ZipRecruiter

Log In

1

Open Source Software Developer Jobs in Boston, MA

NetApp

Sr. Open Source Software Engineer (Kafka)

Waltham, MA · On-site

$133K - $176K/yr

Overview As a Senior Open Source Software Engineer, your responsibilities will include: * Lead end-to-end upstream initiatives in Apache Kafka, from KIP authoring and design consensus through ...

Red Hat, Inc.

Software Engineer - Research

Boston, MA · On-site

$125 - $150/hr

## Software Engineer - ResearchApplyremote type: Hybridlocations: Bostonposted on: Posted Todayjob ... Develop, test and contribute software to open-source projects to help advance research computing.

Netpace Inc

Senior Software Engineer (670036)

Framingham, MA · On-site

$133K - $175K/yr

Netpace Inc is looking for a talented software engineer to help build the cloud gateway software ... open source software like Ceph is a plus • Development experience multi-cloud (AWS/Google/Azure ...

Redhat

Software Engineer - Research

Boston, MA · On-site +1

$110K - $177K/yr

Develop, test and contribute software to open-source projects to help advance research computing ... S. or foreign equivalent) in Computer Science, Computer Engineering, or related field. * Position ...

Red Hat, LLC

Software Engineer - Research

Boston, MA · On-site

$125 - $150/hr

Develop, test and contribute software to open-source projects to help advance research computing ... S. or foreign equivalent) in Computer Science, Computer Engineering, or related field. Position ...

STR

Lead Software Developer

Woburn, MA · On-site

$157K - $223K/yr

Experience developing software with GNU/Linux toolchains using open source software * Proficient in C, C++, or similar real-time embedded programming languages * Comfortable using Python and/or ...

SupportFinity™

Senior Software Engineer

Boston, MA · On-site

$150 - $200/hr

Are you ready to start developing new solutions that combine open source, hybrid cloud, and AI? Job Responsibilities As a software engineer in this role, you will * Develop and implement best ...

STR

Lead Software Developer

Woburn, MA · On-site

$157K - $223K/yr

Experience developing software with GNU/Linux toolchains using open source software * Proficient in C, C++, or similar real-time embedded programming languages * Comfortable using Python and/or ...

STR

Lead Software Developer

Boston, MA

$157K - $223K/yr

Experience developing software with GNU/Linux toolchains using open source software * Proficient in C, C++, or similar real-time embedded programming languages * Comfortable using Python and/or ...

STR

Lead Software Developer

Woburn, MA

$157K - $223K/yr

Experience developing software with GNU/Linux toolchains using open source software * Proficient in C, C++, or similar real-time embedded programming languages * Comfortable using Python and/or ...

next page

Showing results 1-20

All JobsOpen Source Software Developer JobsOpen Source Software Developer Jobs in Boston, MA

Open Source Software Developer information

See Boston, MA salary details

$52.1K

$121.5K

$180.3K

How much do open source software developer jobs pay per year?

As of Sep 9, 2026, the average yearly pay for open source software developer in Boston, MA is $121,509.00, according to ZipRecruiter salary data. Most workers in this role earn between $97,800.00 and $141,200.00 per year, depending on experience, location, and employer.

What is an open source software developer?

Open Source Software Developers are programmers who create, maintain, or contribute to software projects whose source code is made freely available for anyone to use, modify, and distribute. They often collaborate with a global community of developers and may work on a voluntary basis or be employed by organizations that support open source initiatives. Their work involves writing code, fixing bugs, reviewing contributions, and helping manage project documentation. Open source developers play a key role in advancing technology by making software accessible and fostering innovation through community collaboration.

How do open source software developers typically collaborate with contributors from around the world?

Open Source Software Developers often work with a global community of contributors using online collaboration tools such as GitHub, mailing lists, and chat platforms like Slack or Discord. Communication is primarily asynchronous, requiring clear documentation and code review practices to ensure smooth project progress. Developers regularly participate in discussions, review pull requests, and help onboard new contributors, making strong written communication skills essential. This collaborative environment fosters learning and innovation, but also requires flexibility and patience to manage different time zones and cultural perspectives.

What are the key skills and qualifications needed to thrive as an open source software developer, and why are they important?

To thrive as an Open Source Software Developer, you need strong programming skills, knowledge of version control systems like Git, and familiarity with open source licensing, typically supported by a relevant degree or coding experience. Proficiency with collaborative development platforms such as GitHub or GitLab and understanding of continuous integration tools are commonly required. Excellent communication, self-motivation, and the ability to work effectively in distributed teams set outstanding contributors apart. These skills are crucial for efficiently building, maintaining, and contributing to widely used open source projects in a collaborative, global environment.

What is the difference between Open Source Software Developer vs Software Engineer?

AspectOpen Source Software DeveloperSoftware Engineer
CredentialsTypically requires programming skills, familiarity with open source licenses, and sometimes certifications like Linux Foundation certificationsRequires a degree in computer science or related field; certifications like Microsoft Certified or AWS certifications are common
Work EnvironmentOften collaborates in open source communities, contributes to public repositories, and works remotelyWorks in corporate or enterprise settings, often in teams within organizations
Industry UsageUsed across tech, non-profit, and open source communities; focuses on public projectsEmployed in various industries including tech, finance, healthcare, and more for product development

While both roles involve software development, Open Source Software Developers focus on collaborative, community-driven projects often in open environments, whereas Software Engineers typically work within organizations on proprietary or internal systems. The roles overlap in skills but differ in scope and work setting.

