Lead Test Engineer Visa Sponsorship Jobs in California
Lead test engineer visa sponsorship jobs are concentrated across California's major tech corridors, with employers like Apple, Google, Meta, and Salesforce regularly hiring for these roles in the Bay Area, Los Angeles, and San Diego. California's dense software and semiconductor sectors make it one of the most active states for lead test engineer sponsorship nationwide.
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Job Title: Principal System Test Engineer and Lead - Wireless
Posting Start Date: 11/4/26
Job Location(s): San Jose
If you are looking for a challenging and exciting career in the world of technology, then look no further. Skyworks is an innovator of high-performance analog semiconductors whose solutions are powering the wireless networking revolution. Through our broad technology expertise and one of the most extensive product portfolios in the industry, we are Connecting Everyone and Everything, All the Time.
At Skyworks, you will find a fast-paced environment with a strong focus on global collaboration, minimal layers of management, and the freedom to make meaningful contributions in a setting that encourages creative thinking. We are excited about the opportunity to work with you and glad you want to be part of a team of talented individuals who together are changing the way the world communicates.
Requisition ID: 79046
Description
We are looking for a hands-on System Test Engineer / Test Lead with to own system-level testing of our wireless products. You will define and run test plans, build the automation behind them, and make testability a design requirement from day one.
You will work side by side with software engineers on FPGA prototypes and silicon. The role is part strategist, part lab engineer: you decide what to test and how, then go into the shield room and the sniffer captures to prove it.
Responsibilities
- Define test strategy and plans. Turn requirements and specs into system test plans covering function, performance, stress and regression, with clear entry and exit criteria.
- Execute and report. Run test campaigns on FPGA prototypes, evaluation boards and silicon. Drive failures to root cause with software, firmware and hardware engineers, and report status and quality clearly.
- Drive testability. Shape designs early so issues can be reproduced and isolated: logging, test modes, debug hooks and instrumentation in firmware and FPGA builds.
- Test the MAC and networking layers. Validate MAC behavior such as association, security, power save, aggregation, QoS, rate adaptation and multi-link operation, plus networking features like mesh and throughput under load.
- Own the lab setups. Design and run conducted and over-the-air setups: shield rooms, attenuators, signal generators, sniffers and multi-node topologies, including mesh.
- Build automation with AI. Write and maintain test scripts and frameworks, using AI coding tools to generate, review and extend test code, and run tests in CI.
- Lead the test effort. Set test practices, review others' plans and scripts, and be the quality voice in program reviews.
Required Experience and Skills
- 10–15 years in system test, validation or verification of embedded or wireless products, including leading test planning for a program or team.
- A track record of writing system test plans from requirements and running them to closure.
- Hands-on skill setting up wireless sniffers and reading packet captures (for example Wireshark or OmniPeek) to debug protocol behavior.
- Hands-on experience with shield room and RF enclosure testing, including conducted and over-the-air setups.
- Strong test scripting skills in Python or a similar language, including building reusable test frameworks.
- Demonstrated use of AI tools to develop test scripts: generating test cases, writing and refactoring automation, and analyzing logs, with the judgment to review what they produce.
- Experience testing alongside software engineers on FPGA-based prototypes, including working with logs, debug consoles and build-and-flash workflows.
- Clear written communication: test reports and bug reports that engineers can act on.
- Bachelor's degree in electrical engineering, computer engineering, computer science or a related field, or equivalent experience.
Desired Experience and Skills
- Domain knowledge of Wi-Fi (802.11ax/be), Bluetooth (Classic and LE) or cellular (LTE, 5G NR), including coexistence between radios.
- Experience testing the MAC layer and networking features of wireless systems, such as multi-link operation, OFDMA scheduling, power save, roaming and WPA3 security.
- Working with signal generators, signal analyzers, channel emulators and programmable attenuators.
- Building and testing networking topologies such as mesh, multi-AP and multi-client setups, including interference scenarios and traffic tools like iperf.
Success after 12 months looks like
- Each active program has a system test plan traced to its requirements and reviewed with engineering.
