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.
Software Development Engineer - AI Infrastructure Development Platform
$130K - $195K *
Build and enhance AI Infrastructure Development Platform, enabling teams to deploy and manage AI agents. Design backend services and tooling, ensuring reliability and scalability while improving devel...
5 days ago
Software Development Manager, AWS ElastiCache
$171K - $286K *
Elevate your career by leading a dynamic team focused on developing cutting-edge in-memory database solutions. Drive technical direction and operational excellence while ensuring data durability and p...
2 weeks ago
Senior Process Development Engineer
$120K - $145K *
Drive SMT process innovation and optimization, enhancing quality, yield, and efficiency in manufacturing. Collaborate globally to standardize practices and support complex product introduction from pr...
Reposted 3 weeks ago
$95K - $115K *
Unlock your potential by developing and maintaining enterprise applications, enhancing performance, and supporting modernization efforts in a collaborative Agile environment using Java, Spring Boot, a...
Yesterday
$95K - $115K *
Shape the future of enterprise applications by developing scalable software solutions using Java, Spring Boot, and Angular. Collaborate with an Agile team to enhance performance and support modernizat...
Yesterday
Software Development Engineer in Test (SDET) (on-site)
$100K - $120K *
Innovate with cutting-edge AI-driven test automation to uplift quality engineering standards across varied environments. Collaborate with cross-functional teams to ensure robust, reliable software del...
Reposted 3 weeks ago
$295K - $345K *
Elevate your career by leading the Observability team to enhance AI/ML monitoring solutions. Drive project execution, architect scalable systems, and mentor junior engineers while ensuring top-notch p...
1 week ago
$130K - $140K *
Contribute to the development of scalable B2B SaaS applications, leveraging full-stack expertise in Java, Angular, and AWS. Collaborate with cross-functional teams to deliver high-quality software sol...
1 week ago
Senior Embedded Software Developer
$120K - $140K *
Join a team that's dedicated to enhancing cybersecurity solutions through innovative software development. Collaborate on cutting-edge features for a leading firewall product, tackling complex challen...
6 days ago
Senior Architecture Modeling Engineer, AWS Machine Learning Accelerators
$193K - $261K *
Help us shape the future of machine learning by developing SoC functional models, collaborating across teams, innovating tools, and enhancing modeling infrastructure to meet the growing demands of our...
Reposted 3 weeks ago
$270K - $335K *
Join a team that's shaping the future of connectivity by leading engineers to deliver impactful solutions. Drive technical excellence and foster a culture of growth and collaboration while navigating...
2 days ago
$143K - $194K *
Unlock potential by driving innovative software solutions for core Markdown systems. Collaborate across teams to enhance features, improve architecture, and ensure system reliability while tackling te...
2 weeks ago
$120K - $145K *
Pioneer innovative solutions as a Senior Software Engineer, collaborating with a seasoned team to tackle complex challenges. Drive product development in a fully remote environment, focusing on user n...
Reposted 1 week ago
Senior Software Engineer, Agentic Test Systems
$213K - $263K *
Lead the charge in developing innovative systems that enhance release qualification and boost developer productivity across diverse technologies and software environments...
2 weeks ago
Principal Software Development Engineer
$195K - $323K *
Lead the development and delivery of secure software solutions, driving innovation and strategic decisions across departments while ensuring compliance and quality standards in a dynamic financial ser...
Reposted 3 days ago
Manager, Systems Development Engineer
$192K - $278K *
Shape the future of engineering by leading a team to design and optimize secure, scalable hardware environments. Drive technical strategy and operations, ensuring seamless integration with CI/CD workf...
1 week ago
Senior Staff Software Development Engineer (C / Networking / Dataplane)
$157K - $225K *
Transform your career by designing high-performance networking features. Leverage your C programming expertise to enhance global infrastructure, driving complex projects from concept to deployment in...
2 weeks ago
Senior Software Developer, Full-Stack
$132K - $178K *
Innovate customer experiences by leading full-stack development efforts, mentoring junior engineers, and collaborating cross-functionally to deliver scalable AI-powered applications that drive growth...
1 week ago
$230K - $270K *
Elevate backend development by leading initiatives that enhance frameworks, tooling, and libraries. Collaborate with cross-functional teams to ensure scalable, reliable systems while mentoring enginee...
2 weeks ago
Software Development Engineering - Advisor II
$128K - $216K *
Join a dynamic team to design and deliver cloud-native payment solutions, leveraging modern technologies and AI-assisted development practices to enhance digital payment experiences and ensure high st...
4 days ago
Senior Staff Software Engineer - Developer Experience
$150K - $180K *
Drive the development and execution of an AI-native Developer Experience strategy, transforming the entire Software Development Life Cycle to enhance quality and productivity across engineering teams...
Reposted 3 weeks ago
Senior Staff Software Engineer - Developer Experience
$162K - $195K *
Engineer an AI-driven Developer Experience strategy to revolutionize quality assurance and streamline the SDLC, enhancing productivity and architectural integrity for thousands of engineers delivering...
Reposted 3 weeks ago
Software Development Engineer III, Scaling Efficiency, CloudTune
$150K - $251K *
Join a team that's redefining infrastructure efficiency by designing and delivering scalable distributed systems. Leverage your expertise to solve complex problems and enhance operational excellence a...
6 days ago
Senior Software Engineer II - Storage
$250K - $280K *
Join a team that's redefining data storage solutions. As a senior engineer, you'll design and implement high-impact systems, ensuring performance and reliability while collaborating across teams to dr...
3 weeks ago
Sr. Software Development Engineer, AWSBA Service Care Center (SCC)
$150K - $251K *
Elevate the software development experience for thousands of AWS engineers. Collaborate to design and build innovative tools that simplify deployment and maintenance, driving transformation and effici...
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.