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Director Software Engineer Jobs in California (NOW HIRING)

The Director, Software Programs partners closely with Product, Systems Engineering, Software Engineering , Product & Technology Integration , Vehicle Testing , Supply Chain , Manufacturing , Quality ...

... Engineering and Vehicle Programs. The team's success will be measured on the consistency of software release commitments vs delivery. • Establish improved methods for capacity planning ...

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

Director, Software Engineering

Irvine, CA · On-site

$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 ...

Director, Software Engineering

San Diego, CA · On-site

$268K/yr

The Director will lead a team of software engineers, architects, and managers to deliver high-quality, scalable, and reliable software solutions that meet the evolving needs of our business. The full ...

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 ...

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 ...

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 ...

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 ...

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 ...

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 ...

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Showing results 1-20

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 11, 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 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.

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.

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 cities in California are hiring for Director Software Engineer jobs? Cities in California with the most Director Software Engineer job openings:
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.

Sr. Director, Software Engineering - Finance Tech

Capital One

San Francisco, CA • On-site, Remote

$298K/yr

Full-time

Posted 13 days ago


Capital One rating

7.7

Company rating: 7.7 out of 10

Based on 146 frontline employees who took The Breakroom Quiz

93rd of 171 rated banks


Job description

Sr. Director, Software Engineering - Finance Tech

As a Capital One Senior Director of Software Engineering, you'll work on everything from customer-facing web and mobile applications using cutting-edge open source frameworks, to highly-available RESTful microservices, to back-end Java based systems using the hottest techniques in Big Data. You'll bring solid experience in emerging and traditional technologies such as: node.js, Java, GO, AngularJS, React, Python, REST, JSON, XML, Ruby, Perl, NoSQL databases, relational databases, Hadoop, Chef, Maven, iOS, Android, and AWS/Cloud Infrastructure to name a few.

You will:

  • Lead, manage and grow multiple teams of product focused software engineers

  • Mentor and guide the professional and technical development of engineers on your team.

  • Work with product managers to understand desired application capabilities and testing scenarios

  • Continuously improve software engineering practices

  • Work within and across Agile teams to design, develop, test, implement, and support technical solutions across a full-stack development tools and technologies

  • Lead the craftsmanship, availability, resilience, and scalability of your solutions

  • Bring a passion to stay on top of tech trends, experiment with and learn new technologies, participate in internal & external technology communities, and mentor other members of the engineering community

  • Encourage innovation, implementation of cutting-edge technologies, inclusion, outside-of-the-box thinking, teamwork, self-organization, and diversity

  • Work across to improve the velocity of your and other teams

  • Lead efforts to deploy new and existing applications into AWS environments

  • Break existing monolithic applications into micro service architectures and build new microservices

Basic Qualifications:

  • Bachelor's Degree

  • At least 9 years of experience in software engineering

  • At least 7 years of experience in people management

Preferred Qualifications:

  • Master's Degree in Computer Science or a Master's Degree in Software Engineering

  • 13+ years of experience in software engineering

  • 8+ years of experience in Agile practices

  • Concrete experience leveraging AI to accelerate productivity and automate manual business processes

  • Experience building/scaling high-throughput transaction matching engines, event-driven streaming architectures, and financial ledgers/ERP integrations (Workday/PeopleSoft)

Capital One is open to hiring a Remote Employee for this opportunity.

Capital One will consider sponsoring a new qualified applicant for employment authorization for this position.

The minimum and maximum full-time annual salaries for this role are listed below, by location. Please note that this salary information is solely for candidates hired to perform work within one of these locations, and refers to the amount Capital One is willing to pay at the time of this posting. Salaries for part-time roles will be prorated based upon the agreed upon number of hours to be regularly worked.

Remote (Regardless of Location): $286,200 - $326,700 for Sr. Dir, Software Engineering


Cambridge, MA: $314,800 - $359,300 for Sr. Dir, Software Engineering


McLean, VA: $314,800 - $359,300 for Sr. Dir, Software Engineering


New York, NY: $343,400 - $392,000 for Sr. Dir, Software Engineering


Richmond, VA: $286,200 - $326,700 for Sr. Dir, Software Engineering


San Francisco, CA: $343,400 - $392,000 for Sr. Dir, Software Engineering






Candidates hired to work in other locations will be subject to the pay range associated with that location, and the actual annualized salary amount offered to any candidate at the time of hire will be reflected solely in the candidate's offer letter.

This role is also eligible to earn performance based incentive compensation, which may include cash bonus(es) and/or long term incentives (LTI). Incentives could be discretionary or non discretionary depending on the plan.

Capital One offers a comprehensive, competitive, and inclusive set of health, financial and other benefits that support your total well-being. Learn more at theCapital One Careers website. Eligibility varies based on full or part-time status, exempt or non-exempt status, and management level.

This role is expected to accept applications for a minimum of 5 business days.No agencies please. Capital One is an equal opportunity employer (EOE, including disability/vet) committed to non-discrimination in compliance with applicable federal, state, and local laws. Capital One promotes a drug-free workplace. Capital One will consider for employment qualified applicants with a criminal history in a manner consistent with the requirements of applicable laws regarding criminal background inquiries, including, to the extent applicable, Article 23-A of the New York Correction Law; San Francisco, California Police Code Article 49, Sections 4901-4920; New York City's Fair Chance Act; Philadelphia's Fair Criminal Records Screening Act; and other applicable federal, state, and local laws and regulations regarding criminal background inquiries.

If you have visited our website in search of information on employment opportunities or to apply for a position, and you require an accommodation, please contact Capital One Recruiting at 1-800-304-9102 or via email at RecruitingAccommodation@capitalone.com. All information you provide will be kept confidential and will be used only to the extent required to provide needed reasonable accommodations.

For technical support or questions about Capital One's recruiting process, please send an email to Careers@capitalone.com

Capital One does not provide, endorse nor guarantee and is not liable for third-party products, services, educational tools or other information available through this site.

Capital One Financial is made up of several different entities. Please note that any position posted in Canada is for Capital One Canada, any position posted in the United Kingdom is for Capital One Europe and any position posted in the Philippines is for Capital One Philippines Service Corp. (COPSSC).


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