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Distinguished Engineer Jobs in Ohio (NOW HIRING)

Lead - Splunk/Cribl Administrator

Columbus, OH ยท On-site

$77K - $146K/yr

Many of our Infrastructure Specialists are on a path toward becoming either an Architect or Distinguished Engineer, and there are opportunities at every skill level to grow in either of these ...

Senior Civil Engineer

Vandalia, OH ยท On-site

$100K - $135K/yr

We are thrilled to present an exclusive opportunity for a Senior Civil Engineer position, a distinguished Design-Build contractor with a rich history of more than 100 years in constructing diverse ...

Nexus Engineering Group, a distinguished independent full-service engineering, procurement, and construction management (EPCm) firm, provides comprehensive support to clients from concept through ...

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Showing results 1-20

Distinguished Engineer information

See Ohio salary details

$29.5K

$91.1K

$121.2K

How much do distinguished engineer jobs pay per year?

As of Jun 15, 2026, the average yearly pay for distinguished engineer in Ohio is $91,073.00, according to ZipRecruiter salary data. Most workers in this role earn between $77,000.00 and $110,300.00 per year, depending on experience, location, and employer.

What are the key skills and qualifications needed to thrive in the Distinguished Engineer position, and why are they important?

To thrive as a Distinguished Engineer, you need extensive expertise in software architecture, system design, and deep technical problem-solving, often supported by an advanced degree and a robust track record in engineering leadership roles. Mastery of programming languages, architectural frameworks, cloud platforms, and experience with industry-standard tools such as CI/CD pipelines is typical, along with relevant certifications like AWS Certified Solutions Architect or Google Cloud Professional Engineer. Exceptional communication, mentorship, and strategic thinking skills set candidates apart by fostering innovation and guiding teams towards effective solutions. These skills and qualities are crucial for driving large-scale technical initiatives, shaping company-wide technology strategies, and mentoring engineering talent.

What is a Distinguished Engineer job?

A Distinguished Engineer is a senior-level technical expert recognized for their deep expertise, leadership, and impact on engineering and innovation. They drive complex technical strategies, mentor engineers, and influence the company's technology direction. Unlike managerial roles, they focus on solving high-impact technical challenges and setting industry standards.

What engineer makes $500,000 a year?

Highly experienced senior engineers, such as Distinguished Engineers or Principal Engineers in technology companies, can earn $500,000 or more annually, especially when including bonuses, stock options, and other compensation. These roles typically require advanced technical skills, leadership abilities, and significant industry experience.

What jobs make $1,000,000 per year?

In the context of a Distinguished Engineer, roles at the senior technical leadership level in large technology companies can reach or exceed $1,000,000 annually, including base salary, bonuses, and stock options. These positions typically require advanced technical skills, extensive experience, and often involve strategic decision-making and innovation. Compensation varies widely based on company size, location, and individual performance.

What are typical career advancement opportunities for a Distinguished Engineer?

As a Distinguished Engineer, you have the opportunity to influence major technical decisions and take on leadership roles in shaping company technology strategy. While this position is already among the highest technical tracks, you may advance further to roles like Chief Architect or Principal Technical Fellow, or choose to expand your impact by moving into organizational leadership or executive positions. Distinguished Engineers often lead cross-functional initiatives, mentor other engineers, and represent the company in industry forums or technical communities. This role offers a blend of deep technical contribution and broad organizational influence, enabling career growth along both technical and leadership paths.

What does a Distinguished Engineer do?

A Distinguished Engineer is a senior technical role responsible for leading complex projects, setting technical strategy, and driving innovation within an organization. They often mentor other engineers, contribute to technical standards, and work on high-impact initiatives using advanced skills and industry best practices.

What engineers make 300,000 a year?

Senior and distinguished engineers in fields such as software, systems, or hardware engineering can earn $300,000 or more annually, especially with extensive experience, advanced skills, and leadership responsibilities. Compensation often includes base salary, bonuses, and stock options, particularly in large tech companies or startups with high growth potential.
Distinguished Software Engineering Lead

Distinguished Software Engineering Lead

Frontier Technology Inc.

