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Lead Full Stack Engineer Jobs in California (NOW HIRING)

Nexusflow.ai, Inc.

Full-Stack Engineer

Palo Alto, CA

Full-Stack Engineer Nexusflow is currently adding Full-Stack Engineers to our team. Our full-stack engineers are responsible for packaging up our technology in models and last-mile quality toolings ...

David AI

Staff Full Stack Engineer

San Francisco, CA · On-site

$200K - $250K/yr

Lead full-stack feature development and iterate rapidly to deliver innovations to our users daily ... Mentor engineers and establish technical standards as the team scales. * Stay current with cutting ...

Erth.AI Inc.

Full Stack Engineer

San Francisco, CA · On-site

$120K - $150K/yr

Full Stack Engineer: We are in search of a dynamic Full-Stack Engineer to work as part of our product and backend engineering initiatives within Dot Earth, a thriving incubator. .Erth is presently ...

Velia multiservices

Full-Stack Engineer

Mountain View, CA · On-site

$160K - $225K/yr

We're looking for a high-impact Full-Stack Engineer who wants more than just another engineering job -- someone excited to help shape product direction, scale infrastructure, and build alongside a ...

Yochana

Senior Java Full Stack Engineer

San Francisco, CA · On-site

$61.75 - $79.75/hr

We are seeking a highly skilled Java Full Stack Engineer to lead the design and development of scalable, high-performance web services and applications. The ideal candidate will have deep expertise ...

Erth.AI Inc.

Full Stack Engineer

San Francisco, CA · On-site

$120K - $150K/yr

Full Stack Engineer: We are in search of a dynamic Full-Stack Engineer to work as part of our product and backend engineering initiatives within Dot Earth, a thriving incubator. .Erth is presently ...

EarnIn

Senior Full Stack Engineer

Mountain View, CA · Hybrid

$210K - $257K/yr

Lead the design and implementation of complex frontend systems using React, TypeScript, and Next.js ... Establish and uphold full-stack engineering standards, including patterns, tooling, testing ...

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All JobsLead Full Stack Engineer JobsLead Full Stack Engineer Jobs in California

Lead Full Stack Engineer information

See California salary details

$43.9K

$133K

$188K

How much do lead full stack engineer jobs pay per year?

As of Jul 4, 2026, the average yearly pay for lead full stack engineer in California is $133,006.00, according to ZipRecruiter salary data. Most workers in this role earn between $109,500.00 and $155,900.00 per year, depending on experience, location, and employer.

What engineers make $300,000 a year?

Senior software engineers, especially those in specialized fields like machine learning, cloud architecture, or cybersecurity, can earn $300,000 or more annually. These roles often require extensive experience, advanced skills, and sometimes leadership responsibilities or working in high-cost-of-living areas.

What is the difference between Lead Full Stack Engineer vs Software Architect?

AspectLead Full Stack EngineerSoftware Architect
CredentialsBachelor's in CS or related field, experience in full stack developmentBachelor's or Master's in CS, software design certifications often preferred
Work EnvironmentHands-on coding, team leadership, project managementDesigning system architecture, high-level technical planning
Industry UsageCommon in tech companies, startups, and product teamsUsed in large enterprises, consulting firms, and complex system projects
Search & Comparison IntentFocus on coding, team leadership, project deliveryFocus on system design, technical standards, long-term architecture

The Lead Full Stack Engineer is primarily involved in coding, leading development teams, and managing projects. In contrast, a Software Architect focuses on designing overall system architecture and technical standards. While both roles require strong technical skills, the Lead Full Stack Engineer is more hands-on, whereas the Software Architect is more strategic and design-oriented.

What engineer makes $500,000 a year?

A Lead Full Stack Engineer at large tech companies or in senior roles with extensive experience and specialized skills can earn $500,000 or more annually, often including bonuses and stock options. High compensation typically requires expertise in multiple programming languages, cloud platforms, and leadership responsibilities.

What is a lead full-stack engineer?

A lead full-stack engineer is a senior software developer responsible for designing, developing, and maintaining both front-end and back-end components of web applications. They often oversee technical teams, coordinate project tasks, and ensure code quality, typically requiring expertise in programming languages, frameworks, and tools like JavaScript, Python, or cloud platforms. Leadership and strong communication skills are also essential for guiding development efforts and collaborating with stakeholders.

