Backend Software Engineer Jobs in Washington
Backend Software Engineer jobs in Washington are among the most active in the country, with strong demand concentrated in cloud infrastructure, distributed systems, and enterprise software across companies ranging from new engineers to principal-level architects. Seattle and the Eastside corridor of Bellevue and Redmond anchor the market, with secondary hiring in Olympia tied to state government modernization projects. Amazon, Microsoft, and Boeing all maintain substantial backend engineering teams in Washington and hire continuously across specialties including API development, data pipeline engineering, and microservices architecture. Find a role that fits below and apply directly.
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Showing 5 of 52+ Backend Software Engineer jobs
We are the Windows Servicing and Delivery (WSD) organization; our core mission is to keep customers protected and productive by delivering a seamless and timely servicing experience for our customers in existing and future versions of Windows. Our Autopatch service team is looking for highly motivated Software Engineer II to help us in this mission.
We value passion, creativity, agility, accountability, and desire to learn new complex technical areas. You will be an important part of a team of highly motivated and talented individuals, and this is a great opportunity to challenge yourself and grow your career. As a member of our team, you will lead the design, development, and deployment of highly scalable and reliable software components, drive technical strategy and build cloud services that operate at high scale and availability.
At Microsoft, our mission—to empower every person and every organization on the planet to achieve more—guides how we partner with customers to deliver trusted, impactful solutions. With a growth mindset culture, we innovate responsibly and measure success by shared progress—people, teams, and customers. Join us to do meaningful work that changes the world and helps shape what’s next for everyone.
Responsibilities
- Create, implement, optimize, debug, refactor, and reuse code to enhance performance, maintainability, effectiveness, and return on investment (ROI).
- Design, develop, and operationalize the deployment of complex, enterprise-grade cloud services that leverage multiple services and platforms, ensuring high availability, scalability, robustness, and observability.
- Act as a Designated Responsible Individual (DRI) and guide other engineers by developing and following the playbook, working on call to monitor systems/products/services for degradation, downtime, or interruptions, alerting stakeholders about status, and initiating actions to restore systems/products/services for both simple and complex problems when appropriate.
- Pro-actively seek new knowledge and adapt to new trends, technical solutions, and patterns to improve the availability, reliability, efficiency, observability, and performance of products while driving consistency in monitoring and operations at scale.
Qualifications
Required Qualifications
-
Bachelor's Degree in Computer Science or related technical field AND 2+ years technical engineering experience with coding in languages including, but not limited to, C#, JavaScript, Java, or Python
- OR equivalent experience.
Other Requirements
-
Ability to meet Microsoft, customer and/or government security screening requirements are required for this role. These requirements include but are not limited to the following specialized security screenings:
- Microsoft Cloud Background Check: This position will be required to pass the Microsoft Cloud background check upon hire/transfer and every two years thereafter.
Preferred Qualifications
- 2+ years of experience in software engineering practices, coding, and foundational knowledge in data structures and algorithms, with problem solving, debugging and analytical skills.
- Experience building on top of Azure Services (Azure Function, Service Fabric, Logical App, Service Bus, Azure KeyVault, Authentication, Traffic Manager, Load balancer, App Insights, etc.).
- Problem-solving skills, with a data-driven approach to debugging and performance optimization.
#W+DJOBS
#WSDJOBS
Software Engineering IC3 - The typical base pay range for this role across the U.S. is USD $102,100 - $202,200 per year. There is a different range applicable to specific work locations, within the San Francisco Bay area and New York City metropolitan area, and the base pay range for this role in those locations is USD $133,800 - $219,200 per year.
Certain roles may be eligible for benefits and other compensation. Find additional benefits and pay information here:
https://careers.microsoft.com/us/en/us-corporate-pay
This position will be open for a minimum of 5 days, with applications accepted on an ongoing basis until the position is filled.
