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Director, Test Engineering Salary in the United States

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

As of October 01, 2026, the average salary for a Director, Test Engineering in the United States is $164,447 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): $187,225
  • Majority Range (25th-75th percentile): $151,683 to $176,370
  • Entry-Level (10th percentile): $140,062
Salary Factors Salary-Boosting Skills Salary by Experience Related Job Salaries Top Paying Cities Explore Related Jobs

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): $173,754
  • Early Career (1-2 years): $118,590
  • Mid-Level (2-4 years): $135,351
  • Senior-Level (5-8 years): $163,570
  • Expert (over 8 years): $188,052
Levels Salary
Software ... Level Director, Test Engineering$173,754
Software ... Level Director, Test Engineering$118,590
Software ... Level Director, Test Engineering$135,351
Director,... Level Director, Test Engineering$163,570
Software ... Level Director, Test Engineering$188,052
View as Graph

How Do Director, Test Engineering Salaries Vary from State to State?

Your salary can change significantly depending on where you work. States with a higher cost of living and strong industrial sectors often pay more to attract Director, Test Engineerings. For example, consider the average annual salaries in these key locations:
  • District of Columbia: $182,076.
  • California: $181,385.
  • Massachusetts: $178,968.

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: $207,417
  • San Francisco: $205,146
  • Oakland: $200,823

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.
Skills Demand Percentage
Leadership 14.6%
Performance Testing 2.19%
DevOps 1.46%
See More Skills

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 $210,492
28%
System Testing $207,203
26%
Goal Setting $200,625
22%
Get Latest Data

Director, Test Engineering Salary by Industry: Top Paying Sectors

For Director, Test Engineering roles, the industry you choose can affect earning potential by as much as 40% (the gap between the highest and lowest paying industries). Data shows that the Software & Networking and Internet sectors offer the strongest compensation, at 20% above the average. In contrast, Director, Test Engineering positions in Edu., Gov't. & Nonprofit or Transportation typically offer lower base pay, as these industries often view Director, Test Engineering as a support function rather than a direct revenue driver.

The top paying industries for a Director, Test Engineering

Industry Sector Average Annual Salary Average Hourly Rate Pay vs.Avg
Software & Networking$197,336$95.020%
Internet$194,047$93.018%
Pharmaceuticals$189,114$91.015%
Biotechnology$184,181$89.012%
Financial Services$180,892$87.010%

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 October 01, 2026
$151,683
Average $164,447/year
$176,370
$12,640
Average $13,704/month
$14,698
$2,917
Average $3,162/week
$3,392
$73
Average $79/hour
$85
Annual Salary Monthly Pay Weekly Pay Hourly Wage
75th Percentile $176,370 $14,698 $3,392 $85
Average $164,447 $13,704 $3,162 $79
25th Percentile $151,683 $12,640 $2,917 $73

Most common benefits for Director, Test Engineering

  • Social Security
  • 401 (k)
  • Disability
  • Healthcare
  • Pension
  • Time Off (days)

Common company salaries for Director, Test Engineering

Here are companies hiring for Director, Test Engineering and their salaries, click below for more details.

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FAQ about Director, Test Engineering

1. What industry pays the highest salary for Director, Test Engineering?

The Software & Networking industry offers the highest average compensation for Director, Test Engineering roles, with salaries approximately 20% above the market median.

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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