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Director, Test Engineering Salary in Exeter, CA

How much does a Director, Test Engineering make in Exeter, CA?

As of October 01, 2026, the average salary for a Director, Test Engineering in Exeter, CA is $166,147 per year, which breaks down to an hourly rate of $80.

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

  • Top Earners (90th percentile): $189,161
  • Majority Range (25th-75th percentile): $153,251 to $178,194
  • Entry-Level (10th percentile): $141,510
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, skills 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): $175,551
  • Early Career (1-2 years): $119,816
  • Mid-Level (2-4 years): $136,751
  • Senior-Level (5-8 years): $165,261
  • Expert (over 8 years): $189,996
Levels Salary
Software ... Level Director, Test Engineering$175,551
Software ... Level Director, Test Engineering$119,816
Software ... Level Director, Test Engineering$136,751
Director,... Level Director, Test Engineering$165,261
Software ... Level Director, Test Engineering$189,996
View as Graph

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 $212,669
28%
System Testing $209,346
26%
Goal Setting $202,700
22%
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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$199,377$96.020%
Internet$196,054$94.018%
Pharmaceuticals$191,069$92.015%
Biotechnology$186,085$89.012%
Financial Services$182,762$88.010%

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
$153,251
Average $166,147/year
$178,194
$12,771
Average $13,846/month
$14,849
$2,947
Average $3,195/week
$3,427
$74
Average $80/hour
$86
Annual Salary Monthly Pay Weekly Pay Hourly Wage
75th Percentile $178,194 $14,849 $3,427 $86
Average $166,147 $13,846 $3,195 $80
25th Percentile $153,251 $12,771 $2,947 $74

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Where Does Our Salary Data Come From?

Salary.com salary estimates, histograms, trends, and comparisons are derived from both employer job postings and third-party data sources. We also provide multiple percentiles of salary information for your reference, click here to know Why the Salary Midpoint Formula Is Crucial to Getting Pay Equity Right. With more online, real-time compensation data than any other website, Salary.com helps you determine your exact pay target.

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