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Hardware Engineering
IC6 - Advisory
The median salary range for Hardware Engineering (IC6) roles disclosed in public job postings is $168k - $230k as of Jul 2026, based on 3,153 job postings from 160 companies.
Salary Range
Low
$167,625
16%
Mid
$198,813
16%
High
$230,000
Data Points
Sort By
Sr. Principal DSP Architect
Santa Clara
·5-10 Years Experience
·Last Posted: Feb 2026
$160k - $260k
$160,000 - $260,000
Senior Principal Technologist – Memory
United States
·10+ Years Experience
$205k - $255k
$205,000 - $255,000
Senior Principal Technologist – Memory
San Jose
·10+ Years Experience
$205k - $255k
$205,000 - $255,000
Senior Principal Digital Design Engineer
San Jose
·12+ Years Experience
$205k - $255k
$205,000 - $255,000
Photonic Packaging Engineer, Principal
United States
·10+ Years Experience
$205k - $255k
$205,000 - $255,000
Photonic Packaging Engineer, Principal
San Jose
·10+ Years Experience
$205k - $255k
$205,000 - $255,000
Optical Test Engineer, Principal
United States
$205k - $255k
$205,000 - $255,000
Optical Test Engineer, Principal
San Jose
$205k - $255k
$205,000 - $255,000
Senior Firmware Engineer (Senior-Senior Principal)
San Jose
·Last Posted: Apr 2026
$135k - $255k
$135,000 - $255,000
Senior Principal Physical Design Engineer
San Jose
·10+ Years Experience
·Last Posted: Mar 2026
$238k - $250k
$237,500 - $250,000
Senior Principal System Validation Engineer (AI Fabric Switches)
San Jose
·12+ Years Experience
·Last Posted: Mar 2026
$237k - $250k
$237,000 - $250,000
Principal Physical Design Engineer, Methodology
United States
·8+ Years Experience
$185k - $240k
$185,000 - $240,000
Principal Physical Design Engineer, Methodology
San Jose
·8+ Years Experience
$185k - $240k
$185,000 - $240,000
Principal Optical Module Validation Engineer
San Jose
·8+ Years Experience
·Last Posted: Jul 2026
$160k - $240k
$160,000 - $240,000
Principal Optical Module Validation Engineer
United States
·8+ Years Experience
·Last Posted: Jul 2026
$160k - $240k
$160,000 - $240,000
Principal PCIe/Ethernet Electrical Validation Engineer
Santa Clara
·8+ Years Experience
·Last Posted: Feb 2026
$160k - $240k
$160,000 - $240,000
Principal System Validation Engineer – SerDes/Ethernet (PAM4)
San Jose
·8-12 Years Experience
·Last Posted: Apr 2026
$209k - $230k
$209,000 - $230,000
Principal Power and Board Design Engineer
San Jose
·8-10 Years Experience
$209k - $230k
$209,000 - $230,000
Principal Emulation Engineer
San Jose
·8+ Years Experience
$209k - $230k
$209,000 - $230,000
Principle Design Verification Engineer SerDes/PHY
United States
·8+ Years Experience
$207k - $230k
$207,000 - $230,000
Principle Design Verification Engineer SerDes/PHY
San Jose
·8+ Years Experience
$207k - $230k
$207,000 - $230,000
Principal Signal and Power Integrity Engineer
San Jose
·8+ Years Experience
$203k - $230k
$203,000 - $230,000
Principal Firmware Engineer
San Jose
·8+ Years Experience
·Last Posted: Apr 2026
$203k - $230k
$203,000 - $230,000
Principal System Validation Engineer – SerDes/Ethernet (PAM4)
San Jose
·8-12 Years Experience
·Last Posted: Jun 2026
$200k - $230k
$200,000 - $230,000
Principal System Validation Engineer – SerDes/Ethernet (PAM4)
United States
·8-12 Years Experience
·Last Posted: Jun 2026
$200k - $230k
$200,000 - $230,000
Principal Package Thermal & Mechanical Engineer
United States
·8+ Years Experience
·Last Posted: Jun 2026
$185k - $230k
$185,000 - $230,000
Principal Package Thermal & Mechanical Engineer
San Jose
·8+ Years Experience
·Last Posted: Jun 2026
