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Senior Software Engineer Startup Jobs in California

Senior Software Engineer

Temecula, CA · On-site

$150K - $175K/yr

  • Medical

  • Dental

  • Vision

  • Retirement

Senior Software Engineer / Technical Leader (Individual Contributor) Core Technologies: C/C++, Cryptography, Python, Linux/POSIX, Systems Programming Focus Areas: Secure software, cryptographic ...

Senior Software Engineer

San Francisco, CA · On-site

$144K - $190K/yr

  • Medical

  • Dental

  • Vision

  • Retirement

  • PTO

We are a fast-growing startup backed by General Catalyst, Sequoia Capital, and Y Combinator. Our ... About the role We're looking for a full-time Sr. Software Engineer. As an early member of our ...

Senior Software Engineer

Sunnyvale, CA · On-site

$145 - $175/hr

  • Medical

  • Retirement

About the role iSono Health is looking for a senior software engineer to join as a key member of ... startup headquartered in Sunnyvale. Responsibilities * Design and implement robust software ...

New

Senior Software Engineer

Emeryville, CA · On-site

$100K - $400K/yr

Position Summary We are looking for an ambitious Senior Software Engineer to help us reverse ... You produce clean, maintainable, and well-tested code at a startup pace. You know how to balance ...

Sr. Software Engineer I

Burlingame, CA

$138K - $182K/yr

  • Medical

  • PTO

Overview SuperDial is hiring a Senior Software Engineer I to help build the systems behind our AI ... You bring high ownership, low ego, and a bias toward action in a fast-moving startup environment.

Sr Software Engineer

Redwood City, CA · On-site

$150K - $197K/yr

... a Senior Software Engineer, to be a part of building the most innovative audio and visual systems ... startup, Eva Automation, led by Gideon Yu. Combining Eva's culture of fast-paced technology ...

Sr. Software Engineer I

Burlingame, CA · On-site

$138K - $182K/yr

  • Medical

  • PTO

Overview SuperDial is hiring a Senior Software Engineer I to help build the systems behind our AI ... You bring high ownership, low ego, and a bias toward action in a fast-moving startup environment.

Senior Software Engineer

Gardena, CA · On-site

$124K - $164K/yr

The Senior Software Engineer designs and delivers features and services using Microsoft technologies, work with software engineers and product team, and contributes to architectural decisions. This ...

Senior Software Engineer

San Mateo, CA · On-site

$198 - $215/hr

  • Medical

  • Dental

  • Vision

  • Retirement

Senior Software Engineer Department: Engineering Employment Type: Full Time Location: San Mateo, CA Description BigHat Biosciences is looking for a Senior Software Engineer to join our engineering ...

Showing results 41-60

Senior Software Engineer Startup information

What are some unique challenges senior software engineers face when working at a startup compared to a larger company?

Senior Software Engineers at startups often navigate a fast-paced, rapidly changing environment where priorities can shift quickly. Unlike at larger organizations with established processes and specialized teams, startup engineers may wear multiple hats, handling everything from architecture decisions to hands-on coding and even DevOps tasks. This role typically requires a high degree of autonomy and the ability to make impactful technical decisions with limited resources. The collaborative nature means frequent interaction with product managers, designers, and often even company leadership, creating opportunities for broad influence but also demanding strong communication and adaptability.

What are the key skills and qualifications needed to thrive as a senior software engineer at a startup, and why are they important?

To thrive as a Senior Software Engineer at a startup, you need advanced programming abilities, architectural design experience, and a solid understanding of software development lifecycles, typically backed by a bachelor's degree in computer science or a related field. Familiarity with modern frameworks, cloud platforms (like AWS or Azure), version control systems (such as Git), and agile methodologies is essential, with certifications in relevant technologies being advantageous. Strong problem-solving, adaptability, and effective communication skills help you navigate the dynamic startup environment and mentor junior team members. These skills are crucial to rapidly building scalable solutions, driving innovation, and supporting business growth in a fast-paced and often ambiguous setting.

What is the difference between Senior Software Engineer Startup vs Software Engineer Startup?

