Senior Staff Engineer Jobs in San Diego, CA

Senior Staff Engineer jobs in San Diego are actively hiring across Sorrento Valley, Torrey Pines, and downtown's Little Italy tech corridor, with strong demand in defense technology, biotech, and software infrastructure. Employers actively posting roles include Qualcomm, Shield AI, and Dexcom. Scan the live roles below and apply to whichever ones fit.

Find Senior Staff Engineer Jobs

Overview

Open roles502+
Top employerQualcomm
Work type89% On-site
Top credentialBachelor's degree in electrical engineering
Companies hiring15

Showing 5 of 502+ Senior Staff Engineer jobs

Qualcomm
Thermal Limits Engineer, Senior Staff
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Qualcomm
New 7h ago
Thermal Limits Engineer, Senior Staff
Qualcomm
San Diego, California
AI (Artificial Intelligence)
Data Science
$187k - $280k/yr
Master's degree
10,000+

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Dexcom
Senior Staff Hardware Engineer
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Dexcom
Added 2d ago
Senior Staff Hardware Engineer
Dexcom
San Diego, California
Account Management
Business Development
Sales
$172k - $287k/yr
Master's degree
5,001-10,000

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Synopsys
Sr Staff Advanced Package Design Engineer - 18918
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Synopsys
Added 2d ago
Sr Staff Advanced Package Design Engineer - 18918
Synopsys
San Diego, California
Cloud Engineering
Cybersecurity
Systems Administration
$144k - $216k/yr
On-Site
10,000+

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Qualcomm
Senior Staff Engineer, Machine Learning Engineering ( On-device SW )
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Qualcomm
Added 2d ago
Senior Staff Engineer, Machine Learning Engineering ( On-device SW )
Qualcomm
San Diego, California
Electrical Engineering
Engineering (Non-Software)
Project & Program Management
$194k - $292k/yr
Doctoral degree in Computer Science
10,000+

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Intuit
Senior Staff Software Engineer - Customer Success
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Intuit
Added 3d ago
Senior Staff Software Engineer - Customer Success
Intuit
San Diego, California
Business Operations
Consulting & Professional Services
Healthcare Administration
Quality Assurance & Testing (QA Testing)
$206k - $278k/yr
Bachelor of Science
10,000+

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See All 502+ Senior Staff Engineer Jobs in San Diego

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Senior Staff Engineer Job Market in San Diego

Who's Hiring

  • Qualcomm
    Qualcomm199
  • Shield AI
    Shield AI120
  • Dexcom
    Dexcom32
  • M
    Murata America32
  • Northrop Grumman
    Northrop Grumman32

Top Industries Hiring

  • Technology & Software72
  • Telecommunications64
  • Electronics & Hardware64
  • Medical Devices16
  • Aerospace & Defense16

Senior Staff Engineer Jobs in San Diego: Frequently Asked Questions

How do I get a senior staff engineer job in San Diego?

Focus your search on San Diego's defense and aerospace contractors clustered around Miramar and Kearny Mesa, the biotech and life sciences firms concentrated in Torrey Pines and Sorrento Valley, and the software and cloud infrastructure companies based downtown and in Carmel Valley. Candidates who combine deep systems or platform engineering experience with cross-functional leadership stand out most in this market, as San Diego employers consistently prioritize engineers who can own architecture decisions end-to-end.

Which companies hire senior staff engineers in San Diego?

Employers hiring senior staff engineers in San Diego right now include Qualcomm, Shield AI, and Dexcom, based on current listings on Migrate Mate as of October 2026. San Diego's hiring mix leans heavily toward defense contractors, biotech and medical device firms, and high-growth software companies, giving senior staff engineers a wide range of industry contexts to choose from.

Are there remote senior staff engineer jobs in San Diego?

Yes, though availability depends heavily on the discipline, since senior staff engineers in hardware, lab, or defense-adjacent roles are almost always required on site, while those in cloud infrastructure, platform engineering, and software architecture work remotely far more often. About 11% of senior staff engineer openings tied to San Diego are remote or hybrid as of October 2026, with most flexibility concentrated in pure software and data platform roles. Defense and biotech positions in San Diego typically require full on-site presence.

How can I get a senior staff engineer job in San Diego with little or no experience?

The most realistic entry path in San Diego is building foundational engineering depth through mid-level roles at the city's many defense primes, biotech firms, or software companies before stepping into staff-level scope. San Diego's large contractor ecosystem, including firms around Kearny Mesa and Miramar, frequently hire engineers at the senior level who then grow into staff responsibilities internally, making those employers a strong target for candidates building toward the role. Demonstrating ownership of a system or architectural decision, even at smaller San Diego startups in Carmel Valley or Little Italy, can accelerate that trajectory significantly.

Which industries hire the most senior staff engineers in San Diego?

The sectors hiring the most senior staff engineers in San Diego are Technology & Software, Telecommunications, and Electronics & Hardware, based on current listings on Migrate Mate as of October 2026. San Diego's combination of a large naval and defense presence, a world-class biotech corridor in Torrey Pines, and a growing software infrastructure scene makes it one of the more diversified markets for senior engineering talent on the West Coast.

See All 502+ Senior Staff Engineer Jobs in San Diego

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