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Open Source Software Developer Jobs in Seattle, WA

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Open Source Software Developer information

See Seattle, WA salary details

$54.6K

$127.3K

$188.9K

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

As of Jun 23, 2026, the average yearly pay for open source software developer in Seattle, WA is $127,283.00, according to ZipRecruiter salary data. Most workers in this role earn between $102,400.00 and $147,900.00 per year, depending on experience, location, and employer.

What are Open Source Software Developers?

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.

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.

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.
Open Source Software Developer jobs near you
Infographic showing various Open Source Software Developer job openings in Seattle, WA as of June 2026, with employment types broken down into 73% Full Time, 9% Part Time, and 18% Contract. Highlights an 100% In-person job distribution, with an average salary of $127,283 per year, or $61.2 per hour.
Sr. Software Engineer (PHP, Java)

Sr. Software Engineer (PHP, Java)

DevSelect

Seattle, WA • On-site

Other

Posted yesterday

Job description

Type: Sr. Software Engineer (PHP, Java)
Location: Seattle, WA
Openings: 1
Type: Long-term Contract
Summary
Do you have a passion for developing highly scalable, highly available software that provides key game features to millions of users? Are you eager to work in the fast growing, dynamic, and challenging mobile games space? The Platform Service Team is looking for a senior software engineer to join our team. We support a number of back-end services that drive game features and user experience. We solve complex problems and deliver highly customized solutions for our mobile business lines. If you're looking for an opportunity to develop highly performant, highly available, scalable systems that provide key features to millions of users across hundreds of different games, this is the team for you!
Responsibilities
  • Build and maintain mission critical back-end services that handle high volume of traffic
  • Research, design and prototype solutions to complex business problems
  • Deliver high quality, extensible and maintainable software
  • Collaborate with other engineering teams to ensure integrity of end-to-end functionality
  • Work in partnership with the product team and other stakeholders to produce high quality and specific requirements.
Required Skills
  • 3+ years Java experience
  • 5+ years PHP experience
  • 3+ years designing, developing, and deploying web applications in a scalable cloud-native way
  • 2+ years Docker experience
  • CI/CD
  • Solid understanding of web development and client-server technologies
  • Excellent problem solving, debugging and troubleshooting skills
  • Strong verbal and written communication skills
  • Be self-motivated and results oriented
  • Desire and ability to learn quickly and be part of a world-class team
  • Experience with cloud storage solutions, cloud native solutions, Google App Engine, open source software communities, Cloud networking solutions, or distributed computing technology.
  • 5 years of progressive, post-baccalaureate experience as a Software Engineer or a related occupation
  • 5 years of experience working with object oriented programming language (Java or C#) and dependency management
  • 5 years of experience building highly scalable, highly available, distributed systems with service oriented architecture (RESTful, RPC)
  • 5 years of experience in data persistence technologies, both relational (SQL) and non-relational (Memcached, Redis, MongoDB)
  • 5 years of experience using source control management tools (SVN or Git)

Nice to Have
  • 2+ years JavaScriptdevelopment (React/Flux/Typescript)
  • Experience withService Oriented Architecture
  • Experience withCloud Native Architecture
  • Experience with concurrency and distributed computing
  • Experience with data encoding and compression techniques
  • Experience using Agile/Scrum methodologies to iterate quickly on product changes

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