Dayton, OH โ€ข On-site, Remote

Full-time

Posted 18 days ago


Job description

Overview
FTI Defense delivers mission-focused solutions to the Department of Defense and Intelligence Community through advanced engineering, digital transformation, and program execution expertise. We help our customers solve complex challenges and achieve mission success by integrating people, process, and technology.
FTI Defense is seeking a Distinguished Software Engineering Lead to serve as both a hands-on architect and integrator for mission-critical software and data platforms. This role is designed for a player-coach-someone who provides technical vision, architectural oversight, and mentoring, while contributing directly to the design and development of secure, scalable, and modernized solutions. The Distinguished Engineer will act as the connective tissue between software execution teams, product and solution management, and business development, ensuring solutions are scalable, secure, and aligned with long-term innovation goals.
Responsibilities
  • Architecture & Systems Integration
    • Architect and deploy secure, distributed platforms supporting modular, multi-service software environments.
    • Design and integrate APIs, microservices, and data pipelines that enable interoperability across mission, simulation, and analytical systems.
    • Define and enforce architectural principles, modularity standards, and software best practices across development teams.
    • Engineer solutions that bridge cloud, on-prem, and classified enclaves, ensuring interoperability and compliance.
  • Cloud Engineering & DevSecOps
    • Engineer cloud-native solutions in AWS GovCloud or hybrid IL4-IL6 environments with strict security and accreditation requirements.
    • Implement Infrastructure-as-Code (Terraform, CloudFormation, or CDK) to automate provisioning, configuration, and accreditation workflows.
    • Build and maintain CI/CD pipelines that embed security, compliance, and automated testing from development through deployment.
    • Ensure all platform designs support zero-trust principles, multi-enclave deployment, and repeatable accreditation (ATO) processes.
  • Data Infrastructure & Orchestration
    • Design or oversee large-scale data ingestion, transformation, and orchestration environments (Kafka, Airflow, Spark, or Databricks).
    • Shape data architectures that balance throughput, latency, and cost across distributed mission environments.
    • Enable secure and efficient data access and synchronization across analytical, AI-enabled, and simulation workloads.
  • Automation, Operationalization & Sustainment
    • Transition software and platforms from prototype to production, ensuring maintainability, observability, and configuration consistency.
    • Establish automated testing, release governance, and performance monitoring standards for ongoing sustainment.
    • Partner with program and product leadership to align delivery with mission lifecycle requirements.
  • Security & Resilience
    • Engineer architectures for redundancy and resilience under degraded or disconnected operational conditions.
    • Design and maintain secure enclave architectures, boundary controls, and cross-domain integration solutions.
    • Collaborate with cybersecurity and ISSM teams to support ATO and ongoing accreditation automation.
  • Innovation & Ecosystem Integration
    • Integrate emerging technologies, open standards, and modern frameworks into operational systems.
    • Collaborate with AI/ML, data, and simulation teams to enable model integration and inference services within production software (familiarity with MLOps concepts preferred).
    • Evaluate new tools and frameworks to improve developer productivity, performance, and automation efficiency.
  • Leadership & Mentorship
    • Lead by example as a hands-on technical authority, guiding design and implementation decisions.
    • Mentor software engineers and architects to raise technical standards, code quality, and architectural maturity.
    • Partner with fellow Distinguished Engineers and organizational leaders to align platform strategy with enterprise innovation goals.
    • Communicate complex technical concepts clearly to both executive and engineering stakeholders.

Education/Qualifications
**Preferring candidates close to Dayton OH, Chesapeake VA, Huntsville AL, or Colorado Springs CO. Or willing to travel to these locations and customer sites, as needed.
Required:
  • Active Secret clearance required; TS/SCI strongly preferred.
  • Bachelor's degree in Computer Science, Software Engineering, or related technical field (Master's preferred).
  • 10-15 years of progressive software engineering experience, with at least 5 years in a technical leadership or architecture role.
  • Proven success architecting and deploying secure, distributed, cloud-native software platforms.
  • Deep experience with AWS GovCloud or IL4-IL6 hybrid environments.
  • Hands-on proficiency with Infrastructure-as-Code (Terraform, CloudFormation, or CDK) and CI/CD automation.
  • Strong understanding of DevSecOps, zero-trust principles, and mission accreditation (ATO/RMF) processes.
  • Demonstrated ability to operationalize software systems from prototype through accreditation in secure environments.
  • Strong coding experience in one or more core languages (Python, Java, C++, TypeScript).

Desired:
  • Experience developing developer-facing APIs, SDKs, or enablement platforms for enterprise-scale interoperability.
  • Familiarity with containerization and orchestration (Docker, Kubernetes, ArgoCD, or Rancher).
  • Awareness of MLOps and AI solution integration practices - capable of collaborating with AI/ML teams on model deployment and sustainment.
  • Proven ability to mentor engineers and influence enterprise-level software design decisions.
  • Recognized for contributions advancing automation, performance, and platform modernization within secure environments.
  • Comfortable balancing architecture, coding, and stakeholder engagement in fast-paced mission contexts.

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