SDET jobs in San Francisco, United States
A mid-level SDET in San Francisco earns a median of $160k a year ($160k gross). San Francisco has about 828,000 residents and is the 17th largest of the 62 United States cities we list. PassRidge lists 4 open SDET roles based here.
Open SDET roles in San Francisco
4 roles based in San Francisco, then the levels we place here. Placement pay starts at the higher of the city and national median.
Senior Director, Quality Engineering - Performance, Scalability & Reliability
Lead SDET, Agentic AI Architect
Senior CMF Quality Engineer
Senior Product Quality Engineer, EE
Junior SDET
SDET
Senior SDET
Lead SDET
"Talent pipeline" cards are the levels we place, not an employer's vacancy. Real postings are labelled "Market listing". How pay is set.
SDET pay by level in San Francisco
Gross annual pay in USD. San Francisco is 1.22× the United States median (+22%), which is $130k at mid-level.
| Level | p10 | Median | p90 | Range | Median (USD) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Junior | $100k | $120k | $150k | $120k | |
| Mid-level | $130k | $160k | $190k | $160k | |
| Senior | $170k | $200k | $250k | $200k | |
| Lead | $200k | $240k | $300k | $240k |
Estimates from posted pay ranges, base pay only. Full SDET salary page for San Francisco.
What a SDET does in San Francisco
Software engineer who owns test infrastructure, tooling and quality gates.
- Design test frameworks and shared libraries used by several teams
- Build test environments, fixtures and service virtualisation
- Review production code for testability
- Own quality gates in the delivery pipeline
- Mentor developers on writing reliable tests
Skills and stack employers ask for
Tools named most often
Time zone
San Francisco is on America/Los Angeles. A 09:00-17:00 day shares 5 h with US East, 0 h with London and 0 h with Central Europe.
SDET jobs in other United States cities
| City | Mid-level median | |
|---|---|---|
| New York | $150k | SDET jobs |
| Los Angeles | $140k | SDET jobs |
| Chicago | $130k | SDET jobs |
| Houston | $130k | SDET jobs |
| Phoenix | $130k | SDET jobs |
| Philadelphia | $120k | SDET jobs |
| San Antonio | $120k | SDET jobs |
| San Diego | $130k | SDET jobs |
Other QA roles in San Francisco
QA jobs, time zone and hiring facts for San Francisco · SDET role guide · Hire a SDET
SDET jobs in San Francisco: FAQ
How much does a SDET earn in San Francisco?
A mid-level SDET in San Francisco earns a median of $160k a year ($160k), with a p10 to p90 range of $130k to $190k. Junior pay starts near $120k, senior pay is $200k and leads reach $240k.
Are there SDET jobs in San Francisco?
Yes: 4 open SDET roles are based in San Francisco right now, 0 of them remote, and 148 in United States. Tell us your city and we alert you when a local role opens.
How does San Francisco pay compare with the rest of United States?
San Francisco ranks 1st of 62 United States cities we track for SDET pay, at 1.22x the national median (+22%). The national mid-level median is $130k, so San Francisco is above it. Against the US it is 23% above the US median of $130k.
What skills do SDET jobs in San Francisco ask for?
Software engineer who owns test infrastructure, tooling and quality gates. Typical requirements: Strong programming (Java / C# / Python / TS), Design patterns, CI/CD and containers, Distributed systems basics, Code review. The tools named most often are Playwright, REST Assured, Docker, GitHub Actions.
Can a SDET work with US or European teams from San Francisco?
San Francisco is on America/Los Angeles. A 09:00-17:00 day shares about 5 h with US East, 0 h with London and 0 h with Central Europe. 75% of SDET roles are remote-friendly.
How do I get a SDET job in San Francisco with PassRidge?
Tell us your level and stack in the form on this page. A recruiter sends matching roles with the pay shown upfront; it is free for candidates and nothing goes to an employer without your written OK. Our placement range for San Francisco starts at the higher of the city and national median.