1

Senior Software Engineer Jobs in California (NOW HIRING)

Senior Software Engineer

Irvine, CA ยท On-site

$131K - $173K/yr

Job Title- Senior Software Engineer Project Location - Irvine, CA (Onsite) Duration- 12+ months contract Visa- USC/ GC HM Notes: Previous subs only had experience at the application layer/app ...

Senior Software Engineer

Sunnyvale, CA ยท On-site

$140 - $210/hr

Job Title Senior Software Engineer What does a successful Sr. Software Engineer within Clover do? At Clover, a Fiserv company, we are dedicated to transforming financial services technology to ...

Senior Software Engineer

San Mateo, CA ยท On-site

$139K - $183K/yr

  • Medical

  • Dental

  • Vision

  • Retirement

BigHat Biosciences is looking for a Senior Software Engineer to join our engineering team. This role is for experienced engineers ready to own a significant area of our platform as a subject-matter ...

Senior Software Engineer

San Mateo, CA ยท On-site

$19K - $215K/mo

  • Medical

  • Dental

  • Vision

  • Retirement

BigHat Biosciences is looking for a Senior Software Engineer to join our engineering team. This role is for experienced engineers ready to own a significant area of our platform as a subject-matter ...

Senior Software Engineer

Glendale, CA ยท On-site

$148.70 - $199.40/hr

Senior Software Engineer Job ID 10150849 Location Glendale, California, United States / Bristol, Connecticut, United States Business Disney Entertainment and ESPN Product & Technology Job Summary ...

Sr Software Engineer

Glendale, CA ยท On-site

$148K - $199K/yr

Job Posting Title: Sr Software Engineer Req ID: 10135335 Disney Entertainment and ESPN Product & Technology Technology is at the heart of Disney's past, present, and future. Disney Entertainment and ...

Senior Software Engineer

La Jolla, CA

$128K - $169K/yr

SENIOR SOFTWARE ENGINEER Salary: $ 103,000 per year Minimum Education and Experience: Bachelor's Degree in Computer Systems Engineering, Computer Science, Software Engineering or Computer Engineering ...

Senior Software Engineer

San Francisco, CA ยท On-site

$207K - $230K/yr

  • Medical

  • Dental

  • Vision

  • Retirement

Role We're hiring Senior Software Engineers across multiple engineering pillars at Whatnot - including Buyer Growth, Seller Growth, Trust & Risk, Discovery & Personalization, Search, Customer ...

Senior Software Engineer

La Jolla, CA ยท On-site +1

$103K/yr

SENIOR SOFTWARE ENGINEER Salary: $ 103,000 per year Minimum Education and Experience: Bachelor's Degree in Computer Systems Engineering, Computer Science, Software Engineering or Computer Engineering ...

Senior Software Engineer

San Francisco, CA ยท On-site

$144K - $190K/yr

  • Medical

  • Dental

  • Vision

  • Retirement

Role We're hiring Senior Software Engineers across multiple engineering pillars at Whatnot - including Buyer Growth, Seller Growth, Trust & Risk, Discovery & Personalization, Search, Customer ...

Senior Software Engineer

San Francisco, CA ยท On-site

$180K - $300K/yr

Senior Software Engineer @ Broccoli We're looking for a Senior Software Engineer to own critical parts of the product and drive execution across complex systems. You'll be responsible for turning ...

Senior Software Engineer

Cupertino, CA ยท On-site

$136.50 - $276.50/hr

Job Title Senior Software Engineer Job Location Onsite - HPE office. You are expected to primarily work from an HPE office. We are seeking a Senior Software Systems Engineer to join our team in ...

Senior Software Engineer

San Francisco, CA ยท On-site

$140 - $210/hr

  • Medical

  • Dental

  • Vision

  • Retirement

Role We're hiring Senior Software Engineers across multiple engineering pillars at Whatnot -- including Buyer Growth, Seller Growth, Trust & Risk, Discovery & Personalization, Search, Customer ...

Senior Software Engineer

Los Angeles, CA ยท On-site

$140 - $210/hr

  • Medical

  • Dental

  • Vision

  • Retirement

Role We're hiring Senior Software Engineers across multiple engineering pillars at Whatnot -- including Buyer Growth, Seller Growth, Trust & Risk, Discovery & Personalization, Search, Customer ...

Senior Software Engineer

San Diego, CA

$130K - $171K/yr

SENIOR SOFTWARE ENGINEER Salary: $ 103,000 per year Minimum Education and Experience: Bachelor's Degree in Computer Systems Engineering, Computer Science, Software Engineering or Computer Engineering ...

Senior Software Engineer

Costa Mesa, CA ยท On-site

$191 - $253/hr

Senior Software Engineer Build and scale Anduril's Forge internal tools for manufacturing and deployment efficiency Location: Costa Mesa, California, United States Compensation: $191,000 - 253,000 ...

New

Senior Software Engineer

San Mateo, CA ยท On-site +1

$139K - $183K/yr

We're looking for a full stack Senior Software Engineer to join our growing engineering team. You'll work on all areas of the JetInsight product and help solve challenging problems involving route ...

Senior Software Engineer

Los Angeles, CA ยท On-site

$190 - $230/hr

As a senior software engineer at Artifact, you'll own core systems in our AI-assisted cloud ecosystem. This will include high-performance diagramming, real-time collaboration, and physics-based ...

Sr. Software Engineer

Burbank, CA ยท Remote

$80 - $120/hr

Future Engineers is looking for a Senior Software Engineer to contract on current and future development projects. We expect senior level expertise in the following areas: * Must be experienced in

Showing results 41-60

Senior Software Engineer information

See California salary details

$74.5K

$141.4K

$189.5K

How much do senior software engineer jobs pay per year?

