Explore senior software development engineer jobs with Ladders, where you can find vetted professional opportunities paying $100,000 or more. Senior software development engineers design, build, and maintain complex software systems while helping teams deliver reliable, scalable products. Browse roles across industries, technologies, and levels of technical leadership.
These experienced engineers translate product and business needs into robust technical solutions. Their work may include designing system architecture, writing and reviewing code, improving application performance, troubleshooting production issues, and guiding engineering teams through complex projects. Many roles also involve mentoring developers and partnering with product, design, security, and operations teams.
Employers commonly look for strong software design and programming experience, expertise in relevant languages and frameworks, and a record of delivering production systems. Depending on the role, useful qualifications may include cloud infrastructure, distributed systems, databases, API design, automated testing, DevOps practices, and security. Communication, technical judgment, and the ability to lead through influence are also important at the senior level.
Senior software development engineers work in technology, financial services, healthcare, e-commerce, media, and other sectors. Opportunities may focus on backend services, mobile or web applications, data platforms, infrastructure, machine learning systems, or developer tools. With experience, engineers can grow into staff or principal engineering roles, architecture positions, or engineering management.
Use Ladders to search vetted professional openings with salaries of $100,000 or more. Compare roles by technology, industry, location, and scope, then focus on opportunities that match your experience and career goals.
Senior Mechanical Application Engineer
$115K - $150K *
Join a team that's shaping innovative mechanical solutions for prefabricated platforms. Leverage your expertise in HVAC to lead the development and ensure alignment with customer and operational goals...
Reposted 3 weeks ago
$130K - $155K *
Champion the development of scalable software solutions, collaborating with cross-functional teams to drive innovation and technical excellence. Mentor engineers and influence architectural decisions...
3 weeks ago
Software Engineer, Sustaining Automation
$121K - $142K *
Elevate automation in software engineering by building AI-driven tools and systems. Collaborate with a focused team to enhance reliability and speed in package and image management, shaping the future...
5 days ago
$135K - $160K *
Champion the delivery of innovative data solutions, leading cross-functional teams to modernize platforms and drive AI integration. Ensure project success through effective management of scope, qualit...
1 week ago
$135K - $160K *
Inspire delivery excellence by leading a diverse portfolio of 20+ Scrum teams across regions. Align engineering outcomes with client priorities, enhance AI adoption, and drive measurable value through...
2 weeks ago
Tools Development Engineer (REMOTE)
$110K - $130K *
Unlock the potential of next-gen AI systems by defining serviceability tools architecture. Collaborate with cross-functional teams to create actionable requirements and enhance documentation for compl...
3 weeks ago
Principal Software Engineer Search Platform
$150K - $180K *
Elevate our search capabilities by architecting high-scale solutions, leading multi-quarter transformations, and ensuring operational excellence across a global cloud infrastructure while mentoring em...
2 weeks ago
Senior Technical Product Manager
$141K - $177K *
Join us to shape the future of cybersecurity by leading product vision and strategy for our innovative Autonomous and Continuous pentesting platform, driving impactful solutions that enhance security...
2 weeks ago
Senior Java Software Engineer (Library of Congress)
$115K - $135K *
Lead the charge in developing high-quality software solutions, mentoring engineers, and driving process improvements. Collaborate with stakeholders to enhance systems and deliver impactful results in...
5 days ago
Software Engineer I - LLM Observability
$160K - $180K *
Empower your career by delivering AI observability solutions end-to-end. Collaborate with a cross-functional team to enhance user experiences and drive insights into AI systems, shaping the future of...
1 week ago
$145K - $150K *
Lead the charge in developing web-based dissemination tools for external users, collaborating with developers to enhance data visualization and streamline CI/CD processes using modern frameworks and b...
6 days ago
Senior Support Engineer - Tooling & Automation
$79K - $109K *
Unlock your potential by providing technical support and guidance for products aimed at combating online child exploitation. Collaborate across teams to enhance workflows and tooling, leveraging emerg...
