Engineering Design Manager Jobs in California

Engineering Design Manager jobs in California are among the most active in the country, concentrated in aerospace and defense, semiconductor manufacturing, clean energy, and consumer electronics across seniority levels from lead engineer through principal design manager. The largest hiring metros are the San Francisco Bay Area, Los Angeles, and San Diego, where anchor employers such as Apple, Northrop Grumman, and Qualcomm maintain significant engineering leadership headcount. Product development, systems integration, and hardware design management are the most consistently sought specialties in California listings. Find a role that fits below and apply directly.

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Overview

Open roles124+
Top employerTesla
Top citySan Jose, CA
Cities hiring41
Work type59% On-site
Top industryElectronics

Showing 5 of 124+ Engineering Design Manager jobs

GlobalFoundries
Design Application Engineering Intern (Summer 2027)
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GlobalFoundries
Added 2d ago
Design Application Engineering Intern (Summer 2027)
GlobalFoundries
Santa Clara, California
Compliance & Risk
Health & Safety
Project Management
$20 - $40/hr
10,000+

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Cisco
System Hardware Board Design Engineering Lead (PCB) (Onsite)
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Cisco
Added 3d ago
System Hardware Board Design Engineering Lead (PCB) (Onsite)
Cisco
Milpitas, California
Customer Service
Customer Support
$151k - $251k/yr
On-Site
Bachelor's degree in electrical engineering
10,000+

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The Aerospace Corporation
Title Digital Design Engineer – Senior Engineering Specialist
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The Aerospace Corporation
Added 4d ago
Title Digital Design Engineer – Senior Engineering Specialist
The Aerospace Corporation
El Segundo, California
Business Development
Growth Marketing
Marketing
$151k - $227k/yr
On-Site
Bachelor's degree in electrical engineering
1,001-5,000

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L3Harris
Mechanical Design Engineering Intern
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L3Harris
Added 5d ago
Mechanical Design Engineering Intern
L3Harris
Canoga Park, California
Business Development
Growth Marketing
Marketing
$25 - $47.5/hr
10,000+

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Tesla
Internship, Mechanical Design Engineer, Vehicle Power Electronics, Energy Engineering (Winter/Spring 2027)
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Tesla
Added 5d ago
Internship, Mechanical Design Engineer, Vehicle Power Electronics, Energy Engineering (Winter/Spring 2027)
Tesla
Palo Alto, California
Compliance & Risk
Environmental Science
Health & Safety
Specialized Engineering
$20 - $50/hr
10,000+

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See All 124+ Engineering Design Manager Jobs in California

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Engineering Design Manager Jobs by City in California

Where California roles are concentrated, by current openings.

San Jose
20 jobs
Palo Alto
16 jobs
San Diego
11 jobs
San Francisco
11 jobs
Sunnyvale
6 jobs
Irvine
5 jobs
Fremont
5 jobs
Milpitas
5 jobs
Menlo Park
4 jobs

Engineering Design Manager Job Market in California

A snapshot from current California openings, updated as new roles post.

Who's Hiring

  • Tesla
    Tesla16
  • SpaceX
    SpaceX11
  • Meta
    Meta7
  • TikTok
    TikTok4
  • General Atomics
    General Atomics4

Top Industries Hiring

  • Electronics & Hardware
  • Technology & Software
  • Aerospace & Defense
  • Retail
  • Education

What California Employers Look For

The qualifications that appear most often in engineering design manager jobs across California.

  • Bachelor's or master's degree in mechanical, electrical, or systems engineering from an accredited institution
  • Professional Engineer (PE) license issued or recognized by the California Board for Professional Engineers, Land Surveyors, and Geologists
  • Seven or more years of progressive engineering experience including people management or team leadership
  • Demonstrated experience leading cross-functional product development programs in a regulated California industry such as aerospace, defense, or semiconductor
  • Proficiency with CAD, PLM, or EDA tools commonly used across California's hardware engineering environments
  • Strong communication skills and experience partnering with product, program, and manufacturing teams in matrixed organizations

Engineering Design Manager Jobs in California: Frequently Asked Questions

How do you become a engineering design manager in California?

The most direct path is earning an accredited engineering degree, gaining several years of hands-on design experience, and then moving into a team lead or senior engineer role before stepping up to management. In California, holding or pursuing a Professional Engineer license through the California Board for Professional Engineers, Land Surveyors, and Geologists strengthens your candidacy, particularly in aerospace, defense, and civil-adjacent disciplines. Employers in the Bay Area and Southern California typically promote internally from senior individual contributor roles.

Which companies hire engineering design managers in California?

Employers hiring engineering design managers in California right now include Tesla, SpaceX, and Meta, based on current listings on Migrate Mate as of September 2026. California's concentration of aerospace primes, semiconductor firms, and consumer electronics headquarters means engineering design manager openings appear across a wide range of product categories and company sizes.

Which California cities have the most engineering design manager jobs?

San Jose, Palo Alto, and San Diego have the most engineering design manager openings in California. The Bay Area's density of semiconductor, software-hardware, and clean energy companies drives the volume there, while Los Angeles and San Diego are anchored by a mix of aerospace and defense primes, medical device firms, and consumer electronics operations that maintain large engineering leadership teams.

Are there remote engineering design manager jobs in California?

Yes, but they're less common than in purely digital roles because engineering design management often requires on-site collaboration with lab teams, hardware prototypes, and manufacturing partners. About 41% of engineering design manager openings tied to California are remote or hybrid as of September 2026, and the remote-eligible share tends to skew toward program oversight, systems architecture review, and vendor coordination responsibilities rather than hands-on lab or build work.

How can I get hired as a engineering design manager in California with little or no experience?

The most realistic entry point is securing a senior individual contributor role first, then transitioning into management. Large California employers such as aerospace primes in El Segundo and Seal Beach and semiconductor companies in San Jose and San Diego regularly hire new graduates into rotational engineering programs that develop the cross-functional exposure managers need. Building a PE license application, contributing to product launches, and taking on informal lead responsibilities on a project team are the credentials and experiences that open engineering design manager doors in this state.

Where can I find and apply to engineering design manager jobs in California?

You can find and apply to engineering design manager jobs in California on Migrate Mate, which lists current California openings updated regularly. Find the roles that fit your background and apply directly to the employers posting them.

See All 124+ Engineering Design Manager Jobs in California

Find roles in California that match your experience and apply in just a few clicks.

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