What is the highest salary for a full-stack engineer?

The highest salaries for full-stack engineers can exceed $150,000 annually, especially for those with extensive experience, specialized skills in frameworks like React or Node.js, and work in high-cost-of-living areas or for large tech companies. Senior full-stack engineers with advanced expertise and leadership responsibilities may earn even higher compensation, including bonuses and stock options.
What are the most commonly searched types of Lead Full Stack Engineer jobs in California? The most popular types of Lead Full Stack Engineer jobs in California are:
What are popular job titles related to Lead Full Stack Engineer jobs in California? For Lead Full Stack Engineer jobs in California, the most frequently searched job titles are:
What job categories do people searching Lead Full Stack Engineer jobs in California look for? The top searched job categories for Lead Full Stack Engineer jobs in California are:
Lead Full Stack Engineer jobs near you
Lead Full-Stack Engineer

Lead Full-Stack Engineer

Sharp Performance

Culver City, CA • On-site

Full-time

Posted yesterday

Job description

We're Sharp Performance
Sharp Performance is transforming mental wellness for those in high-demand professions, starting with public safety.
Our mission is to extend the service-life and health span of those who run toward danger: law enforcement, firefighters, and other frontline professionals. Through our mobile platform, we connect them with elite performance coaches trained in cognitive performance methods adapted from the U.S. Special Operations community.
This is not a lifestyle brand. This is not "tech for tech's sake." This is applied resilience, delivered where it matters most.
We're backed by Andreessen Horowitz (a16z) and investors behind Uber, Airbnb, PayPal, and Palantir. Partnerships are forming weekly. The mission is expanding quickly.
We are early. We are building. And success is not guaranteed.
If that excites you more than it scares you, then let's go.
About the role
We're spinning up a new squad at Sharp Performance to build a 0-to-1 product, and we're looking for a Lead Full-Stack Engineer to be the technical anchor. You'll set the architectural direction, write a meaningful share of the code yourself, and guide the output of a small team (1-2 direct reports to start, growing as the product proves itself).
This is a player-coach role. You'll be hands-on in the codebase day-to-day, but you'll also be the person making sure what the squad ships is coherent, well-scoped, and actually moves the product forward. If you want to be heads-down on a single component, this isn't the role. If you want to shape a product from a blank page - technically and as a small team - read on.
What you'll do
  • Lead technical design and architecture for a new product being built from scratch, making the early decisions that will shape it for years.
  • Build full-stack: own features end-to-end across the frontend (Next.js or Vue) and backend, including API design, data modeling, and infrastructure choices.
  • Mentor and manage 1-2 engineers - running meetings, giving feedback, unblocking them, and growing them as the team grows.
  • Partner closely with product and design to translate fuzzy problems into shippable scope, and push back when scope and reality don't match.
  • Set the bar for code quality, testing, and review practices in a new codebase where the patterns you establish will compound.
  • Make pragmatic trade-offs between speed and durability - knowing when to ship the duct tape version and when to invest in the right abstraction.

What we're looking for
  • 7+ years of full-stack engineering experience, with deep proficiency in JavaScript/TypeScript and a modern frontend framework (Next.js or Vue).
  • Strong product engineering instincts. You think in terms of user outcomes, not just tickets, and you've shipped things customers actually used.
  • Experience leading a small team's technical output - whether as a tech lead, staff engineer, or engineering manager. Comfortable giving feedback, running planning, and being accountable for what the team delivers.
  • Track record of building something from 0 to 1 - joining early, working through ambiguity, making decisions without complete information.
  • Solid backend chops: comfortable designing APIs, working with relational databases, and reasoning about performance and reliability.
  • Strong written and verbal communication - you can explain a technical decision to a PM and a junior engineer in the same Slack thread.
  • Nice to have
    • Experience with our adjacent stack (analytics tooling, observability, feature flagging).
    • Have managed engineers directly before, even informally.

Why this role
You'll be employee-zero on a new product inside an established startup - the upside of greenfield work with the support of an existing team, customer base, and infrastructure. You'll have unusual leverage over what gets built, how it gets built, and who builds it.

Apply