Senior Software Engineering Jobs in California
Senior Software Engineering jobs in California are among the most active in the country, concentrated in enterprise software, cloud infrastructure, fintech, and defense technology with demand from junior engineers through principal and staff-level roles. The largest hiring metros are San Francisco, San Jose, and Los Angeles, where companies like Google, Apple, and Northrop Grumman maintain major engineering operations and hire continuously. The most in-demand specialties in California right now are distributed systems, machine learning infrastructure, and platform engineering. Find a role that fits below and apply directly.
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Responsibilities
The Seller Business team plays a critical role in driving the success of our Global E-commerce platform. We are dedicated to building and nurturing a thriving ecosystem of local and abroad sellers who bring diverse products, brands, and innovations to our marketplace on Tiktok. Our team is responsible for the end-to-end seller journey, including acquiring new sellers, onboarding them efficiently, and supporting their long-term growth and success on the platform, including sellers who operate via integration connectors. We develop and execute programs to help sellers improve their operations, expand into new markets, and enhance their sales performance. We work closely with cross-functional teams—such as Product, Marketing, Operations, Policy, and Data Analytics—to ensure a seamless seller experience and to drive sustainable business growth. Our mission is to empower sellers of all sizes to succeed globally, contributing to a dynamic and engaging shopping experience for users worldwide.
What You'll Do:
- As a senior leader, you will own a major line of business within the Sellers R&D team, collaborating closely with cross-functional partners to define strategy and shape the product and technology roadmap.
- You will oversee system architecture and ensure engineering excellence across your business domain, driving technical decisions and maintaining high-quality standards.
- You will coach and develop individuals, tech leads, and other leaders, fostering a culture of growth, innovation, and high performance.
Qualifications
Minimum Qualifications:
- A minimum of 5 years of software engineering management experience.
- Strong business acumen with the ability to translate complex business requirements into scalable technical solutions, business growth experiences preferred.
- Proven technical background in personalization/recommendation systems and/or backend/full-stack development.
- Data-driven mindset and comfort working with business and operational metrics.
- Excellent communication skills, with the ability to influence and collaborate across diverse, global teams.
Preferred Qualifications:
- Industry background in e-commerce, B2B platforms, seller ecosystems, or social commerce.
- Demonstrated ability to navigate cross-functional dependencies and complex stakeholder relationships.
- High emotional intelligence, with the ability to handle conflicts, foster collaboration, and influence outcomes in ambiguous situations.
- Prior experience working with distributed teams across multiple time zones.
About TikTok
TikTok is the leading destination for short-form mobile video. At TikTok, our mission is to inspire creativity and bring joy. TikTok's global headquarters are in Los Angeles and Singapore, and we also have offices in New York City, London, Dublin, Paris, Berlin, Dubai, Jakarta, Seoul, and Tokyo.
Why Join Us
Inspiring creativity is at the core of TikTok's mission. Our innovative product is built to help people authentically express themselves, discover and connect – and our global, diverse teams make that possible. Together, we create value for our communities, inspire creativity and bring joy – a mission we work towards every day. We strive to do great things with great people. We lead with curiosity, humility, and a desire to make impact in a rapidly growing tech company. Every challenge is an opportunity to learn and innovate as one team. We're resilient and embrace challenges as they come. By constantly iterating and fostering an "Always Day 1" mindset, we achieve meaningful breakthroughs for ourselves, our company, and our users. When we create and grow together, the possibilities are limitless. Join us.
Diversity & Inclusion
TikTok is committed to creating an inclusive space where employees are valued for their skills, experiences, and unique perspectives. Our platform connects people from across the globe and so does our workplace. At TikTok, our mission is to inspire creativity and bring joy. To achieve that goal, we are committed to celebrating our diverse voices and to creating an environment that reflects the many communities we reach. We are passionate about this and hope you are too.
TikTok Accommodation
TikTok is committed to providing reasonable accommodations in our recruitment processes for candidates with disabilities, pregnancy, sincerely held religious beliefs or other reasons protected by applicable laws. If you need assistance or a reasonable accommodation, please reach out to us at https://tinyurl.com/RA-request
Job Information
【For Pay Transparency】Compensation Description (Annually) The base salary range for this position in the selected city is $308000 - $588000 annually. Compensation may vary outside of this range depending on a number of factors, including a candidate’s qualifications, skills, competencies and experience, and location. Base pay is one part of the Total Package that is provided to compensate and recognize employees for their work, and this role may be eligible for additional discretionary bonuses/incentives, and restricted stock units.
Benefits may vary depending on the nature of employment and the country work location. Employees have day one access to medical, dental, and vision insurance, a 401(k) savings plan with company match, paid parental leave, short-term and long-term disability coverage, life insurance, wellbeing benefits, among others. Employees also receive 10 paid holidays per year, 10 paid sick days per year and 17 days of Paid Personal Time (prorated upon hire with increasing accruals by tenure).
The Company reserves the right to modify or change these benefits programs at any time, with or without notice.
For Los Angeles County (unincorporated) Candidates:
Qualified applicants with arrest or conviction records will be considered for employment in accordance with all federal, state, and local laws including the Los Angeles County Fair Chance Ordinance for Employers and the California Fair Chance Act. Our company believes that criminal history may have a direct, adverse and negative relationship on the following job duties, potentially resulting in the withdrawal of the conditional offer of employment:
1. Interacting and occasionally having unsupervised contact with internal/external clients and/or colleagues;
2. Appropriately handling and managing confidential information including proprietary and trade secret information and access to information technology systems; and
3. Exercising sound judgment.
See All 4,592+ Senior Software Engineering Jobs in California
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Find JobsSenior Software Engineering Jobs by City in California
Where California roles are concentrated, by current openings.
Senior Software Engineering Job Market in California
A snapshot from current California openings, updated as new roles post.
Who's Hiring
- NVIDIA345

