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Senior Distributed Systems Engineer Jobs in California

fal

Software Engineer, Distributed Systems

San Francisco, CA · On-site

$203K - $241K/yr

They are seeking an experienced software engineer to build large-scale computing platforms with a focus on distributed systems, ensuring reliability and scalability. Responsibilities : • Build our ...

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Senior Distributed Systems Engineer information

See California salary details

$55.3K

$123.1K

$173.7K

How much do senior distributed systems engineer jobs pay per year?

As of Sep 11, 2026, the average yearly pay for senior distributed systems engineer in California is $123,099.00, according to ZipRecruiter salary data. Most workers in this role earn between $103,100.00 and $141,100.00 per year, depending on experience, location, and employer.

What is a senior distributed systems engineer?

Senior Distributed Systems Engineers are experienced professionals who design, build, and maintain large-scale computing systems that run across multiple machines or locations. They focus on ensuring reliability, scalability, and performance of distributed applications, often dealing with challenges like data consistency, fault tolerance, and network latency. These engineers typically have deep expertise in distributed computing principles, programming languages, and cloud infrastructure. They also mentor junior team members and help architect robust solutions for complex technical problems.

What are the key skills and qualifications needed to thrive as a senior distributed systems engineer?

A Senior Distributed Systems Engineer requires deep expertise in computer science fundamentals, scalable system architecture, and proficiency in programming languages such as Java, Go, or Python, often supported by a relevant degree and significant experience in distributed systems. Familiarity with tools like Kubernetes, Docker, Kafka, and cloud platforms (AWS, GCP, or Azure) is typically expected, along with knowledge of monitoring and CI/CD pipelines. Strong problem-solving, communication, and leadership skills help in tackling complex engineering challenges and collaborating across teams. These skills are crucial for designing robust, scalable, and reliable systems that support organizational growth and high availability.

What are some common challenges senior distributed systems engineers face when designing scalable systems?

Senior Distributed Systems Engineers often encounter challenges such as managing data consistency, ensuring fault tolerance, and minimizing latency across multiple nodes. Balancing trade-offs between availability and partition tolerance (as outlined by the CAP theorem) is a frequent consideration. Additionally, coordinating between development and operations teams to maintain system reliability and efficiently resolve issues that arise in production environments is crucial. Strong communication skills and a deep understanding of distributed architectures help address these complexities effectively.

What is the difference between Senior Distributed Systems Engineer vs Cloud Solutions Architect?

AspectSenior Distributed Systems EngineerCloud Solutions Architect
CredentialsBachelor's/Master's in CS or related, experience with distributed systemsBachelor's/Master's in CS, IT, or related, cloud certifications (AWS, Azure)
Work EnvironmentDesigning, developing, and maintaining distributed systems in tech companiesDesigning cloud infrastructure solutions for clients or internal teams
Industry UsageTech, finance, e-commerce, and enterprise sectorsIT consulting, cloud service providers, enterprise IT departments

The Senior Distributed Systems Engineer focuses on building and optimizing distributed computing systems, while the Cloud Solutions Architect designs cloud infrastructure solutions. Both roles require technical expertise and often overlap in cloud environments, but their primary responsibilities differ in scope and focus.

What are popular job titles related to Senior Distributed Systems Engineer jobs in California?

For Senior Distributed Systems Engineer jobs in California, the most frequently searched job titles are:

What job categories do people searching Senior Distributed Systems Engineer jobs in California look for?

The top searched job categories for Senior Distributed Systems Engineer jobs in California are:

What cities in California are hiring for Senior Distributed Systems Engineer jobs?

Cities in California with the most Senior Distributed Systems Engineer job openings:

Senior Distributed Systems Engineer jobs near you
Infographic showing various Senior Distributed Systems Engineer job openings in California as of September 2026, with employment types broken down into 1% Internship, 1% As Needed, 82% Full Time, 12% Part Time, 3% Contract, and 1% Nights. Highlights an 87% Physical, 2% Hybrid, and 11% Remote job distribution, with an average salary of $123,099 per year, or $59.2 per hour.

Software Engineer - Distributed Systems

San Francisco, CA • On-site, Remote

Figma
Specialized Design Services • 1 - 5K employees
Learn more about Figmaexternal

$203K - $241K/yr

Full-time

Re-posted 7 days ago

Key responsibilities

  • Design, build, and maintain scalable and reliable infrastructure systems that support product innovation and user collaboration at scale.

  • Architect and evolve distributed systems including storage platforms, streaming infrastructure, and compute orchestration.

  • Debug and resolve complex production issues that span services and layers of the stack.

Job description

At Figma, infrastructure is at the heart of everything we build. As a Software Engineer on our Infrastructure team, you'll help design, build, and operate the systems that power our real-time collaborative design tools used by millions of people worldwide. We're scaling fast, and we're looking for experienced distributed systems engineers across a variety of teams. Whether you're passionate about storage, compute orchestration, developer tooling, networking, or real-time data systems, this role offers an opportunity to shape the technical foundation of one of the most beloved design platforms in the world.

This is a full time role that can be held from one of our US hubs or remotely in the United States.

What You'll Do at Figma:
  • Design, build, and maintain scalable and reliable infrastructure systems that support product innovation and user collaboration at scale.
  • Architect and evolve distributed systems including storage platforms, streaming infrastructure, and compute orchestration.
  • Improve developer experience by building internal platforms, CI/CD systems, build tools, and APIs.
  • Collaborate across product and infrastructure teams to design secure, maintainable, and performant systems.
  • Participate in shaping platform strategy, roadmaps, and engineering best practices across the organization.
  • Debug and resolve complex production issues that span services and layers of the stack.
  • Mentor engineers and foster a culture of collaboration, inclusivity, and technical excellence.
We'd Love to Hear From You If You Have:
  • 5+ years of Software Engineering experience, specifically in backend or infrastructure engineering..
  • Deep understanding of distributed systems concepts such as sharding, replication, consistency, and eventual convergence.
  • Experience with cloud-native environments (AWS, GCP, or Azure), infrastructure-as-code, and container orchestration.
  • Proficiency in languages such as Go, TypeScript, Python, Rust, or Ruby.
  • Strong system design skills and a track record of architecting resilient production systems.
  • Excellent communication skills, with experience collaborating across teams and mentoring others.
While it's not required, it's an added plus if you also have:
  • Experience scaling storage platforms (e.g., Postgres, Redis, S3, DynamoDB) or operating streaming systems like Kafka.
  • Background in traffic management, DDoS mitigation, or service mesh technologies (e.g., Envoy, Istio).
  • A history of developing complex, realtime distributed systems at scale.
  • A passion for building developer productivity tools, including development environments, CI/CD pipelines, and build systems.
  • Experience with evolving large-scale, shared developer platforms to improve reliability and developer velocity.
  • Strong problem-solving skills and a bias for action-especially when tackling high-impact, gritty challenges.
At Figma, one of our values is Grow as you go. We believe in hiring smart, curious people who are excited to learn and develop their skills. If you're excited about this role but your past experience doesn't align perfectly with the points outlined in the job description, we encourage you to apply anyways. You may be just the right candidate for this or other roles.

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