$185k - $230k
$185,000 - $230,000
Principal PCIe Silicon Validation Engineer
San Jose
·10+ Years Experience
$185k - $230k
$185,000 - $230,000
Principal Optical Reliability Engineer
United States
·8+ Years Experience
·Last Posted: May 2026
$185k - $230k
$185,000 - $230,000
Principal Optical Reliability Engineer
San Jose
·8+ Years Experience
·Last Posted: May 2026
$185k - $230k
$185,000 - $230,000
Principal Electronics Engineer - Board Validation
San Jose
·10+ Years Experience
·Last Posted: Jun 2026
$185k - $230k
$185,000 - $230,000
Principal Digital Design Engineer (AI Fabric)
San Jose
·8+ Years Experience
$185k - $230k
$185,000 - $230,000
Principal Digital Design Engineer
San Jose
·10+ Years Experience
$185k - $230k
$185,000 - $230,000
Principal Digital Design Engineer
United States
·8+ Years Experience
·Last Posted: Jun 2026
$185k - $230k
$185,000 - $230,000
Principal Digital Design Engineer
San Jose
·8+ Years Experience
·Last Posted: Jun 2026
$185k - $230k
$185,000 - $230,000
Principal Design Verification Engineer
United States
·8+ Years Experience
$185k - $230k
$185,000 - $230,000
Principal Design Verification Engineer
San Jose
·8+ Years Experience
$185k - $230k
$185,000 - $230,000
Principal Engineer, SOC IP Systems & Lifecycle Management
United States
$175k - $230k
$175,000 - $230,000
Principal Engineer, SOC IP Systems & Lifecycle Management
San Jose
$175k - $230k
$175,000 - $230,000
Senior Principal Chip Top Physical Design Engineer
State of Israel
·15+ Years Experience
N/A
N/A
Principal Silicon Validation Engineer
San Jose
·10+ Years Experience
N/A
N/A
Principal Physical Design Engineer, STA
United States
·10+ Years Experience
N/A
N/A
Principal Physical Design Engineer, STA
San Jose
·10+ Years Experience
N/A
N/A
Staff/ Principal Physical Design Engineer - SoC EMIR Expert
State of Israel
·10+ Years Experience
N/A
N/A
Optical Firmware Engineer, Principal
United States
·12+ Years Experience
N/A
N/A
Optical Firmware Engineer, Principal
San Jose
·12+ Years Experience
N/A
N/A
Principal Emulation Engineer
State of Israel
·10+ Years Experience
N/A
N/A
Principal Electrical Engineer – Smart Cable Modules
Shanghai
·10-12 Years Experience
N/A
N/A
Principal Electrical Engineer – Smart Cable Modules
People's Republic of China
·10-12 Years Experience
N/A
N/A
Principal Digital Design Engineer
United States
·5-10 Years Experience
N/A
N/A
Principal Digital Design Engineer
San Jose
·5-10 Years Experience
N/A
N/A
Principal Digital Design Engineer
Republic of India
·10+ Years Experience
N/A
N/A
Principal Digital Design Engineer
Bengaluru
·10+ Years Experience
N/A
N/A
Principal Design Verification Engineer – CXL / PCIe / Ethernet
Republic of India
N/A
N/A
Principal Design Verification Engineer – CXL / PCIe / Ethernet
Bengaluru
N/A
N/A
Principal DFT Engineer
State of Israel
·12+ Years Experience
N/A
N/A
Expert IC Package Design Lead
State of Israel
·10+ Years Experience
N/A
N/A
Distinguished Engineer – Server Firmware & System Architecture
Remote
·15+ Years Experience
N/A
N/A
Distinguished Engineer – Server Firmware & System Architecture
United States
·15+ Years Experience
N/A
N/A
Principal Optical Hardware Engineer.
United States
·10+ Years Experience
·Last Posted: May 2026
$150k - $230k
$150,000 - $230,000
Principal Optical Hardware Engineer.
Santa Clara
·10+ Years Experience
·Last Posted: May 2026
$150k - $230k
$150,000 - $230,000
Principal Optical Hardware Engineer.
United States
·10+ Years Experience
·Last Posted: May 2026
$150k - $230k
$150,000 - $230,000
Principal Optical Hardware Engineer.
