Data Engineering Director Salary.
Across 81 U.S. cities.
$267,000
national median salary
$227,000 to $347,000. Last updated July 2026.
Highest Paying
$357,000
San Francisco, CA
Best Purchasing Power
$278,000
Providence, RI
Lowest Paying
$202,000
Jackson, MS
Salary data sourced from Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, H-1B Labor Condition Applications (DOL), state pay-transparency job postings, and community submissions. Most ranges are anchored to BLS OES occupation wage percentiles and placed by seniority level (entry near the 25th, mid at the median, senior at the 75th); a minority of emerging roles retain a modeled estimate where BLS has no matching series. Cost-of-living adjustments use Bureau of Economic Analysis Regional Price Parities (2025 index). Last updated July 2026. Baseline derived from BLS SOC 11-3021. Full methodology.
The average Data Engineering Director salary in the United States is $267,000 in 2026, with the full range spanning $227,000 at the 25th percentile to $347,000 at the 75th. San Francisco pays the most at $357,000, while Providence offers the best purchasing power after cost-of-living adjustments. Compensation for Data Engineering Directors is driven by depth of technical specialization, open-source or published work, and the specific technology stack.
Data Engineering Director salary by city.
Skills that increase Data Engineering Director pay.
The skills below command measurable salary premiums for Data Engineering Directors based on job posting data. Learning the top skill here could add $37,380 to your annual compensation.
≈ +$37,380 per year
≈ +$34,710 per year
≈ +$32,040 per year
≈ +$29,370 per year
≈ +$29,370 per year
≈ +$26,700 per year
≈ +$26,700 per year
≈ +$24,030 per year
What you should know.
Compensation for Data Engineering Directors is driven by depth of technical specialization, open-source or published work, and the specific technology stack. Signing bonuses near $11K are standard for lateral hires and reset every 2 to 4 years. At the leadership level, the scope of the organization under management ($10M budget vs $100M+) drives the largest compensation variance.
Data Engineering Directors typically advance from entry to senior over 5 to 8 years, with staff and principal levels requiring 10+ years and demonstrated cross-team impact. For Data Engineering Directors specifically, the seniority anchor means roughly 12+ years of experience and demonstrated P&L or strategic leadership.
Total compensation for Data Engineering Directors includes a meaningful signing bonus near $11K, which resets every 2 to 4 years for lateral hires. Base plus bonus (10% of base at target) forms the bulk of ongoing annual comp; signing bonuses are best thought of as a 4-year amortized component. At management levels, variable compensation (bonus + LTIP) grows as a share of total — expect 30–50% variable at director and 50%+ variable at VP and above.
Total compensation breakdown.
Salary by company size
Remote salary adjustment
Remote Data Engineering Directors typically earn $240,000 (10% less than on-site). This reflects location-adjusted pay policies at companies using geographic salary bands. Some companies pay flat national rates regardless of location.
Are you a Data Engineering Director?
Share your real compensation anonymously. Help build the most accurate salary dataset for this role. Your data is never individually exposed.
Common questions about Data Engineering Director pay.
Related tools