Open Source Software Developer jobs near you

Sr. Open Source Software Engineer (Kafka)

Waltham, MA • On-site

NetApp, Inc.
IT Services • 10K+ employees
Learn more about NetApp, Inc.external

$133K - $176K/yr

Full-time

Medical, Life, Retirement, PTO

Re-posted 11 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 501 rated business services

Job description

Job Summary
Are you an Apache Kafka committer who wants to operate at the highest level of technical and community influence? This role connects deep upstream work, including binding committer authority, KIP-level design, and protocol-aware engineering, directly to production-scale outcomes in enterprise Kafka deployments.
NetApp Instaclustr runs one of the industry's largest managed open source data platform portfolios, including Apache Kafka services for enterprise customers across financial services, retail, and technology sectors. Our open source engineering team contributes to projects that matter to production operators at scale, and this role strengthens our ability to influence Apache Kafka upstream in areas that affect reliability, performance, operability, and customer delivery.
You will work at both levels - upstream influence and customer impact - with meaningful autonomy, strong peer collaboration, and direct access to the product and field relationships that turn technical work into commercial outcomes. This is a globally distributed team with up to 10% travel. The role is based in one of our office locations - US
(San Jose, Raleigh, Boston, or Seattle),
requires 3 days per week in office.
Note that we have global opportunities as well in Cork,Ireland & Netherlands (Schiphol). Postings also available in those markets/locations.
Overview
As a Senior Open Source Software Engineer, your responsibilities will include:
  • Lead end-to-end upstream initiatives in Apache Kafka, from KIP authoring and design consensus through implementation, review, and release, in domains such as broker internals, storage and log management, replication, KRaft metadata quorum, consumer group coordination, Kafka Streams, Kafka Connect, observability, and release quality.
  • Provide binding committer reviews on upstream patches and community contributions, applying the technical rigor and authority that moves high-quality work through the Apache Kafka review process.
  • Contribute to Apache Kafka release management as part of the committer community, including release planning, blocker triage, test stabilization, release candidate validation, documentation readiness, and post-release follow-through.
  • Translate enterprise customer and operator needs into credible upstream proposals, KIP-level designs, and sustained technical engagement that only a committer can supply; advise product and field teams on complex Kafka trade-offs.
  • Shape community direction through evidence-based participation relevant Kafka community channels; influence project decisions on architecture, compatibility, protocol evolution, release policy, contribution standards, and long-term roadmap.
  • Mentor engineers toward committer standing and raise overall contribution quality through rigorous review practices, test discipline, and clear engineering guidance.
  • Improve upstream infrastructure, including CI reliability, test coverage, contributor tooling, benchmarking, release automation, and compatibility validation, to reduce project-wide maintenance burden.

Job Requirements
  • A minimum of 12 years of applicable professional software engineering experience is required.
  • Current Apache Kafka committer status with a sustained and publicly verifiable upstream track record across patches, reviews, KIPs, and community standing in Kafka core or a closely related area such as Streams, Connect, clients, or release engineering.
  • Expert Java engineering capability in performance-sensitive, concurrent, and production-grade distributed systems, with the ability to write, review, and reason about complex Kafka internals at depth.
  • Deep mastery of Apache Kafka internals in at least one major domain: broker storage and log replication, KRaft and metadata management, consumer group coordination and rebalancing, protocol and client compatibility, Kafka Streams, Kafka Connect, observability, performance, or release management and CI.
  • Demonstrated ability to lead complex technical work through the Apache open source governance model: KIP authoring or co-sponsorship, design consensus, mailing-list engagement, and Jira-driven delivery from proposal through merge.
  • Strong written communication for asynchronous, global, public technical collaboration - mailing lists, design documents, code reviews, and Jira threads.
  • Proven senior-level technical judgment that resolves most blockers independently, determines approach on novel or ambiguous assignments, surfaces systemic risks proactively, and produces work that is consistent with project and team objectives.

Preferred qualifications
  • PMC membership in Apache Kafka or a related Apache project.
  • Track record of work in current Kafka feature and maintenance areas such as KRaft maturity, controller and metadata reliability, consumer rebalance protocol improvements, exactly-once semantics, tiered storage, Kafka Connect security and operability, Streams APIs, client metrics, or release stabilization.
  • Experience connecting upstream technical leadership to enterprise customer and operator outcomes - translating production pain points into accepted community improvements.
  • History of mentoring contributors toward reviewer or committer standing in an open governance project.
  • Familiarity with the Kafka ecosystem: Kafka Streams, Kafka Connect, MirrorMaker 2, Kafka clients, schema and serialization patterns, Kubernetes-based Kafka operations, or adjacent open source projects such as Strimzi.

Education
Bachelor's degree in engineering or technical related field of study Or additional equivalent experience.
Team Information
Leadership and team culture
The hiring manager for this role is an Engineering Manager for the Open Source Engineering team. You will join a globally distributed group that values committer-grade technical judgment, clear ownership, transparent community engagement, and practical impact on real customer outcomes.
The team culture is high-trust and high-accountability. We support engineers who can go deep technically, mentor others generously, collaborate across product and field functions, and improve both code and the contributor ecosystem around it. You will have significant autonomy paired with close collaboration and genuine visibility into the strategic bets your work enables.
Compensation:
The target salary range for this position is $220,000-265,000. The salary offered will be determined by the candidate's location, qualifications, experience, and education and may be outside of this range. 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 (PTO), various Leave options, Performance-Based Incentives, employee stock purchase plan, and/or restricted stocks (RSU's), with all offerings subject to regional variations and governed by local laws, regulations, and company policies. Benefits may vary by country and region, and further details will be provided as part of the recruitment process.

What NetApp employees say

Pay

Hours and flexibility

Workplace

Get the full story on Breakroom

NetApp logo

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

View All NetApp Jobs

Apply