Santa Clara
·10+ Years Experience
·Last Posted: May 2026
$150k - $230k
$150,000 - $230,000
R&D Engineer
United States
·15+ Years Experience
$168k - $268k
$167,500 - $268,000
R&D Engineer
San Jose
·15+ Years Experience
$168k - $268k
$167,500 - $268,000
R&D Engineer
San Jose
·15+ Years Experience
·Last Posted: May 2026
$164k - $262k
$163,800 - $262,000
R&D Engineer
United States
·15+ Years Experience
·Last Posted: May 2026
$164k - $262k
$163,800 - $262,000
Yield Improvement Engineer
Fort Collins
·15+ Years Experience
·Last Posted: Mar 2026
$147k - $236k
$147,400 - $235,800
Yield Improvement Engineer
United States
·15+ Years Experience
·Last Posted: Mar 2026
$147k - $236k
$147,400 - $235,800
Senior Custom ASIC Engineering Lead
United States
·12+ Years Experience
$144k - $230k
$143,800 - $230,000
Senior Custom ASIC Engineering Lead
San Jose
·12+ Years Experience
$144k - $230k
$143,800 - $230,000
Senior Custom ASIC Engineering Lead
San Jose
·12+ Years Experience
·Last Posted: Jul 2026
$144k - $230k
$143,800 - $230,000
Senior Custom ASIC Engineering Lead
United States
·12+ Years Experience
·Last Posted: Jul 2026
$144k - $230k
$143,800 - $230,000
Hardware Engineer 5
United States
·Last Posted: Jun 2026
$144k - $230k
$143,800 - $230,000
Hardware Engineer 5
San Jose
·Last Posted: Jun 2026
$144k - $230k
$143,800 - $230,000
Principal IC SoC Integration and Design Engineer
United States
·12+ Years Experience
$129k - $207k
$129,400 - $207,000
Principal IC Design Engineer
United States
·12+ Years Experience
$127k - $203k
$127,100 - $203,400
Principal IC Design Engineer
Broomfield
·12+ Years Experience
$127k - $203k
$127,100 - $203,400
Senior Serdes System Design Engineer/Architect
United States
·8+ Years Experience
$108k - $192k
$108,000 - $192,000
Senior Serdes System Design Engineer/Architect
Austin
·8+ Years Experience
$108k - $192k
$108,000 - $192,000
R&D Engineer Adv Tech Dev (PKE) / Sr. Staff
Republic of Singapore
·8+ Years Experience
N/A
N/A
R&D Engineer Adv Tech Dev (PKE) / Sr. Staff
Singapore
·8+ Years Experience
N/A
N/A
Senior Custom ASIC Engineering Lead
United States
·12+ Years Experience
N/A
N/A
Senior Custom ASIC Engineering Lead
San Jose
·12+ Years Experience
N/A
N/A
IC Design Technical Lead
Malaysia
·15+ Years Experience
N/A
N/A
Analog/Mixed Signal IC Design Engineer (Principal/Staff)
Republic of Singapore
·10+ Years Experience
N/A
N/A
Analog/Mixed Signal IC Design Engineer (Principal/Staff)
Singapore
·10+ Years Experience
N/A
N/A
Principal Mechanical Engineer
San Jose
·12+ Years Experience
·Last Posted: Jul 2026
$222k - $250k
$222,000 - $250,000
Senior Mission Lead Systems Engineer
San Jose
·10+ Years Experience
$142k - $208k
$142,000 - $208,000
Senior Substation Engineer - Transformer Specialist
Denver
·15+ Years Experience
·Last Posted: Feb 2026
$150k - $230k
$150,168 - $229,647
Principal DCIM Design Engineer
Remote
·10+ Years Experience
·Last Posted: Mar 2026
$133k - $227k
$133,300 - $227,499
Principal MEMS Development Engineer
Santa Clara
·3+ Years Experience
$165k - $227k
$164,800 - $226,600
Principal Engineer, Infrastructure Hardware
Santa Clara
·7+ Years Experience
$165k - $227k
$164,800 - $226,600
Principal Hardware Signal Integrity / Power Integrity Architect
Santa Clara
$165k - $227k
$164,800 - $226,600
Principal FPGA Design Engineer
Santa Clara
·10+ Years Experience
$165k - $227k
$164,800 - $226,600
Principal Engineer, Package Design
Santa Clara
·10+ Years Experience
·Last Posted: Jul 2026
$165k - $227k
$164,800 - $226,600
Principal Engineer, CAD
Santa Clara
·7+ Years Experience
$165k - $227k
$164,800 - $226,600
Principal Analog Mixed-Signal Design Engineer
Santa Clara
·10+ Years Experience
