering, you are a hands-on, "rock star" Java developer and ... By balancing technical excellence with business ROI, you will spearhead SRE and agile process ...

NetApp

Sr Director, Software Engineer AI BU

San Jose, CA · On-site

$296K/yr

Job Summary As the Senior Director of Software Development for NetApp AI business unit, you will lead and scale a high-performing engineering organization to deliver innovative, large-scale services ...

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Director Software Engineer information

See California salary details

$137.2K

$250.7K

How much do director software engineer jobs pay per year?

As of Aug 31, 2026, the average yearly pay for director software engineer in California is $240,723.00, according to ZipRecruiter salary data. Most workers in this role earn between $249,700.00 and $249,700.00 per year, depending on experience, location, and employer.

What is a director software engineer?

A Director Software Engineer is a senior leadership role responsible for overseeing multiple software development teams and driving the technical vision for an organization. They collaborate with other executives to align engineering initiatives with business goals and ensure high-quality software delivery. Their responsibilities often include strategic planning, mentoring engineering managers, setting technical standards, and managing budgets. This role requires extensive experience in software engineering as well as strong leadership and communication skills.

What are the key skills and qualifications needed to thrive as a director software engineer?

To thrive as a Director Software Engineer, you need deep expertise in software development, architecture, and leadership, often supported by a computer science degree and extensive industry experience. Familiarity with cloud platforms, project management tools like Jira, and knowledge of scalable systems are typically required, along with certifications such as AWS Certified Solutions Architect or PMP. Outstanding communication, strategic thinking, and team-building abilities make someone stand out in this leadership position. These skills are crucial to effectively guide engineering teams, drive technical vision, and deliver high-quality software solutions aligned with organizational goals.

How does a director software engineer balance technical leadership with people management responsibilities?

As a Director Software Engineer, you'll often find yourself balancing hands-on technical oversight with strategic team leadership. This means guiding architectural decisions, reviewing code, and setting engineering best practices, while also mentoring team leads, supporting professional development, and managing performance. It's common to spend time aligning engineering efforts with business goals, collaborating with product and design teams, and removing roadblocks for your teams. Success in this role comes from strong communication skills, delegation, and an ability to build a healthy engineering culture alongside delivering technical excellence.

What are the most commonly searched types of Software Engineer jobs in California?

The most popular types of Software Engineer jobs in California are:

What are popular job titles related to Director Software Engineer jobs in California?

For Director Software Engineer jobs in California, the most frequently searched job titles are:

What job categories do people searching Director Software Engineer jobs in California look for?

The top searched job categories for Director Software Engineer jobs in California are:

What cities in California are hiring for Director Software Engineer jobs?

Cities in California with the most Director Software Engineer job openings:

Director Software Engineer jobs near you
Infographic showing various Director Software Engineer job openings in California as of August 2026, with employment types broken down into 1% Internship, 85% Full Time, 9% Part Time, 2% Temporary, and 3% Contract. Highlights an 87% Physical, 4% Hybrid, and 9% Remote job distribution, with an average salary of $240,723 per year, or $115.7 per hour.

Director, Software Engineer

San Jose, CA • On-site

NetApp
IT Services • 10K+ employees

9.4

Company rating: 9.4 out of 10

Based on 5 frontline employees who took The Breakroom Quiz

2nd of 499 rated business services

Great coworkers

Good employer

Respectful managers

Learn more about NetAppexternal

$296K/yr

Full-time

Medical, Life, Retirement, PTO

Re-posted 10 days ago

Job description

Job Summary

The Director of Software Engineering leads multiple software engineering teams responsible for the delivery of innovative, scalable, secure, and reliable products and services.

This role partners closely with Product Management, UX, Architecture, Customer Success, and executive leadership to translate business objectives into engineering strategy and execution.

The Director drives organizational effectiveness, technical excellence, operational discipline, and talent development while ensuring successful delivery of business-critical initiatives. 

Responsibilities

Strategic Leadership

  • Define and execute engineering strategies that align with organizational and product objectives.
  • Develop and communicate long-term technology roadmaps and investment priorities.
  • Drive innovation through adoption of modern engineering practices, tools, and technologies.
  • Anticipate technical and organizational risks and implement mitigation strategies.

