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Distributed Systems Engineer Jobs in California (NOW HIRING)

Unto Labs

Systems Engineer

San Francisco, CA · On-site

$180K - $250K/yr

About Unto Labs Unto Labs is a team of low-level engineers pushing distributed systems to the physical limits of modern hardware. We're reimagining blockchains, from core consensus primitives to ...

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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 Jun 21, 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 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, 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 June 2026, with employment types broken down into 1% As Needed, and 99% Full Time. Highlights an 87% Physical, 5% Hybrid, and 8% Remote job distribution, with an average salary of $125,549 per year, or $60.4 per hour.
Distributed Systems Engineer L5 - Delivery

Distributed Systems Engineer L5 - Delivery

Netflix

Los Gatos, CA • On-site

$201K - $238K/yr

Full-time

Medical, Life, Retirement, PTO

Posted 17 days ago

Netflix rating

5.8

Company rating: 5.8 out of 10

Based on 15 frontline employees who took The Breakroom Quiz

57th of 65 rated media

Job description

Netflix is one of the world's leading entertainment services with 278 million paid memberships in over 190 countries enjoying TV series, films and games across a wide variety of genres and languages. Members can play, pause and resume watching as much as they want, anytime, anywhere, and can change their plans at any time.
The Role
It's an amazing time to be joining Netflix as we continue to transform entertainment. At Netflix, we want to entertain the world. To achieve this, we must be able to rapidly build and ship innovative experiences for our members and creators all around the globe.
Who we are
Delivery Core is a full-stack platform engineering team (we have frontend and backend engineers in one team) that enables continuous delivery of software and infrastructure changes across all Netflix services. We work cross-functionally with partners across engineering to make working inside the Netflix engineering ecosystem more efficient and enjoyable for all. We focus on increasing productivity, minimizing toil, and increasing the frequency and safety of software delivery.
What you could work on
Our team is primarily responsible for the developer platforms that roll out software and infrastructure changes to the entire Netflix fleet. We do this through our Continuous Delivery (CD) system Spinnaker, and our higher level declarative delivery-based platform, Managed Delivery. We are more closely unifying these products into one cohesive unified Delivery experience. Some example goals for projects include:
- Reduce friction and time to deploy software across our internal fleet
- Improve the safety of infrastructure changes
- Improve ease of use for configuring application deployment specifications
What We'll Expect From You
We are seeking a backend, distributed systems focused engineer who is comfortable writing, improving, maintaining, and sunsetting critical services at tremendous scale. Below are the specific behaviors and competencies important for this role.
Behaviors:
  • Cross-Functional - You enjoy collaborating with multiple teams on creating solutions and supporting solutions with a myriad of sometimes conflicting requirements.
  • Seeking Excellence - You enjoy the pursuit of engineering excellence by evangelizing, establishing and iterating on best practices.
  • Curiosity - You are curious and enjoy working on ambiguous problems where the solutions are not (yet) well defined.
  • Communication - You are proficient in verbal and written mediums at explaining topics that the audience was not familiar with previously.

Core competencies:
  • You possess strong software skills in Java or other JVM languages.
  • You are experienced with operating complex distributed systems components (like databases, APIs (REST, gRPC, GraphQL), and controllers). You know how to debug them and how they can fail.
  • You are proficient in backend services and integration layers.
  • You are able to break down complexity, iterate, and communicate progress to a wide variety of partners and stakeholders

Helpful competencies:
  • You possess strong software skills in Java or Kotlin.
  • You have worked on a developer platform team where other engineers were your customers.
  • You have worked on schema changes in a federated GraphQL gateway.
  • You are familiar with the Spring Boot framework.
  • You are proficient with high volume data stores.

What to Expect From Us:
  • High Impact - your work will touch every engineer at the company and be crucial for the ongoing success of Netflix.
  • Stunning Colleagues - you will be working with other excellent people with diverse perspectives, who value collaboration, working to excel as the "dream team".
  • Energizing Challenges - there is a wealth of opportunity when working on complex technical projects and our culture both enables and encourages you to rise to the challenges.
  • Feedback - you will constantly have opportunities for growth because meaningful positive and constructive feedback is part of everyday life at Netflix.

Our compensation structure consists solely of an annual salary; we do not have bonuses. You choose each year how much of your compensation you want in salary versus stock options. To determine your personal top of market compensation, we rely on market indicators and consider your specific job family, background, skills, and experience to determine your compensation in the market range. The range for this role is $100,000 - $720,000.
Netflix provides comprehensive benefits including Health Plans, Mental Health support, a 401(k) Retirement Plan with employer match, Stock Option Program, Disability Programs, Health Savings and Flexible Spending Accounts, Family-forming benefits, and Life and Serious Injury Benefits. We also offer paid leave of absence programs. Full-time hourly employees accrue 35 days annually for paid time off to be used for vacation, holidays, and sick paid time off. Full-time salaried employees are immediately entitled to flexible time off. See more detail about our Benefits here.
Netflix is a unique culture and environment. Learn more here.
We are an equal-opportunity employer and celebrate diversity, recognizing that diversity of thought and background builds stronger teams. We approach diversity and inclusion seriously and thoughtfully. We do not discriminate on the basis of race, religion, color, ancestry, national origin, caste, sex, sexual orientation, gender, gender identity or expression, age, disability, medical condition, pregnancy, genetic makeup, marital status, or military service.

What Netflix employees say

Pay

Hours and flexibility

Workplace

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About Netflix

Sourced by ZipRecruiter

Netflix is the world's leading streaming entertainment service with 222 million paid memberships in over 190 countries enjoying TV series, documentaries, feature films and mobile games across a wide variety of genres and languages. Members can watch as much as they want, anytime, anywhere, on any Internet-connected screen. Members can play, pause and resume watching, all without commercials or commitments.

Industry

Arts, entertainment, and recreation

Company size

5,001 - 10,000 Employees

Headquarters location

Los Gatos, CA, US

Year founded

1997

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