AspectSenior Software Engineer StartupSoftware Engineer Startup
Required CredentialsBachelor's/Master's in CS or related field, 3+ years experienceBachelor's in CS or related field, 0-2 years experience
Work EnvironmentFast-paced startup, leadership responsibilities, mentorshipCollaborative team, learning-focused, entry-level to mid-level tasks
Employer & Industry UsageTech startups, scale-ups, innovative projectsEarly-stage startups, product development teams
Common Search & ComparisonHigher responsibility, technical expertise, leadershipLearning opportunities, foundational skills, growth potential

The main difference between a Senior Software Engineer Startup and a Software Engineer Startup lies in experience, responsibilities, and leadership. Senior Software Engineers typically have more experience, take on mentorship roles, and handle complex projects, while Software Engineers are often in entry to mid-level positions focused on skill development and supporting team tasks.

What does a senior software engineer do at a startup?

A Senior Software Engineer at a startup is responsible for designing, developing, and maintaining the core software products or services. They often take on a broad range of tasks, including coding, code reviews, system architecture, and mentoring junior team members. In a startup environment, they may also contribute to product decisions, help set technical direction, and quickly adapt to changing priorities. Their role is critical in building scalable, reliable solutions while fostering innovation and collaboration within a small, fast-paced team.

What are the most commonly searched types of Software Engineer Startup jobs in California?

The most popular types of Software Engineer Startup jobs in California are:

What job categories do people searching Senior Software Engineer Startup jobs in California look for?

The top searched job categories for Senior Software Engineer Startup jobs in California are:

What cities in California are hiring for Senior Software Engineer Startup jobs?

Cities in California with the most Senior Software Engineer Startup job openings:

Infographic showing various Senior Software Engineer Startup job openings in California as of August 2026, with employment types broken down into 100% Full Time. Highlights an 66% In-person, and 34% Remote job distribution.

Senior Software Engineer (MLOps / Developer Tools)

HRC Global Services

San Francisco, CA • On-site

$144K - $190K/yr

Full-time

Re-posted 29 days ago


Job description

Job Title: Senior Software Engineer (MLOps / Developer Tools)

San Francisco, CA (Onsite | No Remote)
Full-Time | Direct Hire
Visa Sponsorship Available (H1B and other visas supported)
Bachelor’s Degree required (Computer Science preferred)
Relocation Support: Negotiable

 Role Overview

As a Senior Software Engineer, you will work on core developer-facing infrastructure that processes code and runtime signals at scale. The work blends systems engineering, backend architecture, and ML-adjacent data processing to deliver high-signal insights for developers.

You will design and build systems that ingest and analyze execution traces, test artifacts, and runtime behavior, then surface actionable results through APIs, tooling, and product workflows.

This is a highly impactful role working directly with the founders and early engineers.

Key Responsibilities
  • Own major components of the core engine analyzing and validating software behavior across large codebases

  • Design and build scalable services to collect, process, and store runtime artifacts (execution traces, test results, performance signals)

  • Build developer-facing tooling including APIs, CLI tools, and UI workflows

  • Collaborate directly with founders on architecture, technical strategy, and roadmap planning

  • Work with early design partners and customers to translate engineering pain points into real product features

  • Deliver high-quality production-ready systems with reliability and low latency

Required Qualifications
  • 2–8 years of software engineering experience (backend/systems/infrastructure/developer tools)

  • Strong programming ability in Python (and/or Rust/Go/other backend languages)

  • Hands-on experience with modern ML tooling such as:

    • PyTorch

    • JAX

    • MLOps pipelines

  • Experience working with large codebases, CI/testing frameworks, observability, or runtime reliability

  • Strong system design skills and ability to build scalable services

  • Ability to operate independently in a fast-moving startup environment

  • Strong ownership mindset: take ambiguous problems → design solution → ship iteratively


Preferred / Nice-to-Have
  • Experience with static analysis, dynamic analysis, fuzzing, runtime validation, or property-based testing

  • Experience building developer tools: IDE plugins, CI/CD tooling, debuggers, profilers, test frameworks

  • Exposure to ML-enabled developer tools (even if not an ML specialist)

  • Practical experience tuning modern ML architectures (sequence models, efficiency techniques, inference optimization)

Work Setup
  • Onsite in San Francisco (Monday–Friday)

  • High-collaboration environment with direct access to founders

  • Small team, high autonomy, high ownership

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