Technical Lead Manager Jobs in California

Technical Lead Manager jobs in California are among the most actively recruited in the country, concentrated in software engineering, cloud infrastructure, and product development across the technology, fintech, and enterprise software sectors, with openings from first-time leads through senior engineering directors. The largest hiring markets are San Francisco, Los Angeles, and San Jose, where companies like Google, Apple, and Salesforce maintain major engineering operations and consistently bring on technical lead managers at multiple levels. The most in-demand specialties are distributed systems leadership, platform engineering management, and AI or machine learning team leads. Find a role that fits below and apply directly.

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Overview

Open roles42+
Top employerWaymo
Top cityMountain View, CA
Cities hiring12
Work type60% Hybrid
Top industryTechnology

Showing 5 of 42+ Technical Lead Manager jobs

Eli Lilly
Software Product Engineering Technical Lead/Manager
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Eli Lilly
Added 3d ago
Software Product Engineering Technical Lead/Manager
Eli Lilly
San Francisco, California
Software Engineering
Technical Product & Program Management
Project & Program Management
Cloud & DevOps
Cybersecurity
Technical Program Management
Project Management
Cloud Engineering
$138k - $246k/yr
Hybrid
Bachelor's
10,000+

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Waymo
Technical Lead Manager
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Waymo
Added 1w ago
Technical Lead Manager
Waymo
Mountain View, California
Software Engineering
Technical Product & Program Management
$251k - $310k/yr
On-Site
Master's

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OpenAI
Technical Lead Manager
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OpenAI
Added 1w ago
Technical Lead Manager
OpenAI
San Francisco, California
Software Engineering
Data Engineering
Technical Product & Program Management
$295k - $445k/yr
On-Site
None
51-200

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OpenAI
Technical Lead Manager, Data Engineering
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OpenAI
Added 2w ago
Technical Lead Manager, Data Engineering
OpenAI
San Francisco, California
Data Engineering
Technical Product & Program Management
Project & Program Management
Technical Program Management
Project Management
$385k - $490k/yr
On-Site
None
51-200

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Waymo
Technical Lead Manager, Perception, Vehicle Understanding
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Waymo
Added 2w ago
Technical Lead Manager, Perception, Vehicle Understanding
Waymo
Mountain View, California
Software Engineering
Technical Product & Program Management
$251k - $310k/yr
Hybrid
Bachelor's

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See All 42 Technical Lead Manager Jobs in California

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

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Technical Lead Manager Jobs by City in California

Where California roles are concentrated, by current openings.

Mountain View
19 jobs
San Francisco
8 jobs
San Mateo
3 jobs
Los Angeles
2 jobs
San Jose
2 jobs
Sunnyvale
2 jobs
Burlingame
1 jobs
Cupertino
1 jobs
Emeryville
1 jobs

Technical Lead Manager Job Market in California

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

Who's Hiring

  • Waymo
    Waymo10
  • Aurora
    Aurora5
  • OpenAI
    OpenAI3
  • Glean Technologies
    Glean Technologies2
  • Nuro
    Nuro2

Top Industries Hiring

  • Technology & Software26
  • Artificial Intelligence7
  • Automotive6
  • Science & Research5
  • Electronics & Hardware3

What California Employers Look For

The qualifications that appear most often in technical lead manager jobs across California.

  • Bachelor's degree in computer science, software engineering, or a closely related technical field
  • Five or more years of software engineering experience with at least two years in a lead or staff role
  • Demonstrated experience managing or mentoring engineers on cross-functional California-based or distributed teams
  • Proficiency in one or more major programming languages such as Python, Java, Go, or C++
  • Experience owning technical roadmaps, system design reviews, and architecture decisions end to end
  • Familiarity with Agile or Scrum delivery frameworks and engineering best practices at scale

Technical Lead Manager Jobs in California: Frequently Asked Questions

How do you become a technical lead manager in California?

The standard path is to build several years of hands-on software engineering experience, move into a senior or staff engineer role, and then transition into people management by leading a small team or project. California employers typically look for candidates who have owned a meaningful technical domain, mentored junior engineers, and driven delivery outcomes before promoting into a formal management title. No state-issued license is required, but a computer science degree or equivalent demonstrated engineering depth is a strong foundation.

How much do technical lead managers make in California?

Technical lead managers in California earn a median of about $218,290 a year, based on May 2025 Bureau of Labor Statistics wage data, ranging from around $129,970 for the lowest 10% to over $325,970 for the top 10%. Pay rises with experience, specialty, and employer.

Which companies hire technical lead managers in California?

Employers hiring technical lead managers in California right now include Waymo, Aurora, and OpenAI, based on current listings on Migrate Mate as of June 2026. California's concentration of headquartered technology companies and major engineering hubs means openings appear across both established enterprise employers and growth-stage firms in the Bay Area and greater Los Angeles area.

Which California cities have the most technical lead manager jobs?

Mountain View, San Francisco, and San Mateo have the most technical lead manager openings in California. The Bay Area's density of technology headquarters and large engineering organizations drives the volume in San Francisco and San Jose, while Los Angeles has expanded rapidly as a hub for media technology, fintech, and enterprise software companies that have established substantial engineering teams in the region.

Are there remote technical lead manager jobs in California?

Yes, and more than most fields. About 60% of technical lead manager openings tied to California are remote or hybrid as of June 2026, reflecting how naturally the role fits distributed engineering environments. The parts of the role most commonly done remotely are one-on-ones, code reviews, roadmap planning, and cross-team coordination, while in-person work tends to cluster around onboarding, major planning cycles, and executive reviews.

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

The most realistic entry point is a senior individual contributor role at a California employer that offers formal lead programs or rotational engineering tracks, such as those run by large Bay Area technology companies and enterprise software firms. Moving from a staff engineer, tech lead, or principal engineer title into a management role after demonstrating people leadership on a project is the most common lateral path. Building a portfolio of architectural decisions, mentoring contributions, and delivery ownership is the credential that opens the door when a formal management background is absent.

Where can I find and apply to technical lead manager jobs in California?

You can find and apply to technical lead manager jobs in California on Migrate Mate, which lists current California openings from employers actively hiring for the role. Find roles that fit your experience level and location preference and apply directly to the ones that match.

See All 42 Technical Lead Manager Jobs in California

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

Find Technical Lead Manager Jobs