$165k - $227k
$164,800 - $226,600
Sr. Principal Analog Mixed-Signal Design Engineer
Tokyo
·15+ Years Experience
N/A
N/A
Principal Analog Mixed-Signal Design Engineer
Tokyo
·12+ Years Experience
N/A
N/A
Principal Engineer, Analog Mixed-Signal Desig
Remote
N/A
N/A
Principal Engineer, Analog Mixed-Signal Desig
Berlin
N/A
N/A
Principal Engineer, Analog Mixed-Signal Desig
Federal Republic of Germany
N/A
N/A
Principal Firmware Engineer
Mountain View
·12+ Years Experience
$230k - $260k
$230,000 - $260,000
Senior Staff Reliability Engineer - Power Electronics
Mountain View
·Last Posted: Jul 2026
$165k - $193k
$165,000 - $192,500
Principal Engineer, Physical Implementation
California
·Last Posted: May 2026
$200k - $240k
$200,000 - $240,000
Distinguished Engineer, Analog ASIC
California
·15+ Years Experience
·Last Posted: Feb 2026
$225k
$225,000
Distinguished Engineer, Analog ASIC
New York City
·15+ Years Experience
·Last Posted: Feb 2026
$225k
$225,000
Distinguished Engineer, ASIC (CONTRACT)
New York City
N/A
N/A
Distinguished Engineer, ASIC (CONTRACT)
Burlington
N/A
N/A
Distinguished Engineer, ASIC (CONTRACT)
California
N/A
N/A
Principal Engineer, Physical Implementation
California
·Last Posted: May 2026
$200k - $240k
$200,000 - $240,000
Distinguished Engineer, Analog ASIC
New York City
·15+ Years Experience
·Last Posted: Feb 2026
$225k
$225,000
Distinguished Engineer, Analog ASIC
California
·15+ Years Experience
·Last Posted: Feb 2026
$225k
$225,000
Distinguished Engineer, ASIC (CONTRACT)
New York City
N/A
N/A
Distinguished Engineer, ASIC (CONTRACT)
Burlington
N/A
N/A
Distinguished Engineer, ASIC (CONTRACT)
California
N/A
N/A
Principal Optical Engineer, Waveguide Design
Remote
·10+ Years Experience
$170k - $230k
$170,000 - $230,000
Principal Electrical Engineer, Antenna
Plantation
·10+ Years Experience
$180k - $225k
$180,000 - $225,000
Principal Electrical Engineer, Architecture
Plantation
·10+ Years Experience
$160k - $195k
$160,000 - $195,000
Principal Silicon Validation Engineer
Sunnyvale
·Last Posted: Feb 2026
$150k - $225k
$150,000 - $225,000
Principal Photonic Hardware Architect, Calibration Systems
Milpitas
·Last Posted: Jun 2026
$230k - $250k
$230,000 - $250,000
Principal Photonic Hardware Architect, Calibration Systems
United States
·Last Posted: Jun 2026
$230k - $250k
$230,000 - $250,000
Principal Photonics Design Methodology Engineer
United States
·8+ Years Experience
·Last Posted: Jun 2026
$230k - $245k
$230,000 - $245,000
Principal Photonics Design Methodology Engineer
Palo Alto
·8+ Years Experience
·Last Posted: Jun 2026
$230k - $245k
$230,000 - $245,000
Principal Optical Fiber Architect
United States
·10+ Years Experience
$170k - $230k
$170,000 - $230,000
Principal Optical Fiber Architect
Milpitas
·10+ Years Experience
$170k - $230k
$170,000 - $230,000
Principal System Integration Lead (Quantum Hardware)
United States
·10+ Years Experience
$195k - $220k
$195,000 - $220,000
Principal System Integration Lead (Quantum Hardware)
Milpitas
·10+ Years Experience
$195k - $220k
$195,000 - $220,000
Principal Power Systems Architect, Quantum Infrastructure
United States
$195k - $220k
$195,000 - $220,000
Principal Power Systems Architect, Quantum Infrastructure
Milpitas
$195k - $220k
$195,000 - $220,000
Technical Lead, Single Photon Sources Validation
United States
·12+ Years Experience
$195k - $215k
$195,000 - $215,000
Technical Lead, Single Photon Sources Validation
Milpitas
·12+ Years Experience
$195k - $215k
$195,000 - $215,000
Principal Characterization-Failure Analysis Engineer
United States
·10+ Years Experience
$165k - $200k
$165,000 - $200,000
Principal Characterization-Failure Analysis Engineer
