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Senior Distributed Systems Engineer Jobs in Maryland

Sr. Systems Engineer

Gaithersburg, MD · On-site

$112K - $154K/yr

We are seeking an experienced and innovative Senior Systems Engineer to support the Maru Program ... Experience with REST APIs and distributed systems. * Experience supporting cloud-native or hybrid ...

Sr. Systems Engineer

Gaithersburg, MD · On-site

$112K - $154K/yr

We are seeking an experienced and innovative Senior Systems Engineer to support the Maru Program ... Experience with REST APIs and distributed systems. * Experience supporting cloud-native or hybrid ...

Sr. Systems Engineer

Gaithersburg, MD · On-site

$108 - $195/hr

We are seeking an experienced and innovative Senior Systems Engineer to support the Maru Program ... Experience with REST APIs and distributed systems. * Experience supporting cloud-native or hybrid ...

Senior Systems Engineer

Bethesda, MD · On-site

$112K - $153K/yr

Role: Senior Systems Engineer Location: Bethesda ,MD (Hybrid) Experience : 5- 10 Years Summary ... distributed or document-oriented database technology (e.g., Couchbase, MongoDB, Cassandra ...

Showing results 21-40

Senior Distributed Systems Engineer information

See Maryland salary details

$54.4K

$121.1K

$170.8K

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

As of Sep 5, 2026, the average yearly pay for senior distributed systems engineer in Maryland is $121,057.00, according to ZipRecruiter salary data. Most workers in this role earn between $101,400.00 and $138,800.00 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 Maryland?

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

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

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

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

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

Infographic showing various Senior Distributed Systems Engineer job openings in Maryland as of August 2026, with employment types broken down into 1% As Needed, 78% Full Time, 17% Part Time, 3% Contract, and 1% Nights. Highlights an 89% Physical, 3% Hybrid, and 8% Remote job distribution, with an average salary of $121,057 per year, or $58.2 per hour.

Linux Systems Administrator - Cloud & Distributed Systems, Lead with Security Clearance

Peraton

Laurel, MD • On-site

$146K - $234K/yr

Other

Medical, Dental, Vision, Life, Retirement, PTO

Re-posted 19 days ago


Key responsibilities

  • Administer and optimize enterprise Linux systems across large distributed clusters

  • Monitor system health, performance, and reliability; troubleshoot complex hardware, software, network, and cloud issues