Microsoft is an equal opportunity employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to age, ancestry, citizenship, color, family or medical care leave, gender identity or expression, genetic information, immigration status, marital status, medical condition, national origin, physical or mental disability, political affiliation, protected veteran or military status, race, ethnicity, religion, sex (including pregnancy), sexual orientation, or any other characteristic protected by applicable local laws, regulations and ordinances. If you need assistance with religious accommodations and/or a reasonable accommodation due to a disability during the application process.
We are the Windows Servicing and Delivery (WSD) organization; our core mission is to keep customers protected and productive by delivering a seamless and timely servicing experience for our customers in existing and future versions of Windows. Our Autopatch service team is looking for highly motivated Software Engineer II to help us in this mission.
We value passion, creativity, agility, accountability, and desire to learn new complex technical areas. You will be an important part of a team of highly motivated and talented individuals, and this is a great opportunity to challenge yourself and grow your career. As a member of our team, you will lead the design, development, and deployment of highly scalable and reliable software components, drive technical strategy and build cloud services that operate at high scale and availability.
At Microsoft, our mission—to empower every person and every organization on the planet to achieve more—guides how we partner with customers to deliver trusted, impactful solutions. With a growth mindset culture, we innovate responsibly and measure success by shared progress—people, teams, and customers. Join us to do meaningful work that changes the world and helps shape what’s next for everyone.
Responsibilities
- Create, implement, optimize, debug, refactor, and reuse code to enhance performance, maintainability, effectiveness, and return on investment (ROI).
- Design, develop, and operationalize the deployment of complex, enterprise-grade cloud services that leverage multiple services and platforms, ensuring high availability, scalability, robustness, and observability.
- Act as a Designated Responsible Individual (DRI) and guide other engineers by developing and following the playbook, working on call to monitor systems/products/services for degradation, downtime, or interruptions, alerting stakeholders about status, and initiating actions to restore systems/products/services for both simple and complex problems when appropriate.
- Pro-actively seek new knowledge and adapt to new trends, technical solutions, and patterns to improve the availability, reliability, efficiency, observability, and performance of products while driving consistency in monitoring and operations at scale.
Qualifications
Required Qualifications
-
Bachelor's Degree in Computer Science or related technical field AND 2+ years technical engineering experience with coding in languages including, but not limited to, C#, JavaScript, Java, or Python
- OR equivalent experience.
Other Requirements
-
Ability to meet Microsoft, customer and/or government security screening requirements are required for this role. These requirements include but are not limited to the following specialized security screenings:
- Microsoft Cloud Background Check: This position will be required to pass the Microsoft Cloud background check upon hire/transfer and every two years thereafter.
Preferred Qualifications
- 2+ years of experience in software engineering practices, coding, and foundational knowledge in data structures and algorithms, with problem solving, debugging and analytical skills.
- Experience building on top of Azure Services (Azure Function, Service Fabric, Logical App, Service Bus, Azure KeyVault, Authentication, Traffic Manager, Load balancer, App Insights, etc.).
- Problem-solving skills, with a data-driven approach to debugging and performance optimization.
#W+DJOBS
#WSDJOBS
Software Engineering IC3 - The typical base pay range for this role across the U.S. is USD $102,100 - $202,200 per year. There is a different range applicable to specific work locations, within the San Francisco Bay area and New York City metropolitan area, and the base pay range for this role in those locations is USD $133,800 - $219,200 per year.
Certain roles may be eligible for benefits and other compensation. Find additional benefits and pay information here:
https://careers.microsoft.com/us/en/us-corporate-pay
This position will be open for a minimum of 5 days, with applications accepted on an ongoing basis until the position is filled.
Microsoft is an equal opportunity employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to age, ancestry, citizenship, color, family or medical care leave, gender identity or expression, genetic information, immigration status, marital status, medical condition, national origin, physical or mental disability, political affiliation, protected veteran or military status, race, ethnicity, religion, sex (including pregnancy), sexual orientation, or any other characteristic protected by applicable local laws, regulations and ordinances. If you need assistance with religious accommodations and/or a reasonable accommodation due to a disability during the application process.
