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Software Engineering Assistant Jobs in California

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SENIOR CIVIL ENGINEER ASSISTANT Full Time - Westlake Village, CA Position Summary The Senior Civil ... Advanced proficiency with AutoCAD Civil 3D and related civil engineering software. * Ability to ...

Key Responsibilities * Assist in designing, developing, and maintaining scalable, high-availability ... Participate in code reviews, testing, and other software development lifecycle practices.

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Software Engineering Assistant information

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$12

$31

$56

How much do software engineering assistant jobs pay per hour?

As of Sep 9, 2026, the average hourly pay for software engineering assistant in California is $31.14, according to ZipRecruiter salary data. Most workers in this role earn between $19.90 and $37.50 per hour, depending on experience, location, and employer.

What is a software engineering assistant?

Software Engineering Assistants are professionals who support software engineers and development teams by performing tasks such as writing and testing code, documenting software processes, troubleshooting issues, and assisting with project management. They often work under the supervision of senior engineers to help streamline workflows, maintain software applications, and ensure quality standards are met. This role is ideal for individuals starting their careers in software development, as it provides valuable hands-on experience and exposure to various aspects of the software engineering lifecycle.

What are the common responsibilities of a software engineering assistant?

Software Engineering Assistants typically handle tasks such as maintaining documentation, assisting with code reviews, writing and testing small code modules, and managing version control systems. They play a vital role in supporting senior engineers by streamlining workflows, troubleshooting minor issues, and ensuring that development processes run smoothly. This position often involves close collaboration with developers, QA testers, and sometimes project managers, providing valuable exposure to the entire software development lifecycle.

What are the key skills and qualifications needed to thrive as a software engineering assistant?

To thrive as a Software Engineering Assistant, you need a solid understanding of programming languages, software development fundamentals, and at least an associate’s or bachelor’s degree in computer science or a related field. Familiarity with version control systems (like Git), integrated development environments (IDEs), and issue tracking tools is typically expected. Strong communication, attention to detail, and eagerness to learn help individuals excel in supporting engineering teams. These skills ensure efficient collaboration, code quality, and adaptability in dynamic software projects.

What is the difference between Software Engineering Assistant vs Software Developer?

AspectSoftware Engineering AssistantSoftware Developer
CredentialsTypically requires an associate degree or relevant certificationsBachelor's degree in Computer Science or related field
Work EnvironmentSupports engineering teams, often in office or lab settingsDesigns, codes, and tests software applications
Employer & Industry UsageUsed in tech companies, engineering firms, and IT departmentsCommonly employed across software companies, startups, and tech industries

The main difference is that a Software Engineering Assistant provides support to software engineers, focusing on tasks like testing and documentation, while a Software Developer actively designs and develops software applications. The Assistant role is often entry-level and supportive, whereas the Developer role involves more technical responsibilities and coding tasks.

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

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

What cities in California are hiring for Software Engineering Assistant jobs?

Cities in California with the most Software Engineering Assistant job openings:

Infographic showing various Software Engineering Assistant job openings in California as of August 2026, with employment types broken down into 1% As Needed, 83% Full Time, 11% Part Time, and 5% Contract. Highlights an 88% Physical, 4% Hybrid, and 8% Remote job distribution, with an average salary of $64,765 per year, or $31.1 per hour.

Software Engineering Director - Inference Platform

San Jose, CA • On-site

$296K/yr

Full-time

Re-posted 8 days ago


Job description

About the team

The SambaStack team builds the inference serving platform enterprises and service providers use to host foundation models on RDU hardware. The platform is cloud-agnostic, and the team owns deployment, orchestration, scaling, and reliability for production inference workloads.

About the Role

The SambaStack team is seeking an Engineering Director to lead a software engineering team while remaining a hands-on technical contributor. You'll own the growth and effectiveness of your team, the technical quality of their output, and the roadmap for the inference serving platform. You'll continue to design systems and write code on the platform's hardest problems.

 
Responsibilities

People & Team Leadership

  • Lead, grow, and inspire a software team, fostering a culture of technical excellence, collaboration, and continuous improvement
  • Own hiring for your team: define roles, assess candidates, and build a diverse, high-performing engineering organization
  • Drive the career development of your engineers through regular 1:1s, meaningful feedback, and clear growth plans
  • Set clear goals and expectations, track team progress, and remove blockers to keep the team executing effectively
  • Partner with Product, ML, QA, and DevOps leadership to align team priorities with broader organizational objectives

Technical Contribution

  • Contribute directly as a software engineer: designing systems, writing code, and leading implementation on critical platform initiatives
  • Participate in and lead design reviews, providing authoritative technical guidance on major features and cross-cutting changes
  • Establish and uphold engineering standards, best practices, and coding quality across the team
  • Proactively identify and drive the resolution of systemic risks: performance bottlenecks, reliability gaps, and scaling constraints
  • Stay current on emerging technologies and AI inference trends to inform the team's technical direction
Required Qualifications
  • 12+ years of software engineering experience, including 2+ years leading and managing engineering teams
  • Demonstrated ability to manage, develop, and hire strong engineers while remaining a hands-on technical contributor
  • Strong technical depth in backend systems built with Python, Go, or Rust
  • Experience with AI inference serving, orchestration, and the infrastructure challenges of LLM workloads at production scale
  • Proven ability to drive engineering excellence across an engineering team
  • Excellent communication skills: able to work effectively with engineers, cross-functional partners, and senior leadership
  • Experience running iterative engineering processes in a fast-paced environment
Preferred Qualifications
  • Experience with Kubernetes ecosystem tooling, including Operators and Helm Charts
  • Background in ML application optimization and productionization
  • Experience building or managing teams that deliver cloud-native platforms for enterprise customers
  • Familiarity with AI coding assistants and the developer tooling ecosystem
  • Experience at a high-growth AI infrastructure company