- Apple215

- Google96

- Roblox92

- Adobe87

Top Industries Hiring
- Technology & Software2,097
- Electronics & Hardware727
- Consulting & Professional Services426
- Automotive195
- Artificial Intelligence184
What California Employers Look For
The qualifications that appear most often in senior software engineering jobs across California.
- Bachelor's or master's degree in computer science, software engineering, or a related field
- Seven or more years of professional software engineering experience in production environments
- Proficiency in one or more languages such as Python, Java, Go, or C++
- Demonstrated experience designing and operating large-scale distributed or cloud-native systems
- Strong collaboration skills working with cross-functional teams including product and data engineering
- Familiarity with Agile development practices and continuous integration and delivery pipelines
Senior Software Engineering Jobs in California: Frequently Asked Questions
How do you become a senior software engineering in California?
Reaching a senior software engineering role in California typically requires a bachelor's degree in computer science or a related discipline, followed by several years of progressive engineering experience in production environments. California has no state-issued license for software engineers, so the path is defined by demonstrated technical depth and impact. Most engineers advance by building expertise in systems design, leading projects, and earning recognition within their organization or through open-source contributions.
How much do senior software engineerings make in California?
Senior software engineerings in California earn a median of about $174,410 a year, based on May 2025 Bureau of Labor Statistics wage data, ranging from around $105,060 for the lowest 10% to over $272,670 for the top 10%. Pay rises with experience, specialty, and employer.
Which companies hire senior software engineerings in California?
Employers hiring senior software engineerings in California right now include NVIDIA, Apple, and Google, based on current listings on Migrate Mate as of June 2026. California's density of technology headquarters, aerospace contractors, and fintech firms means senior engineering demand is spread across a wide range of industries beyond consumer software.
Which California cities have the most senior software engineering jobs?
San Francisco, Santa Clara, and San Jose have the most senior software engineering openings in California. The San Francisco Bay Area and San Jose concentrate the highest volume due to the headquarters presence of major cloud, enterprise software, and semiconductor companies, while Los Angeles draws significant engineering hiring from aerospace, entertainment technology, and a fast-growing startup ecosystem.
Are there remote senior software engineering jobs in California?
Yes, and more than most fields. About 23% of senior software engineering openings tied to California are remote or hybrid as of June 2026, reflecting the desk-based and collaborative-tool-native nature of the work. Backend, platform, and infrastructure roles tend to be the most remote-friendly, while roles involving on-site hardware, lab environments, or classified defense work are typically in-person.
How can I get hired as a senior software engineering in California with little or no experience?
The most realistic entry path is landing an associate or junior software engineer role at a California company with a structured growth track. Large California employers like Apple, Intel, and Salesforce run new-graduate programs and university recruiting pipelines aimed at candidates without professional experience. Building a strong GitHub portfolio, contributing to open-source projects, and targeting roles in quality assurance engineering or technical support at software companies are common lateral moves that open the door to a full engineering career path.
Where can I find and apply to senior software engineering jobs in California?
You can find and apply to senior software engineering jobs in California on Migrate Mate, which lists current California openings. Find roles that fit your experience and location and apply directly to each one.
See All 4,592+ Senior Software Engineering Jobs in California
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