As of Aug 16, 2026, the average yearly pay for senior software engineer in California is $141,415.00, according to ZipRecruiter salary data. Most workers in this role earn between $120,900.00 and $159,400.00 per year, depending on experience, location, and employer.

What is a senior software engineer?

A senior software engineer designs, codes, tests, and maintains computer software. While these are your primary responsibilities as a senior software engineer, you may also have supervisory duties. These include overseeing a team of junior software engineers or developers. The senior software engineer title is sometimes used interchangeably with senior developer, and positions for both may share similar job duties and responsibilities. In general, software engineers are distinguished from developers in that software engineers apply engineering principles to software development.

What are some common challenges senior software engineers face when mentoring junior team members?

Senior Software Engineers often mentor junior colleagues, which can be incredibly rewarding but also presents challenges. Balancing mentorship with project deadlines can be demanding, as it requires strong time management and communication skills. Additionally, adapting explanations to different learning styles and levels of experience can be tricky. However, effective mentorship helps build a stronger team and can lead to enhanced leadership opportunities for the senior engineer.

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

AspectSenior Software EngineerSoftware Developer
CredentialsBachelor's or higher in CS or related field; experience often 5+ yearsBachelor's in CS or related field; entry to mid-level experience
Work EnvironmentDesigning complex systems, leading projects, mentoringWriting code, developing features, debugging
Industry UsageUsed across tech companies, startups, enterpriseCommon in software firms, startups, freelance work
Search & ComparisonOften compared for experience level, responsibilitiesCompared for entry-level to mid-level roles

The main difference between a Senior Software Engineer and a Software Developer lies in experience, responsibilities, and scope. Senior Software Engineers typically have more experience, lead projects, and mentor others, while Software Developers focus on coding and feature development. Both roles are essential in tech companies, but the Senior Software Engineer position involves higher-level planning and leadership.

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

To thrive as a Senior Software Engineer, you need advanced programming skills, deep understanding of software architecture, and several years of experience in software development, often supported by a relevant degree. Familiarity with tools like Git, CI/CD pipelines, cloud platforms, and expertise in technologies such as Java, Python, or JavaScript are typically required. Leadership, problem-solving, and effective communication are crucial soft skills for mentoring teams and collaborating across departments. These skills ensure the delivery of robust, scalable solutions and drive successful project outcomes in complex technical environments.

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

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

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

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

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

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

Infographic showing various Senior Software Engineer job openings in California as of August 2026, with employment types broken down into 100% Full Time. Highlights an 80% In-person, and 20% Remote job distribution, with an average salary of $141,415 per year, or $68 per hour.

Senior Software Engineer

JS Consulting

Irvine, CA โ€ข On-site

$131K - $173K/yr

Contractor

Re-posted 5 hours ago


Job description

Job Title- Senior Software Engineer

Project Location – Irvine, CA (Onsite)

Duration- 12+ months contract

Visa- USC/ GC

HM Notes: Previous subs only had experience at the application layer/app developers. This is focused on impact assessments and patches of AOSP at the kernel level. 

  • Board and kernel level development
  •  AOSP builds, Android framework
  •  Integrating packages and creating hardware layer codes
  •  Applying vendor patches
  •  Cybersecurity risk assessment
  •  Legacy Android (5)
  •  Operating System level work
  •  Regulated industry required

Position Summary: We are looking for a Senior Software Engineer with deep experience in Android OS and AOSP platform engineering. In this role, you will own and enhance a customized Android 5–based operating system used within a Class III medical device. You will customize and harden the OS, improve system performance, integrate hardware components, and ensure the platform meets strict medical‑device cybersecurity and regulatory requirements. 
This role requires strong Android platform experience—not just app development—and includes work across OS

frameworks, kernel, BSP, HAL, and system‑level validation.
Key Responsibilities
• Update and modify Android OS (version 5) to address security issues and compliance needs.
• Customize and maintain an AOSP fork, including frameworks, system services, and configuration.
• Apply OS‑level patches and security settings aligned with FDA and EU cybersecurity guidance.
• Integrate BSPs, HALs, vendor patches, and hardware drivers with the Android platform.
• Perform board bring‑up (U‑Boot, device tree, kernel integration).
• Conduct low‑level debugging using UART, JTAG, and similar tools.
• Modify Linux kernel components and device drivers when required.
• Improve system performance, resource usage, and inter‑process communication (Binder/AIDL).
• Use system‑level profiling tools to identify and fix issues.
• Fix OS‑ and kernel‑level vulnerabilities and Reduce OS/kernel attack surfaces.
• Implement OTA update mechanisms.
• Support cybersecurity risk analysis and threat modeling.
• Perform OS‑level verification and validation following IEC 62304.
• Support risk management efforts aligned with ISO 14971.
• Participate in audits and reviews to maintain regulatory compliance.
• Work with app developers to ensure compatibility.
• Partner with cybersecurity, system engineering, and quality teams.
• Create and maintain architecture docs, test plans, and traceability matrices.
• Ensure documentation is complete and audit‑ready.
Required Qualifications
• Bachelor’s or Master’s degree in Computer Engineering, Computer Science, Electrical Engineering, or related field.
• 7+ years of software engineering experience.
• 3+ years working with Android OS / AOSP.
• Strong experience with AOSP builds, Android frameworks, and kernel modification.
• Solid understanding of Linux internals and embedded systems.
• Experience in regulated environments.
• Knowledge of IEC 62304, ISO 14971, and related standards.
• Familiarity with cybersecurity risk assessment and vulnerability remediation.
Preferred Qualifications
• Experience with legacy Android (Android 5).