Director, Test Engineering Salary in the United States

How much does a Director, Test Engineering make in the United States?

As of January 01, 2026, the average salary for a Director, Test Engineering in the United States is $164,431 per year, which breaks down to an hourly rate of $79.

However, a Director, Test Engineering's salary can vary significantly. Here’s a look at the typical salary range:

  • Top Earners (90th percentile): $186,260
  • Majority Range (25th-75th percentile): $151,726 to $175,857
  • Entry-Level (10th percentile): $140,159
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View as table View as graph 25% $151,726 10% $140,159 90% $186,260 75% $175,857 $164,431 50%(Median) Didn’t find job title? Click

Director, Test Engineering Salaries by Percentile

Annual
Salary
Monthly
Pay
Weekly
Pay
Hourly
Wage
75th Percentile $175,857 $14,655 $3,382 $85
Average $164,431 $13,703 $3,162 $79
25th Percentile $151,726 $12,644 $2,918 $73
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Key Factors That Influence Director, Test Engineering Salaries

A Director, Test Engineering's salary isn't a fixed number. It's shaped by several important factors. Below, we'll explore how your years of experience, geographic location and company size can directly affect your earning potential.

How Experience Level Affects Director, Test Engineering Salaries?

Experience is a primary driver of a Director, Test Engineering's salary. As you build your skills and take on more complex tasks, your compensation generally increases. Here's how the average salary grows at different career stages:

  • Entry-Level (less than 1 year): $155,616
  • Early Career (1-2 years): $156,783
  • Mid-Level (2-4 years): $158,339
  • Senior-Level (5-8 years): $160,673
  • Expert (over 8 years): $163,591
Levels Salary
Entry Level Director, Test Engineering$155,616
Intermediate Level Director, Test Engineering$156,783
Senior Level Director, Test Engineering$158,339
Specialist Level Director, Test Engineering$160,673
Expert Level Director, Test Engineering$163,591
$155,616 0 yr
$156,783 < 2 yrs
$158,339 2-4 yrs
$160,673 5-8 yrs
$163,591 > 8 yrs
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What Am I Worth?

Top Paying Cities for Director, Test Engineerings

Salaries can also vary between different cities. Major metropolitan areas or cities with a high demand for technicians often offer more competitive pay. Here are a few examples of average annual salaries in different U.S. cities:

  • San Jose: $207,397
  • San Francisco: $205,358
  • Oakland: $200,803

What Skills Can Increase a Director, Test Engineering's Salary?

Demanded Skills for the Role:

  • Leadership (Mentioned in 14.6% Job Postings): Knowledge of and ability to employ effective strategies that motivate and guide other members within our business to achieve optimum results.
  • Performance Testing (Mentioned in 2.19% Job Postings): Software performance testing, a procedure to determine how a system performs under a particular workload. In software quality assurance, performance testing is in general a testing practice performed to determine how a system performs in terms of responsiveness and stability under a particular workload. It can also serve to investigate, measure, validate or verify other quality attributes of the system, such as scalability, reliability and resource usage. Performance testing, a subset of performance engineering, is a computer science practice which strives to build performance standards into the implementation, design and architecture of a system.
  • DevOps (Mentioned in 1.46% Job Postings): Automating and integrating the efforts of IT operations and development teams to deliver software applications faster.
See More Skills
Skills Demand Percentage
Leadership 14.6%
Performance Testing 2.19%
DevOps 1.46%
What skills can make your compensation higher?
Mastering certain specialized skills can lead to a significant increase in pay. Here are examples of skills and the potential impact they can have on a Director, Test Engineering's salary.
  • Resource Allocation: Can increase your salary by up to 28%.
  • System Testing: Can increase your salary by up to 26%.
  • Goal Setting: Can increase your salary by up to 22%.
Skill Salary Salary % Increase
Resource Allocation
$210,472
28%
System Testing
$207,183
26%
Goal Setting
$200,606
22%
Results Oriented
$190,740
16%
Networking
$187,451
14%
SQL Server
$177,585
8%
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Director, Test Engineering Salary: Hourly Rate, Weekly Pay, and Monthly Pay

Understanding how a Director, Test Engineering's annual salary breaks down can help with budgeting. Below, you can see the average hourly rate, weekly pay, and monthly pay for this role. Use the buttons to switch between different pay periods.

Last Updated on January 01, 2026

Salary Trends for Director, Test Engineering

Salaries for a Director, Test Engineering can change over time, reflecting shifts in market demand and the overall economy. The median salary decreased from $148,857 in 2023 to around $147,554 in 2025, reflecting changes in demand, location, experience, and the wider economy. For a detailed analysis of Director, Test Engineering salary trends, .

Average Annual Salary of Director, Test Engineering Over Time

2022
$???
2023
$148,857
2024
$148,458
2025
$147,554
2026
$???
2027
$???
Year Average Annual Salary
2022
View More
2023 $148,857
2024 $148,458
2025 $147,554
2026
View More
2027
View More

Most common benefits for Director, Test Engineering

Social Security
401(k)
Disability
Healthcare
Pension
Time Off (days)
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Common company salaries for Director, Test Engineering

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Where Does Our Salary Data Come From?

Salary.com provides salary estimates, histograms, trends, and comparisons using data from employer job postings and third-party sources.

We offer detailed salary information across multiple percentiles for your reference. (Click here to learn Why the Salary Midpoint Formula Is Crucial for Achieving Pay Equity.)

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