4 weeks ago
Senior Windows Engineer - Managed Services
$106K - $150K *
Unlock potential by providing expert operational support for Windows environments. Manage complex incidents, ensure service availability, and collaborate across teams to enhance customer experiences i...
2 weeks ago
$110K - $130K *
Drive software development excellence by leading teams, shaping technical direction, and aligning engineering practices with business goals to deliver impactful solutions and enhance user experiences...
6 days ago
Lead Software Engineer, Azure Solutions
$170K - $200K *
Accelerate progress at the forefront of Azure solutions, leading medium-scale client engagements and complex projects. Drive technical leadership, solution architecture, and mentoring while collaborat...
3 weeks ago
Senior Software Engineer, SRE and Production Engineering - DGX Cloud
$184K - $287K *
Transform production infrastructure by automating bare-metal provisioning and enhancing GPU capacity management. Collaborate across teams to ensure reliability and efficiency in AI workloads, driving...
2 weeks ago
Staff Hardware Engineer, Electrical Distribution System / Harness
$110K - $130K *
Advance the design and implementation of electrical distribution systems for autonomous vehicles, ensuring robust architectures and seamless integration across teams from concept to production...
2 weeks ago
$110K - $150K *
Transform the insurance broker experience by developing AI-driven full stack solutions. Collaborate across teams to design, implement, and enhance intelligent systems that automate processes and deliv...
1 week ago
$100K - $200K *
Champion the future of eco-friendly tech by building solutions for wildfire resilience. Collaborate with diverse teams in a remote-first startup to improve decision-making tools for land managers and...
4 weeks ago
$150K - $165K *
Transform your career by leading technical direction and architecture for complex systems. Collaborate across teams to drive innovation, establish standards, and mentor engineers while ensuring alignm...
1 week ago
Staff Software Engineer - 340B Check
$170K - $200K *
Lead technical direction for a healthcare data team, driving architectural decisions and cross-team initiatives to enhance compliance and operational efficiency. Elevate team performance while solving...
6 days ago
Senior Engineering Manager, Grafana Frontend | Canada | Remote
$211K - $253K *
Join a team that's dedicated to enhancing user experience through innovative frontend solutions. As a leader, drive performance, development, and cross-team collaboration to deliver impactful customer...
Reposted 1 week ago
Senior Software Engineer, SRE and Production Engineering - DGX Cloud
$152K - $287K *
Join a team that builds and operates large-scale GPU infrastructure for AI workloads. Collaborate with cross-functional teams to develop automation and tools, ensuring reliability and efficiency in pr...
4 weeks ago
$110K - $160K *
Lead day-to-day reliability for our SRE-DevOps team, ensuring production AWS environments are secure and well-documented. Collaborate on automation, incident response, and compliance while working ind...
2 weeks ago
Staff Software Engineer, Android Design System
$217K - $303K *
Lead the charge in evolving a cohesive design system for Android, enhancing UI architecture and performance. Collaborate with cross-functional teams to build reusable components and improve accessibil...
1 week ago
What does a senior software development engineer do?
A senior software development engineer designs, builds, tests, and maintains software systems. They often make architecture decisions, solve complex technical problems, review code, mentor teammates, and coordinate with other departments to deliver reliable products.
What qualifications are typically required for senior software development engineer jobs?
Requirements vary, but employers generally seek substantial professional software engineering experience, proficiency in one or more programming languages, and a history of delivering production applications or systems. Familiarity with system design, cloud platforms, databases, testing, and technical leadership may also be expected.
How much do senior software development engineer jobs pay?
Compensation depends on factors such as location, industry, experience, and technical specialty. Ladders focuses on vetted professional jobs paying $100,000 or more, including senior software development engineer opportunities.
What is the difference between a senior software engineer and a senior software development engineer?
The titles often describe similar work, and employers may use them interchangeably. Responsibilities typically include designing and developing software, though the exact emphasis depends on the company and team.
What career paths can follow a senior software development engineer role?
Experienced engineers may advance to staff or principal engineer, software architect, or other technical leadership positions. Those interested in people management may move into engineering manager or director roles.