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Distributed Systems Engineer Jobs in Pittsburgh, PA

MHI

Systems Engineer-Automation

Canonsburg, PA · On-site

Our Systems Engineers perform engineering, specification, design, testing and commissioning of Programmable Logic Controllers (PLCs), Distributed Control Systems (DCSs) and Human Machine Interface ...

Eaton Corporation

Lead Systems Engineer

Coraopolis, PA · On-site

$97 - $143/hr

Working knowledge of power systems (power distribution, protection, or switching) * Systems thinking and ability to translate customer needs into engineering requirements across a product family

Eaton

Lead Systems Engineer

PA · On-site

$97K - $143K/yr

... power distribution, protection, or switching) • Systems thinking and ability to translate customer needs into engineering requirements across a product family • Strong cross-functional ...

VDURA

Systems Engineer, Platform

Pittsburgh, PA · On-site +1

Role Overview VDURA is seeking a Senior System Engineer to lead the specification, selection, and ... Experience with parallel file systems, distributed storage, or scale-out data platforms

VDURA

Systems Engineer, Platform

Pittsburgh, PA · On-site +1

Role Overview VDURA is seeking a Senior System Engineer to lead the specification, selection, and ... Experience with parallel file systems, distributed storage, or scale-out data platforms

Motional

Machine Learning Systems Engineer

Pittsburgh, PA · On-site +1

$144K - $192K/yr

We are looking for a Machine Learning Systems Engineer to join our ML Acceleration team. In this ... Distributed Training : Optimize distributed training pipelines using frameworks such as PyTorch ...

Tata Consultancy Service Limited

Engineer

Pittsburgh, PA · On-site

$100K - $120K/yr

This role requires hands-on experience in building cloud-ready enterprise solutions, integrating distributed systems using Kafka, and driving CI/CD automation through Jenkins and modern DevOps tools.

Eaton

Power System Modeling Principal Engineer

PA · On-site

$180K - $225K/yr

In this role, the Power Systems Modeling Principal Engineer will define, own, and advance the enterprise modeling strategy for DC distribution and converter driven architectures. You will guide the ...

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All JobsDistributed Systems Engineer JobsDistributed Systems Engineer Jobs in Pittsburgh, PA

Distributed Systems Engineer information

See Pittsburgh, PA salary details

$50K

$118.9K

$156K

How much do distributed systems engineer jobs pay per year?

As of Aug 22, 2026, the average yearly pay for distributed systems engineer in Pittsburgh, PA is $118,873.00, according to ZipRecruiter salary data. Most workers in this role earn between $91,600.00 and $146,700.00 per year, depending on experience, location, and employer.

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 key skills and qualifications needed to thrive as a distributed systems engineer?

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 are popular job titles related to Distributed Systems Engineer jobs in Pittsburgh, PA?

For Distributed Systems Engineer jobs in Pittsburgh, PA, the most frequently searched job titles are:

What job categories do people searching Distributed Systems Engineer jobs in Pittsburgh, PA look for?

The top searched job categories for Distributed Systems Engineer jobs in Pittsburgh, PA are:

Distributed Systems Engineer jobs near you
Infographic showing various Distributed Systems Engineer job openings in Pittsburgh, PA as of August 2026, with employment types broken down into 1% As Needed, 83% Full Time, 11% Part Time, 4% Contract, and 1% Nights. Highlights an 89% Physical, 3% Hybrid, and 8% Remote job distribution, with an average salary of $118,873 per year, or $57.2 per hour.

Software Engineer - Core Systems and Storage Roles (Multiple Individual Contributor Levels)

NetApp

Cranberry Township, PA • On-site

$120K - $280K/yr

Full-time

Medical, Life, Retirement, PTO

Re-posted 14 days ago

NetApp rating

9.4

Company rating: 9.4 out of 10

Based on 5 frontline employees who took The Breakroom Quiz

2nd of 495 rated business services

Job description

Job Summary

We are hiring experienced Systems Software Engineers across multiple NetApp engineering organizations. This pipeline posting is designed to attract strong C/C++ systems-level engineers who can contribute to core storage and data management technologies across ONTAP and other NetApp products. Candidates will be considered for roles on several teams, including ONTAP, WAFL, Replication/HA, Protocols (NFS/SMB/SAN/NVMe), Distributed Systems, Cloud Platforms, and Performance Engineering.
Engineers in these roles design, build, and optimize foundational components of NetApp's storage stack. You will work on real-world problems involving filesystems, storage internals, distributed systems, performance, scalability, reliability, and data integrity. Work may include developing new features, enhancing subsystems, analyzing complex code paths, improving throughput and latency, debugging customer issues, or driving proofs of concept. You will collaborate with senior engineers, product teams, hardware teams, and cloud engineering groups to deliver high-quality software used globally by enterprise customers.
This posting can support multiple levels (3, 4, and 5). Team and level placement will be determined during the interview process based on experience, technical depth, and demonstrated capabilities.

