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.
$143K - $286K *
Innovate with us as a technical leader, driving scalable platform solutions and AI integration. Collaborate across teams to enhance reporting accuracy and deliver high-quality outputs that support str...
1 week ago
Senior Technical Project Manager (Enterprise Modernization & AI Delivery
$130K - $155K *
Lead cross-functional teams to drive enterprise modernization through AI solutions. Oversee complex implementations, ensuring alignment across technical and business stakeholders while delivering meas...
Today
$143K - $241K *
Collaborate with cross-functional teams to design and implement scalable data solutions, optimize performance, and enhance software architecture while adhering to coding standards and leveraging AI to...
3 weeks ago
Senior AI Software Engineer (RD271)
$130K - $155K *
Drive innovation by developing AI-driven software solutions that enhance secure application delivery. Collaborate with cross-functional teams to tackle complex challenges and shape the future of softw...
Today
$66K - $128K *
Unlock your potential as you design and implement software for spacecraft simulators, collaborating with engineers to create cutting-edge solutions in the space industry. This entry-level role offers...
3 weeks ago
Senior Virtualization & Orchestration Engineer
$135K - $160K *
Transform infrastructure by designing and building scalable GPU systems for AI cloud platforms, focusing on virtualization, Kubernetes, and automation to enhance performance and reliability across mul...
3 weeks ago
Staff Software Engineer, Speech
$135K - $160K *
Join a team that's transforming healthcare by leading the development of a high-performance Speech Platform. Leverage your audio expertise to mentor engineers, collaborate with scientists, and drive i...
1 week ago
$130K - $160K *
Elevate cloud security and reliability by leading DevOps practices across teams. You'll optimize AWS and GCP environments, enhance CI/CD pipelines, and ensure cost-effective engineering tools, driving...
Yesterday
Senior Software Engineer, Backend (Marketing & Privacy Engineering)
$153K - $213K *
Elevate your career by building robust data systems that enhance marketing effectiveness. Collaborate across teams to create reliable measurement architectures that drive consumer growth and ensure da...
2 weeks ago
Staff Software Engineer - Services Platform
$239K - $298K *
Drive the evolution of Mercury's services platform by defining standards for deployment, authentication, and observability. Collaborate across teams to enhance infrastructure while mentoring engineers...
2 weeks ago
Senior Site Reliability Engineer II
$120K - $145K *
Drive system reliability and scalability as a Senior Site Reliability Engineer, focusing on automation and collaboration with software teams to enhance performance and maintain service objectives acro...
1 week ago
Senior Manager - Software Engineering (REF# ME0826)
$170K - $180K *
Lead the charge in overseeing complex software development initiatives, driving Agile sprint teams, and ensuring seamless integration of web services and databases to meet organizational goals while e...
4 weeks ago
Senior Support Engineer - Interoperability
$110K - $148K *
Drive advanced technical support for trading solutions, managing complex incidents, troubleshooting, and collaborating with teams to enhance system performance and ensure exceptional customer experien...
4 weeks ago
$130K - $150K *
Transform your career by leveraging your AWS expertise in a dynamic DevOps role. Collaborate with a hands-on team to enhance infrastructure and streamline development processes while tackling complex...
Today
Principal Software Engineer, Workload Orchestration (Distributed Compute))
$165K - $215K *
Architect innovative solutions to complex technical challenges, driving platform direction and enabling deep specialists. You'll tackle high-leverage problems that define our future capabilities and e...
Yesterday
Sr. Product Enablement Manager
$160K - $170K *
Transform user experiences by creating impactful product education and training. Collaborate cross-functionally to enhance product adoption, streamline communication, and drive measurable user success...
4 days ago
Sr. Principal Software and AI Engineer
$137K - $182K *
Architect and drive AI-powered applications for drug development, focusing on protocol generation and clinical trials. Lead technical direction, mentor engineers, and ensure compliance while fostering...
1 week ago
Senior Data Ops and Services Programmer
$100K - $115K *
Unlock the potential of our data infrastructure by optimizing databases, leading projects, and collaborating with teams to ensure data integrity and scalability in a dynamic environment...
1 week ago
Senior AI Engineer, Platform Integration
$135K - $175K *
Drive the integration of AI tools into a secure cloud platform for capital markets, ensuring compliance and security while collaborating with top law firms and engineering teams to enhance document wo...
Yesterday
Staff Software Engineer, Backend (Grader)
$220K - $240K *
Transform your career by owning the backend architecture for a fast-growing product, enhancing system performance, and collaborating across teams to drive innovations in restaurant health analytics wi...
Reposted 4 weeks ago
$137K - $231K *
Empower your career by shaping design systems that enhance user experience. Collaborate with teams to build high-quality, interactive UI across platforms, ensuring accessibility and performance while...
1 week ago
$151K - $195K *
Join a team that's shaping the future of design engineering by developing innovative systems that enhance user experience across web and mobile platforms. Your expertise will drive quality and perform...
1 week ago
Senior QA Engineer, AI & Automation
$110K - $130K *
Join a team that's redefining quality assurance through AI-accelerated test automation. You'll build scalable automation suites, integrate quality gates, and collaborate with engineers to enhance test...
1 week ago
$200K - $250K *
Join us to architect and lead the development of scalable fintech solutions. As a technical leader, you'll drive innovation, mentor teams, and ensure architectural integrity while shaping the future o...
Reposted 5 days ago
$200K - $250K *
Transform the architectural vision of a fintech platform by leading the design and implementation of scalable systems. Drive technical excellence and mentor teams to innovate and enhance the financial...
3 weeks 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.