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Fellow Engineer Jobs in California (NOW HIRING)

Innovation Fellow

Emeryville, CA · On-site

$8.0K - $12K/mo

Innovation Fellow Emeryville, CA A Bit About Us We are Arcadia Science, an evolutionary biology ... Strong programming skills (Python and/or R required; familiarity with bash and version control)

Senior Software Engineer

Palo Alto, CA · On-site

$144K - $190K/yr

The role involves contributing to feature development, mentoring fellow engineers, and working on scaling challenges in a collaborative environment. Responsibilities : • Scaling from 100M requests ...

Senior Software Engineer

San Jose, CA · On-site

$143K - $189K/yr

Expert in API development, Usage of test harnesses, giving technical direction to fellow engineers and ability to write extensive architecture and design documents * Excellent troubleshooting and ...

Senior Software Engineer

Palo Alto, CA · On-site

$144K - $190K/yr

The role involves contributing to feature development, mentoring fellow engineers, and working on projects related to scaling and distributed systems. Responsibilities : • Scaling from 100M ...

Fellow is a company focused on helping people brew great coffee at home. They are seeking a VP of ... Responsibilities : • Scale the Engineering Organization: Design the team structure, process, and ...

Job Summary : Fellow is a company dedicated to helping people brew exceptional coffee at home ... Responsibilities : • Scale the Engineering Organization: Design the team structure, process, and ...

Support and mentor fellow engineers on engineering best practices, and on how to best use our tools. REQUIRED QUALIFICATIONS * Bachelor's degree in Computer Science or related field, or equivalent ...

New

Anthropic Fellows Program

Berkeley, CA · On-site

$155.90 - $194.44/hr

Our team is a quickly growing group of committed researchers, engineers, policy experts, and ... Building on‑demand infrastructure for other infrastructure heavy fellow projects * Building ...

New

Showing results 21-40

Fellow Engineer information

See California salary details

$12

$55

$79

How much do fellow engineer jobs pay per hour?

As of Aug 21, 2026, the average hourly pay for fellow engineer in California is $55.26, according to ZipRecruiter salary data. Most workers in this role earn between $39.62 and $73.56 per hour, depending on experience, location, and employer.

What is a fellow engineer?

A Fellow Engineer is a highly distinguished and senior-level technical expert within an organization, often recognized for their exceptional contributions to engineering, innovation, and leadership. This title is typically awarded to engineers who have demonstrated significant impact in their field, both through technical achievements and by mentoring others. Fellow Engineers often influence company-wide technology strategy, lead complex projects, and represent their organization in the external technical community. The position is one of the highest honors in engineering career paths and usually requires years of experience and recognition by peers.

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

To thrive as a Fellow Engineer, you need deep technical expertise in your engineering discipline, a strong record of innovation, and typically an advanced degree or equivalent experience. Mastery of advanced design tools, simulation software, and familiarity with industry standards or patents are common requirements. Exceptional leadership, mentorship, and strategic communication skills set top candidates apart. These competencies are essential for driving technical vision, influencing organizational direction, and fostering groundbreaking solutions.

How does a fellow engineer typically contribute to mentoring and developing junior team members?

As a Fellow Engineer, you are often expected to play a significant role in mentoring and guiding less-experienced engineers. This includes offering technical advice, conducting code or design reviews, and helping shape best practices within the team. You may also lead technical workshops or knowledge-sharing sessions, fostering a culture of growth and continuous learning. Your expertise and leadership are valuable for both solving complex problems and building the next generation of engineering talent.

What is the difference between Fellow Engineer vs Senior Engineer?

AspectFellow EngineerSenior Engineer
CredentialsTypically requires extensive experience, advanced certifications, and recognized industry expertiseRequires several years of experience, professional certifications often preferred
Work EnvironmentOften involved in strategic projects, industry leadership, and mentoring rolesFocuses on project execution, technical problem-solving, and team leadership
Employer & Industry UsageUsed in large corporations, research institutions, and industry leadersCommon across various industries, especially in engineering and technology firms
Search & Comparison IntentOften searched by experienced professionals seeking top-tier recognition or career advancementFrequently compared for career progression and role responsibilities

The Fellow Engineer is a senior-level role emphasizing industry recognition, strategic influence, and mentorship, often requiring advanced credentials. In contrast, a Senior Engineer focuses on technical expertise, project management, and team leadership. Both roles are vital in engineering organizations but differ mainly in scope, recognition, and responsibilities.

How much does a fellow engineer make?

A fellow engineer's salary varies based on experience, industry, and location, but typically ranges from $80,000 to $150,000 annually. Senior or specialized fellow engineers with advanced skills or certifications can earn higher compensation, especially in high-demand fields like aerospace, software, or biomedical engineering.