Milpitas
·10+ Years Experience
$165k - $200k
$165,000 - $200,000
Principal Quantum Engineer
Boulder
·4+ Years Experience
$200k - $230k
$200,000 - $230,000
Principal RF Engineer
Boulder
·10+ Years Experience
$180k - $220k
$180,000 - $220,000
Principal ASIC Design Engineer
Austin
·10+ Years Experience
·Last Posted: May 2026
$180k - $220k
$180,000 - $220,000
Principal ASIC Design Engineer
Boulder
·10+ Years Experience
·Last Posted: May 2026
$180k - $220k
$180,000 - $220,000
Principal ASIC Design Engineer
Austin
·10+ Years Experience
·Last Posted: Jun 2026
$180k - $220k
$180,000 - $220,000
Principal ASIC Design Engineer
Boulder
·10+ Years Experience
·Last Posted: Jun 2026
$180k - $220k
$180,000 - $220,000
Principal ASIC Design Engineer
Austin
·10+ Years Experience
·Last Posted: Jun 2026
$180k - $220k
$180,000 - $220,000
Principal ASIC Design Engineer
Boulder
·10+ Years Experience
·Last Posted: Jun 2026
$180k - $220k
$180,000 - $220,000
Principal ASIC Design Engineer
Austin
·10+ Years Experience
·Last Posted: Jul 2026
$180k - $220k
$180,000 - $220,000
Principal ASIC Design Engineer
Boulder
·10+ Years Experience
·Last Posted: Jul 2026
$180k - $220k
$180,000 - $220,000
Principal Hardware Engineer
Boulder
·8+ Years Experience
·Last Posted: May 2026
$170k - $200k
$170,000 - $200,000
Principal Hardware Engineer
Boulder
·10+ Years Experience
$170k - $200k
$170,000 - $200,000
Principal Opto-Mechanical Engineer
Boulder
·10+ Years Experience
$160k - $185k
$160,000 - $185,000
Principal Optical Engineer
Boulder
·10+ Years Experience
$160k - $185k
$160,000 - $185,000
Senior Staff Battery Engineer
Alameda
·12+ Years Experience
·Last Posted: Jul 2026
$172k - $218k
$172,000 - $218,000
Sr Staff Engineer, Electrical
Alameda
·8+ Years Experience
·Last Posted: Feb 2026
$172k - $215k
$172,000 - $215,000
Level Comparison
| Level | Sample Size | Low | Mid | High | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
IC1 Entry 0-1 YOE Contributes to smaller projects under detailed guidance. | Very Large 431 Data Points | $72,800 | $86,850 | $100,900 | |
IC2 Developing 2-4 YOE Contributes to projects under general guidance. Skills are relatively developed with room for growth. | Very Large 1,058 Data Points | $100,000 | $120,000 | $140,000 | |
IC3 Proficient 5-7 YOE Owns specific projects and requires minimal guidance. Skills are fully developed. | Very Large 976 Data Points | $120,000 | $142,500 | $165,000 | |
IC4 Advanced 8-11 YOE Owns complex projects and drives their direction. Displays in-depth and broad skills and expertise. | Very Large 1,297 Data Points | $137,000 | $161,065 | $185,130 | |
IC5 Expert 12+ YOE A very experienced team member who leads large, high-priority projects that impact company-level goals. | Very Large 396 Data Points | $158,006 | $186,503 | $215,000 | |
IC6 Advisory An authority in their field who defines and drives initiatives with long-term strategic impact. | Very Large 477 Data Points | $167,625 | $198,813 | $230,000 | |
M3 Manager Directly supervises a team of individual contributors and is accountable for their results. | Very Large 220 Data Points | $159,000 | $182,000 | $205,000 | |
M4 Sr. Manager Experienced people manager responsible for setting objectives, observing budgets, and tracking results. | Very Large 142 Data Points | $179,850 | $211,950 | $244,050 | |
M5 Director Oversees managers or leads their own department. Responsible for vision, strategy, hiring, and results. | Large 96 Data Points | $215,000 | $250,500 | $286,000 | |
M6 Sr. Director Manages senior leaders in various groups. Responsible for a business function. | Medium 41 Data Points | $240,000 | $270,000 | $300,000 |