See All 52 Backend Software Engineer Jobs in Washington
Find roles in Washington that match your experience and apply in just a few clicks.
Find JobsBackend Software Engineer Jobs by City in Washington
Where Washington roles are concentrated, by current openings.
Backend Software Engineer Job Market in Washington
A snapshot from current Washington openings, updated as new roles post.
Who's Hiring
- Rippling11
- TikTok10
- Truveta3
- Databricks3
- Yoodli AI Roleplays3Y
Top Industries Hiring
- Technology & Software17
- Science & Research2
- Social Media1
- Media & Entertainment1
What Washington Employers Look For
The qualifications that appear most often in backend software engineer jobs across Washington.
- Proficiency in one or more backend languages such as Python, Java, Go, or C++
- Experience designing and maintaining RESTful APIs or microservices architectures
- Hands-on background with cloud platforms, particularly AWS given Amazon's Washington presence
- Familiarity with relational and NoSQL databases including PostgreSQL, DynamoDB, or Cosmos DB
- Demonstrated ability to work within agile development cycles and use version control with Git
- Bachelor's degree in computer science, software engineering, or a closely related technical field
Backend Software Engineer Jobs in Washington: Frequently Asked Questions
How do you become a backend software engineer in Washington?
Washington does not require a state-issued license or registration to work as a backend software engineer, so the path centers on education and demonstrated technical skill. Most employers in the state expect at minimum a bachelor's degree in computer science, software engineering, or a related discipline, though bootcamp graduates with a strong portfolio are competitive at smaller studios and startups. Proficiency in cloud-native development is particularly valued given Washington's concentration of cloud-first employers.
How much do backend software engineers make in Washington?
Backend software engineers in Washington earn a median of about $166,540 a year, based on May 2025 Bureau of Labor Statistics wage data, ranging from around $96,810 for the lowest 10% to over $255,350 for the top 10%. Pay rises with experience, specialty, and employer.
Which companies hire backend software engineers in Washington?
Employers hiring backend software engineers in Washington right now include Rippling, TikTok, and Truveta, based on current listings on Migrate Mate as of September 2026. Washington's technology economy runs deep, with headquarters and major engineering centers for cloud, aerospace, and enterprise software all maintaining consistent backend hiring throughout the year.
Which Washington cities have the most backend software engineer jobs?
Seattle, Bellevue, and Redmond have the most backend software engineer openings in Washington. Seattle dominates because of its dense concentration of technology headquarters and cloud infrastructure teams, while Bellevue and Redmond draw heavily from Microsoft's campus presence and the many vendors and contractors that support it, making the Eastside corridor a major hiring center in its own right.
Are there remote backend software engineer jobs in Washington?
Yes, and more than most fields. About 56% of backend software engineer openings tied to Washington are remote or hybrid as of September 2026, reflecting how naturally the work translates to distributed teams. Roles focused on API development, data engineering, and platform infrastructure are the most consistently offered remotely, while positions requiring close integration with on-site hardware or security-cleared environments tend to be in-person.
How can I get hired as a backend software engineer in Washington with little or no experience?
The most realistic entry path is an associate or new-graduate software development role, which large Washington employers including Amazon and Microsoft post regularly under titles like associate software development engineer or software development engineer I. Building a GitHub portfolio demonstrating backend projects in Python, Java, or Go gives candidates without professional experience a concrete signal of capability. Community colleges and university extension programs in Seattle also offer certificates that pair well with a portfolio when applying to smaller Washington technology companies and state government IT teams.
Where can I find and apply to backend software engineer jobs in Washington?
You can find and apply to backend software engineer jobs in Washington on Migrate Mate, which lists current Washington openings across industries and experience levels. Find roles that fit your background and apply directly to the ones that match.
See All 52 Backend Software Engineer Jobs in Washington
Find roles in Washington that match your experience and apply in just a few clicks.
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