  • Support and tune Hadoop (HDFS/YARN) and Accumulo environments


Peraton rating

8.3

Company rating: 8.3 out of 10

Based on 56 frontline employees who took The Breakroom Quiz

52nd of 226 rated it services


Job description

About Peraton Peraton is a next-generation national security company that drives missions of consequence spanning the globe and extending to the farthest reaches of the galaxy. As the world's leading mission capability integrator and transformative enterprise IT provider, we deliver trusted, highly differentiated solutions and technologies to protect our nation and allies. Peraton operates at the critical nexus between traditional and nontraditional threats across all domains: land, sea, space, air, and cyberspace. The company serves as a valued partner to essential government agencies and supports every branch of the U.S. armed forces. Each day, our employees solve the most daunting challenges that our customers face. Visit peraton.com to learn how we're keeping people around the world safe and secure. Program Overview Provides IC data management support to modernize mega data repositories, dataflow management, data provenance and compliance validation, and streaming solutions. About The Role We are seeking a highly skilled Senior Cloud & Distributed Systems Engineer to support mission-critical, cloud-based data repositories serving users within a dynamic Intelligence Community environment This role operates in a dynamic, high-tempo operational environment where requirements evolve rapidly in response to global events. The selected candidate will administer and engineer large-scale Hadoop and Accumulo clusters, ensure system reliability and security, and collaborate across infrastructure, networking, and security domains to maintain continuous mission availability. This is not a traditional system administration role - it is a reliability-focused distributed systems engineering position operating on a scale. This position will provide after-hours on call/call in support. Key Responsibilities * Administer and optimize enterprise Linux systems across large distributed clusters (60+ nodes, multi-rack deployments)
* Monitor system health, performance, and reliability; troubleshoot complex hardware, software, network, and cloud issues
* Support and tune Hadoop (HDFS/YARN) and Accumulo environments
* Engineer monitoring, observability, and alerting solutions
* Automate infrastructure using scripting and Infrastructure-as-Code
* Patch, harden, and secure systems in compliance with security standards
* Manage LDAP-based user accounts and core Linux services (DHCP, DNS)
* Support Kubernetes-based containerized workloads
* Participate in architecture discussions and cross-team engineering efforts
* Contribute to incident response and root cause analysis
#MDFSP Qualifications Required Qualifications * 7+ years of Linux systems administration experience
* 5+ years scripting (Bash, Python, or Perl)
* 5 years with BS/BA or 3 years with MS/MA
* Experience supporting large-scale distributed systems across multiple clusters
* Hands-on experience with Hadoop, Accumulo, and distributed storage technologies
* Experience with Kubernetes and Docker
* Familiarity with automation tools (Puppet, Ansible, Salt) and IaC (Terraform or CloudFormation)
* Knowledge of monitoring platforms (Prometheus, Grafana, ELK, Splunk)
* Understanding of networking fundamentals (VLANs, TCP/IP, load balancing)
* Experience with high-availability design, storage architecture, and disaster recovery
* System hardening and security compliance experienceRequired Certifications & Clearance * Active TS/SCI clearance with current polygraph
* Security+ (DoD 8570 compliant)
* One of the following: * AWS Certified SysOps Administrator - Associate
* AWS DevOps Engineer - Professional
* Certified Kubernetes Administrator (CKA)Environment * Mission-critical cloud platforms
* High-availability distributed systems
* Automation-first engineering culture
* Operationally responsive, fast-paced environmentIf you are a senior Linux administrator who operates confidently at scale and approaches systems with a reliability-first mindset, we encourage you to apply. Peraton offers enhanced benefits to employees working on this critical National Security program, which include heavily subsidized employee benefits coverage for you and your dependents, 25 days of PTO accrued annually up to a generous PTO cap and participation in an attractive bonus plan. #AJCM #PeratonRoyalMove Details Target Salary Range: $146,000 - $234,000. This represents the typical salary range for this position. Salary is determined by various factors, including but not limited to, the scope and responsibilities of the position, the individual's experience, education, knowledge, skills, and competencies, as well as geographic location and business and contract considerations. Depending on the position, employees may be eligible for overtime, shift differential, and a discretionary bonus in addition to base pay. Benefits Statement: Peraton offers eligible employees a variety of benefits including medical, dental, vision, life, health savings account, short/long term disability, EAP, parental leave, 401(k), paid time off (PTO) for vacation, and company paid holidays. A full listing of available benefits can be viewed at https://www.careers.peraton.com/benefits. Application Statements: The application period for the job is estimated to be 30 days from the job posting date. However, this timeline may be shortened or extended depending on business needs and the availability of qualified candidates. By applying to this job, you are expressing interest in the role and the Company. During the review of your application, you may be required to participate in an on-camera interview, as well as participate in a process to verify your identity. Use of artificial intelligence (AI) tools of any kind during Peraton interviews is strictly prohibited unless the candidate has obtained prior written authorization. All interview responses must be the candidate's own. EEO:Equal opportunity employer, including disability and protected veterans, or other characteristics protected by law.

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About Peraton

Sourced by ZipRecruiter

At Peraton, we re at the forefront of delivering the next big thing every day. We re the partner of choice to help solve some of the world s most daunting challenges, delivering bold, new solutions to keep people around the world safer and more secure.

Industry

It services

Company size

10,000+ Employees

Headquarters location

Herndon, VA, US

Year founded

2017