Engineering Execution

  • Lead the delivery of multiple software products, platforms, or engineering portfolios.
  • Ensure predictable execution against roadmap commitments, balancing speed, quality, security, and scalability.
  • Establish metrics, KPIs, and operational reviews to measure team performance and delivery outcomes.
  • Drive continuous improvement across software development lifecycle (SDLC), DevOps, CI/CD, and engineering operations.

People Leadership

  • Lead, coach, and develop engineering managers and high-performing software engineering teams.
  • Foster an inclusive, collaborative, and growth-oriented culture.
  • Drive organizational design, workforce planning, succession planning, and talent development strategies.
  • Recruit, retain, and develop top engineering talent.

Technical Leadership

  • Influence architecture and platform decisions to ensure scalability, availability, maintainability, and security.
  • Champion engineering best practices, coding standards, testing strategies, and operational excellence.
  • Partner with engineering and architecture leaders to drive technical direction and modernization initiatives.
  • Ensure compliance with security, privacy, regulatory, and governance requirements.

Cross-Functional Partnership

  • Collaborate closely with Product Management to align engineering priorities with customer and business needs.
  • Partner with Design, IT, Security, Sales, Customer Success, and Support teams to deliver exceptional customer outcomes.
  • Effectively communicate technical strategy, project status, risks, and business impact to senior leadership and stakeholders.
  • Influence and align cross-functional teams to achieve strategic objectives.
Job Requirements
  • 12+ years of software engineering experience.
  • 5+ years of people leadership experience managing managers and/or multiple engineering teams.
  • Experience leading large-scale software development initiatives from concept through delivery.
  • Strong knowledge of software architecture, cloud technologies, distributed systems, DevOps, and Agile methodologies.
  • Experience driving organizational change and scaling engineering organizations.
  • Proven ability to influence across technical and non-technical stakeholder groups.
Preferred Qualifications
  • Master's degree in Computer Science, Engineering, or MBA.
  • Experience building and leading geographically distributed engineering teams.
  • Experience with SaaS, cloud-native platforms, AI/ML-enabled solutions, or enterprise software products.
  • Strong financial and operational management experience, including resource planning and budget accountability.
  • Demonstrated success driving digital transformation and modernization initiatives.
Education
  •  Bachelor's degree in Computer Science, Computer Engineering, Software Engineering, or related technical field. 

Compensation:
The target salary range for this position is 227,800 - 338,800 USD. The salary offered will be determined by the candidate's location, qualifications, experience, and education and may be outside of this range. Final compensation packages are competitive and in line with industry standards, reflecting a variety of factors, and include a comprehensive benefits package. This may cover Health Insurance, Life Insurance, Retirement or Pension Plans, Paid Time Off, various Leave options, Performance-Based Incentives, employee stock purchase plan, and/or restricted stocks (RSU's), with all offerings subject to regional variations and governed by local laws, regulations, and company policies. Benefits may vary by country and region, and further details will be provided as part of the recruitment process. 

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About NetApp

Sourced by ZipRecruiter

The NetApp portfolio of leading data, application, and storage solutions helps organizations manage applications and data everywhere across hybrid multicloud environments. Our 30 years of innovation have made us the proven leader in all-flash storage. We have the only enterprise-grade storage OS available natively on the world’s biggest public clouds. Our data services offer the best security and protection in the industry. We have CloudOps services that will revolutionize how you work in the cloud. And that’s just scratching the surface. In a world of hybrid multicloud complexity, we envision a better IT experience—an evolved cloud state where on-premises and cloud environments are united as one, always delivering simplicity, security, savings, and sustainability. To get you there, we build solutions that drive faster innovation wherever your data and applications live, with unified management and AI-driven optimization. No walled gardens. No lock-in. You get the freedom to do what’s best for your business today and the flexibility to adapt to whatever tomorrow throws at you.

Industry

It services

Company size

10,000+ Employees

Headquarters location

Sunnyvale, CA, US

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