Job Requirements

Core Responsibilities (All Levels)

  • Design, implement, and enhance features within ONTAP and related NetApp storage systems
  • Write high-quality C/C++ code that is efficient, reliable, and maintainable
  •  Analyze and improve existing code paths for performance, scalability, and correctness
  • Debug complex issues using system-level tools, logs, tracing, and profiling
  •  Collaborate across engineering teams, including filesystem, protocol, cloud, hardware, and QA
  • Participate in design and code reviews, contributing to engineering best practices
  • Investigate performance bottlenecks and implement optimizations
  • Support prototyping, research, and feasibility analysis for new ideas and features
  • Communicate design decisions, technical findings, and progress clearly with peers
  • Use AI-assisted tools to accelerate design, development, testing, and troubleshooting

LevelSpecific Requirements

  • Software Engineer 3 (5-8 years)
    •  Owns well-defined components or features
    • Implements end-to-end functionality with guidance
    • Performs profiling, debugging, and testing across subsystems
    • Contributes to design discussions and supports cross-team integration
    • Ramps quickly on ONTAP, WAFL, protocols, or storage technologies
  • Software Engineer 4 (9-15 years)
    •  Designs and owns complex subsystems or multi-sprint epics
    • Drives cross-team delivery with minimal supervision
    • Mentors junior and mid-level engineers
    • Leads deep-dive debugging and performance analysis
    • Improves reliability, observability, and architecture patterns
  • Software Engineer 5 (12-16 years)
    • Leads major technical initiatives across teams or product line
    • Defines long-term architectural direction and technical strategy
    • Resolves highly complex system-wide issues in performance, data integrity, HA, scale, or protocols
    • Mentors senior engineers and influences engineering culture
    • Demonstrates deep domain expertise in filesystems, operating systems, HA/replication, or distributed systems
Qualifications

Required Technical Qualifications

  •  Strong proficiency in C/C++ for systems-level development
  • Understanding of data structures, algorithms, memory management, and concurrency
  • Experience with Unix/Linux systems programming
  • Experience with one or more: filesystems, storage systems, networking/protocol stacks, distributed systems, high-availability architectures
  • Strong debugging and performance analysis skills (gdb, perf, tracing, profiling tools)
  • Ability to write maintainable, well-documented code
  • Effective communication and collaboration skills

Qualifications that make you stand out: 

  • Experience with ONTAP, WAFL, or similar storage operating systems
  •  Experience with NFS, SMB, SAN (iSCSI/FC), NVMe/TCP, NVMe-oF
  •  Experience with replication, clustering, HA, or consistency protocols
  • Familiarity with cloud platforms (AWS, Azure, GCP, OCI)
  •  Exposure to kernel subsystems, VFS, IO schedulers, caching, or media management
  • Experience with distributed systems design and large-scale performance tuning
  • Knowledge of CI/CD, test automation, and modern development practices

Education

  • Bachelor's or Master's degree in Computer Science, Computer Engineering, or a related field
  •  Equivalent practical experience considered

Compensation:
The target salary range for this position is $120,000 - $280,000. The salary offered will be determined by the candidate's location, qualifications, experience, and education and may be outside of this range. The range is based on 'On Target Earnings' (OTE) representing the total potential earnings, which is the sum of the base salary and potential commission earned when performance targets are achieved. Final compensation packages are competitive and in line with industry standards, reflecting a variety of factors, and include a comprehensive benefits package. This may cover Health Insurance, Life Insurance, Retirement or Pension Plans, Paid Time Off, various Leave options, employee stock purchase plan, and/or restricted stocks (RSU's). These offerings are subject to regional variations and governed by local laws, regulations, and company policies. We will provide detailed information about the specific benefits for your region during the recruitment process.

What NetApp employees say

Pay

Hours and flexibility

Workplace

Get the full story on Breakroom

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About NetApp

Sourced by ZipRecruiter

The NetApp portfolio of leading data, application, and storage solutions helps organizations manage applications and data everywhere across hybrid multicloud environments. Our 30 years of innovation have made us the proven leader in all-flash storage. We have the only enterprise-grade storage OS available natively on the world’s biggest public clouds. Our data services offer the best security and protection in the industry. We have CloudOps services that will revolutionize how you work in the cloud. And that’s just scratching the surface. In a world of hybrid multicloud complexity, we envision a better IT experience—an evolved cloud state where on-premises and cloud environments are united as one, always delivering simplicity, security, savings, and sustainability. To get you there, we build solutions that drive faster innovation wherever your data and applications live, with unified management and AI-driven optimization. No walled gardens. No lock-in. You get the freedom to do what’s best for your business today and the flexibility to adapt to whatever tomorrow throws at you.

Industry

It services

Company size

10,000+ Employees

Headquarters location

Sunnyvale, CA, US

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