ZipRecruiter

Log In

1

Senior Distributed Systems Engineer Jobs (NOW HIRING)

LiveKit

Distributed Systems Engineer

$200K - $300K/yr

About This Role: We're looking for a Senior/Staff Engineer to work across some of the most ... While distributed systems experience is valuable, we care just as much about strong programming ...

Kwil

Distributed Systems Engineer

Austin, TX · On-site

$100K - $200K/yr

Kwil Distributed Systems Engineer Kwil is a decentralized SQL database, built to enable advanced dApps and scalable composability. Backed by FTX Ventures, Blockchange, AlleyCorp, Amplify Partners ...

Kwil

Distributed Systems Engineer

Austin, TX · On-site

$100K - $200K/yr

Kwil Distributed Systems Engineer Kwil is a decentralized SQL database, built to enable advanced dApps and scalable composability.Backed by FTX Ventures, Blockchange, AlleyCorp, Amplify Partners, DCG ...

Kwil

Distributed Systems Engineer

Austin, TX

Kwil Distributed Systems Engineer Kwil is a decentralized SQL database, built to enable advanced dApps and scalable composability.Backed by FTX Ventures, Blockchange, AlleyCorp, Amplify Partners, DCG ...

MLabs

Distributed Systems Engineer

$180K - $300K/yr

Systems Programming: Advanced proficiency in Rust and strong systems programming experience. * Distributed Systems: Extensive experience building or operating distributed systems with real-world ...

Censys

Distributed Systems Engineer

$143K - $177K/yr

Role Summary: We're looking to hire a Distributed Systems Engineer to build scalable services, APIs, frameworks, and internal tooling that process large amounts of data and make them highly available ...

E2B

Distributed Systems Engineer

San Francisco, CA · On-site

$250K - $400K/yr

Building a distributed system for millions and billions of AI agents running on E2B * Building an ... Systems programming skills - Strong in at least one of: Go, Rust, C/C++. You've written performance ...

Archil

Distributed Systems Engineer

San Francisco, CA · On-site

Role As a distributed systems engineer, you'll work across the stack to solve problems as they come up and help build Archil volumes. You'll have significant influence over the technical and product ...

TecTammina

Distributed Systems Engineer

Portland, OR

... engineering practices like unit testing, profiling and effective logging. Experience in functional/scaleable languages (Scala preferred, Python, R may be considered) Experience delivering distributed ...

Axiom

Distributed Systems Engineer

New York, NY · On-site +1

$125K - $250K/yr

The Role We are looking for a distributed systems engineer to join a startup using zero-knowledge proofs to scale smart contract applications. You will be responsible for building Rust-based rollup ...

next page

Showing results 1-20

All JobsSenior Distributed Systems Engineer Jobs

Senior Distributed Systems Engineer information

See salary details

$56K

$124.7K

$176K

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

As of Jun 12, 2026, the average yearly pay for senior distributed systems engineer in the United States is $124,732.00, according to ZipRecruiter salary data. Most workers in this role earn between $104,500.00 and $143,000.00 per year, depending on experience, location, and employer.

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 engineer makes $500,000 a year?

Senior Distributed Systems Engineers can earn $500,000 or more annually, especially with extensive experience, specialized skills in cloud infrastructure, and leadership roles. High compensation often includes bonuses, stock options, and other incentives in large tech companies or startups with significant funding.

What are the key skills and qualifications needed to thrive as a Senior Distributed Systems Engineer, and why are they important?

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 is the role of a DCS engineer?

A DCS (Distributed Control System) engineer designs, implements, and maintains control systems used in industrial processes, ensuring reliable and efficient operation. They work with automation tools, programming languages, and system integration to optimize plant performance and safety.

How much do distributed systems engineers make?

Distributed systems engineers typically earn between $100,000 and $160,000 annually, depending on experience, location, and company size. Senior roles with specialized skills in cloud platforms, programming, and system architecture can command higher salaries, often exceeding $180,000.

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 are Senior Distributed Systems Engineers?

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 engineers make $300,000 a year?

Senior distributed systems engineers, software engineers in specialized fields like machine learning or cloud infrastructure, and senior roles in high-demand tech companies often earn $300,000 or more annually. These positions typically require advanced skills, extensive experience, and expertise in distributed architectures, scalable systems, and relevant tools such as Kubernetes or cloud platforms.
More about Senior Distributed Systems Engineer jobs
What cities are hiring for Senior Distributed Systems Engineer jobs? Cities with the most Senior Distributed Systems Engineer job openings:
What are the most commonly searched types of Distributed Systems Engineer jobs? The most popular types of Distributed Systems Engineer jobs are:
What states have the most Senior Distributed Systems Engineer jobs? States with the most job openings for Senior Distributed Systems Engineer jobs include:
What job categories do people searching Senior Distributed Systems Engineer jobs look for? The top searched job categories for Senior Distributed Systems Engineer jobs are:
Senior Distributed Systems Engineer jobs near you
Infographic showing various Senior Distributed Systems Engineer job openings in the United States as of June 2026, with employment types broken down into 1% As Needed, 66% Full Time, 32% Part Time, and 1% Contract. Highlights an 87% Physical, 5% Hybrid, and 8% Remote job distribution, with an average salary of $124,732 per year, or $60 per hour.
Senior Distributed Systems Engineer - EDA/VLSI Platform

Senior Distributed Systems Engineer - EDA/VLSI Platform

Cadence

San Jose, CA • On-site

$122K - $167K/yr

Full-time

Posted yesterday

Job description

Job Summary:
Cadence is a technology company focused on developing leaders and innovators in the field. They are seeking a Senior Distributed Systems Engineer to design scalable data processing infrastructure for a next-generation distributed transistor-level electromigration and IR drop analysis tool.
Responsibilities:
• Architect and develop the core distributed infrastructure for a Python-based platform orchestrating high-performance C++ solvers, focusing on:
• Efficient ingestion pipelines for large-scale netlists and simulation data
• High-performance I/O for multi-TB circuit databases
• Serialization/deserialization layers bridging Python and C++ components
• Streaming results from distributed solver instances
• Task distribution architecture with fault-tolerant scheduling for long-running simulations
• Resource management and load balancing across compute clusters
• Monitoring and observability for distributed workflows
• Optimization of task granularity and dependency management
• Scalable visualization for multi-dimensional TB-scale simulation results
• Interactive data exploration and optimization techniques (downsampling, LOD, progressive rendering)
Qualifications:
Required:
• 5+ years building production distributed systems with Python
• Deep experience with Dask Distributed or similar frameworks (Spark, Ray, Celery)
• Strong grasp of distributed computing patterns, data locality, and fault tolerance
• Expertise in high-performance I/O (HDF5, Parquet, Arrow, columnar formats)
• Data partitioning strategies, memory-mapped files, zero-copy techniques, streaming patterns
• Python/C++ interop (pybind11, Cython, ctypes)
• Experience with large-scale scientific/engineering visualization systems
Preferred:
• Background in EDA, VLSI, semiconductor design, or computational engineering
• HPC experience with job schedulers (Slurm, PBS, LSF)
• GPU acceleration knowledge
• Familiarity with modern languages, tools (Go, Plotly, Bokeh, Holoviews, Datashader)
• Open-source distributed computing contributions
Company:
Cadence is a market leader in AI and digital twins, pioneering the application of computational software to accelerate innovation in the engineering design of silicon to systems. Founded in 1988, the company is headquartered in San Jose, USA, with a team of 10001+ employees. The company is currently Late Stage.

Apply