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Distributed Systems Engineer Jobs in California (NOW HIRING)

Archil

Distributed Systems Engineer

San Francisco, CA · On-site

Role As a distributed systems engineer, you'll work across the stack to solve problems as they come up and help build Archil volumes. You'll have significant influence over the technical and product ...

Fluidstack

Distributed Systems Engineer

San Francisco, CA · On-site

$175K - $300K/yr

Distributed systems and data pipeline engineering. Time-series observability stacks (Prometheus, Thanos, VictoriaMetrics). API design and versioning at scale. Workflow and orchestration engines ...

New

Archil

Sr. Distributed Systems Engineer

San Francisco, CA · On-site

$123K - $168K/yr

Role As a distributed systems engineer, you'll work across the stack to solve problems as they come up and help build Archil volumes. You'll have significant influence over the technical and product ...

IonQ

Senior Staff Distributed Systems Engineer

Santa Clara, CA · On-site

$122K - $167K/yr

We are looking for a deeply hands-on Senior Staff Distributed Systems Engineer to join the team building IonQ's Network and Security Platform. You will own the backend services - ingestion pipelines ...

New

IonQ

Senior Staff Distributed Systems Engineer

Santa Clara, CA · On-site

$122K - $167K/yr

We are looking for a deeply hands-on Senior Staff Distributed Systems Engineer to join the team building IonQ's Network and Security Platform. You will own the backend services - ingestion pipelines ...

New

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Distributed Systems Engineer information

See California salary details

$52.8K

$125.5K

$164.8K

How much do distributed systems engineer jobs pay per year?

As of Jul 13, 2026, the average yearly pay for distributed systems engineer in California is $125,549.00, according to ZipRecruiter salary data. Most workers in this role earn between $96,700.00 and $154,900.00 per year, depending on experience, location, and employer.

What are the typical daily responsibilities of a Distributed Systems Engineer?

A Distributed Systems Engineer typically spends their days designing, implementing, and testing scalable systems that handle large volumes of data and user requests. You'll collaborate closely with software developers, DevOps engineers, and product managers to architect solutions that ensure reliability, performance, and fault-tolerance. Regular tasks may include reviewing system performance metrics, debugging distributed applications, writing detailed documentation, and participating in code reviews. Engaging in team meetings and cross-functional discussions is also common, as seamless cooperation is vital in this complex and fast-evolving field.

What engineers make $300,000 a year?

Senior distributed systems engineers, software engineers with expertise in scalable architectures, and those working in high-demand industries such as cloud computing or finance can earn $300,000 or more annually. Achieving this level typically requires extensive experience, advanced skills in distributed computing, and often working in senior or specialized roles at large technology companies.

What engineers make 200,000 a year?

Distributed Systems Engineers can earn $200,000 or more annually, especially with extensive experience, advanced skills in cloud computing, distributed architecture, and proficiency in programming languages like Java or Go. Salaries vary based on location, company size, and expertise, with senior roles often reaching or exceeding this level.

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

To thrive as a Distributed Systems Engineer, you need a strong background in computer science, experience with large-scale system design, and proficiency in languages such as Java, Go, or Python. Familiarity with cloud platforms (like AWS, GCP, or Azure), container orchestration tools (such as Kubernetes), and distributed databases is commonly required, and certifications in cloud computing can be advantageous. Strong problem-solving abilities, collaboration, and excellent communication skills help you navigate complex issues and work effectively across technical teams. These skills are fundamental for designing, implementing, and maintaining robust distributed systems that perform reliably at scale.

What does a distributed systems engineer do?

A distributed systems engineer designs, develops, and maintains systems that run across multiple computers or servers to ensure scalability, reliability, and performance. They work with technologies such as cloud platforms, networking, and programming languages like Java or Python, often focusing on fault tolerance and data consistency. Strong problem-solving skills and knowledge of system architecture are essential for this role.

What engineers make $500,000?