What does a fellow engineer do?

A fellow engineer is an experienced professional who provides technical expertise, mentorship, and leadership within engineering teams. They often work on complex projects, develop innovative solutions, and may contribute to research, design, or strategic planning. Strong problem-solving skills and advanced knowledge of engineering principles are essential for this role.
Infographic showing various Fellow Engineer job openings in California as of August 2026, with employment types broken down into 95% Full Time, 2% Part Time, and 3% Contract. Highlights an 85% Physical, 6% Hybrid, and 9% Remote job distribution, with an average salary of $114,938 per year, or $55.3 per hour.

Distinguished Engineer / Technical Fellow

Armada

San Francisco, CA • Hybrid

Full-time

Medical, Dental, Vision, Retirement, PTO

Re-posted 13 days ago


Job description

About the Role

As a Distinguished Engineer / Technical Fellow, you will be the primary architect of Armada's long-term technical vision. This is a "builder-leader" role for a world-class technologist who possesses a deep, fundamental understanding of data center architecture, high-density compute, and massive-scale AI infrastructure. You will solve the most difficult technical hurdles across our core product suite while leading the R&D for "Next Horizon" projects, such as Data Centers in Space. Beyond internal development, you will act as a key technical diplomat, collaborating with our most strategic industry partners to design deep-tech solutions that deepen Armada's product adoption and expand our reach into entirely new frontiers.

Location: Bellevue, WA / San Francisco, CA / Remote

What You'll Do (Key Responsibilities)

  • Architecting the Universal Edge: Lead the evolution of the Armada Edge Platform (AEP), ensuring seamless orchestration of compute and AI workloads across globally distributed, high-latency, and disconnected environments.
  • Next Horizon Projects: Drive the architectural roadmap for visionary initiatives, including Data Centers in Space. This involves adapting the Armada stack for orbital compute modules and solving for the unique challenges of Low Earth Orbit (LEO)-including radiation-tolerant software, thermal management, and power-constrained AI processing.
  • Strategic Partner Engineering: Work directly with elite industry partners to co-design solutions that integrate Armada's technology deeper into their global ecosystems. You will ensure our platform becomes the standard infrastructure for compute, whether terrestrial or orbital.
  • Technical Strategy: Partner with Company Leadership to define the 3-5 year technical roadmap, identifying emerging technologies in high-density GPU orchestration and orbital data processing that align with our long-term business goals.
  • Hard-Problem Solver: Act as the final point of escalation for complex architectural challenges involving real-time data streaming, computer vision, and network-aware workload distribution.
  • Innovation & R&D: Lead Proof-of-Concepts for next-generation capabilities, such as in-orbit inference, adaptive learning at the edge, and secure Earth-to-space data orchestration.
  • Mentorship: Elevate the entire engineering organization by mentoring Staff and Principal engineers, fostering a culture of high-performance engineering and architectural rigor.

Required Qualifications:

  • Core Infrastructure Mastery: Deep understanding of Data Center operations, Compute architectures (CPU/GPU/NPU), and AI Infrastructure at scale. You should understand the full stack from silicon to the orchestration layer.
  • Experience: 15+ years of software engineering experience, with a proven track record as a Distinguished Engineer, Fellow, or equivalent senior technical leader at a major infrastructure or AI company.
  • Distributed Systems Mastery: Expert-level knowledge of distributed systems and data storage in resource-constrained, remote, or "denied" environments.
  • Systems Programming: Mastery of Go, C++, or Rust, with a deep understanding of how software interacts with physical compute hardware and non-terrestrial networking layers.
  • Ecosystem Influence: Proven ability to work across company lines with partners to build "1+1=3" technical solutions that drive adoption and industry standards.

Preferred Qualifications:

  • Deep understanding of networking stacks, specifically optimization for satellite and terrestrial mesh networks.
  • Interest or experience in orbital mechanics, radiation-tolerant software design, or space-based communication protocols.
  • Experience building "Day 2" operations for fleets of thousands of remote, distributed devices in harsh environments.

Compensation

For U.S. Based candidates: To ensure fairness and transparency, the starting base salary range for this role for candidates in the U.S. are listed below, varying based on location experience, skills, and qualifications.

In addition to base salary, this role will also be offered equity and subsidized benefits (details available upon request).

Benefits

  • Competitive base salary and equity
  • Medical, dental, and vision (subsidized cost)
  • Health savings accounts (HSA), flexible spending accounts (FSA), and dependent care FSAs (DCFSA)
  • Retirement plan options, including 401(k) and Roth 401(k)
  • Unlimited paid time off (PTO)
  • 14 paid company holidays per year

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