- An automated regression suite runs in CI on FPGA and silicon builds, and engineers trust its results.
- Testability features are a standing item in design reviews, not an afterthought.
- The lab supports repeatable shield room and mesh-topology tests that others on the team can run.
The typical base pay range for this role across the U.S. is currently USD $122,900 - $255,200 per year. Starting base pay will depend on relevant experience and skills, training and education, business needs, market demands, the ultimate job duties and requirements, and work location. Skyworks has different base pay ranges for different work locations in the U.S. Benefits include access to healthcare benefits (including a premium-free medical plan option), a 401(k) plan and company match, an employee stock purchase plan, paid time off (including vacation, sick/wellness, parental leave), among others. Employees are eligible to participate in an incentive plan, and certain roles are also eligible for additional awards, including recognition and stock. These incentives and awards are based on individual and/or company performance.
Skyworks is an Equal Opportunity Employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, age, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability, protected veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by law. Skyworks strives to create an accessible workplace; if you need an accommodation due to a disability, please contact us at accommodations@skyworksinc.com.
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Lead Test Engineer Job Roles in California
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Search Lead Test Engineer Jobs in CaliforniaLead Test Engineer Jobs in California: Frequently Asked Questions
Which companies sponsor visas for lead test engineers in California?
California's largest technology employers, including Apple, Google, Meta, Salesforce, Nvidia, Qualcomm, and Cisco, have consistent histories of sponsoring work visas for lead test engineers. Semiconductor and hardware firms concentrated in Silicon Valley and San Diego are particularly active, as the role's requirements align well with specialty occupation standards that support H-1B visa sponsorship. Checking an employer's public LCA filing history gives a concrete signal of past sponsorship activity.
Which visa types realistically fit lead test engineer roles in California?
Lead test engineers in California most commonly pursue H-1B sponsorship, which requires the role to qualify as a specialty occupation tied to a relevant bachelor's degree in computer science, electrical engineering, or a related field. Canadian and Mexican nationals may qualify for TN visa status under the Engineer category, provided they hold an appropriate engineering degree. F-1 students with STEM-designated degrees may use OPT or STEM OPT while pursuing sponsorship. Australian nationals can explore the E-3 visa, and those from Chile or Singapore may qualify for H-1B1 visa.
How to find lead test engineer visa sponsorship jobs in California?
Migrate Mate lists California employers with verified sponsorship histories for lead test engineer roles, so you can focus your search on companies that have already filed for similar positions rather than applying broadly. The platform covers active job openings across Silicon Valley, Los Angeles, and San Diego, filtered to roles where employers have demonstrated willingness to sponsor. This saves significant time compared to manually researching employer filings for each application.
Which cities in California have the most lead test engineer sponsorship jobs?
The San Francisco Bay Area, particularly San Jose, Santa Clara, Sunnyvale, and Mountain View, holds the highest concentration of lead test engineer sponsorship jobs in California due to the density of hardware, semiconductor, and cloud software employers. Los Angeles has a growing presence driven by aerospace, gaming, and enterprise software companies. San Diego is a strong secondary market, especially for lead test engineers in the defense electronics and wireless communications sectors, where Qualcomm and several defense contractors are based.
Are there state-specific factors that affect lead test engineer sponsorship in California?
California's large public research university system, including UC Berkeley, UCLA, UC San Diego, and Stanford, produces a steady pipeline of engineering graduates, which means employers in the state are experienced with F-1 OPT hiring and transitions to H-1B sponsorship. The state's concentration of semiconductor fabs and consumer electronics product cycles also creates recurring demand for lead test engineers with hardware validation experience, a specialization that strengthens the specialty occupation case needed for H-1B petitions.
What is the prevailing wage for sponsored lead test engineer jobs in California?
U.S. employers sponsoring a visa must pay at least the prevailing wage, which is what workers in the same role, area, and experience level typically earn. The Department of Labor sets this rate to make sure companies aren't hiring foreign workers simply because they'd accept lower pay than a U.S. worker. It varies by job title, location, and experience. You can look up current prevailing wage rates for any occupation and location using the OFLC Wage Search page.