Senior engineers in high-demand fields such as software engineering, especially those specializing in distributed systems, cloud infrastructure, or machine learning, can earn $500,000 or more annually. Achieving this level typically requires extensive experience, advanced skills, and often includes bonuses, stock options, or other compensation components.

What does a Distributed Systems Engineer do?

A Distributed Systems Engineer designs, builds, and maintains large-scale systems that run across multiple machines or data centers. They ensure reliability, scalability, and fault tolerance by using technologies like cloud computing, containerization, and distributed databases. Their work often involves solving complex problems related to data consistency, network latency, and system coordination.

What are the most commonly searched types of Distributed Systems Engineer jobs in California? The most popular types of Distributed Systems Engineer jobs in California are:
What are popular job titles related to Distributed Systems Engineer jobs in California? For Distributed Systems Engineer jobs in California, the most frequently searched job titles are:
What job categories do people searching Distributed Systems Engineer jobs in California look for? The top searched job categories for Distributed Systems Engineer jobs in California are:
What cities in California are hiring for Distributed Systems Engineer jobs? Cities in California with the most Distributed Systems Engineer job openings:
Distributed Systems Engineer jobs near you
Infographic showing various Distributed Systems Engineer job openings in California as of July 2026, with employment types broken down into 93% Full Time, 4% Part Time, 1% Temporary, and 2% Contract. Highlights an 92% Physical, 1% Hybrid, and 7% Remote job distribution, with an average salary of $125,549 per year, or $60.4 per hour.

Distributed Systems Engineer

Tensorlake, Inc.

San Francisco, CA • On-site

Full-time

Re-posted 27 days ago

Job description

Our core mission at Tensorlake is to unlock your data wherever it is. We believe that people should have access to the best tools to parse, extract, and manipulate data, run data applications, so they can spend more time putting knowledge into action.
We're looking for engineers who want to build the operating system for AI Data Applications and Workflows.
About the role
We're looking for experienced distributed systems engineers to build the core infrastructure for our durable application runtime. This is a systems programming role-you'll be writing the schedulers, runtimes, and data plane components that other engineers build applications on top of. Some of the things you'll work on in this role
  • Build and evolve our durable application runtime to support advanced data processing and machine learning workflows
  • Design and implement core components of our cluster scheduler to improve resource utilization, reduce costs, and maximize performance
  • Write systems-level code in Rust for our data plane and execution engine
  • Design and build new capabilities for our SDKs
  • Work closely with the rest of the engineering team to take something from an idea to a polished product

About you
  • You have 5+ years of experience building distributed systems infrastructure-not configuring or operating it, but designing and implementing it from scratch
  • You've written production systems in Rust or other systems programming languages (C, C++, Go at the systems level)
  • You understand how cluster schedulers, databases, and runtimes work at the implementation level because you've built or contributed to them
  • You can autonomously lead, design, and build fault-tolerant systems
  • You enjoy diving deep into performance challenges at the systems level-memory allocation, concurrency primitives, network protocols
  • You want to be part of the entire product development process, from customer research to implementation

This role is not a fit if...
  • Your experience is primarily in DevOps, SRE, or platform operations (Terraform, Kubernetes administration, CI/CD pipelines)
  • You're looking for a role focused on automation, tooling, or infrastructure-as-code rather than building core systems
  • You haven't written substantial code in a systems programming language

Things you should know
  • We're a startup, and we expect people to be able to wear multiple hats at any given time.
  • We're distributed across the US and Europe, and everyone is self-sufficient to get work done even when nobody else is around.
  • We do not expect people to work all the time, but we expect everyone to follow up on their commitments.
  • We're a small team with high ownership and we're passionate about what we do.
  • Our tech stack is somehow diverse. You'd be mostly working with Rust, Python and FoundationDB on your day to day. But you'll also need to understand TypeScript, Go, and Terraform enough to touch parts of our backend infrastructure.

Apply