Senior Software Engineer

Actalent; United States; Hybrid; USD 79,000 - 96,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Medical, dental & vision

401(k) Retirement Plan

Life Insurance

Short and long-term disability

HSA

Transportation benefits

Employee Assistance Program

Time Off/Leave

Job summary

Actalent in Southfield, MI seeks a Senior Software Engineer—Backend and Distributed Systems to design and develop high-performance backend services in C#/.NET on Linux. You will architect scalable service-oriented systems for high-throughput messaging and device communication across cloud platforms.

The role requires 7+ years of experience, expertise in distributed systems and security, and hands-on use of Kafka, MQTT, or RabbitMQ.

Qualifications

• 7+ years of software development experience building backend or distributed systems.
• Strong experience with C# and ASP.NET.
• Experience deploying services in Linux server environments.
• Deep understanding of networking and secure service architectures.

Responsibilities

• Design and develop high-performance backend services in C#/.NET on Linux.
• Architect scalable, service-oriented systems for messaging and distributed workloads.
• Build robust network-based services using modern patterns and protocols.
• Implement distributed messaging with Kafka, MQTT, RabbitMQ, or similar.
• Ensure security, auth, encryption, and secure communications across services.
• Design for high availability, scalability, observability, and fault tolerance.
• Optimize performance via asynchronous code and efficient concurrency.
• Develop and maintain APIs consumed by devices and cloud platforms.
• Collaborate with DevOps to support CI/CD and cloud deployments (AWS/Azure/GCP).
• Troubleshoot complex distributed systems and optimize deployments.

Skills

C# & .NET

ASP.NET

Linux

Distributed systems

TCP/IP networking

Security architectures

Kafka/MQTT/RabbitMQ

Cloud (AWS/Azure/GCP)

Git CI/CD

High availability

Tools

Docker

Kubernetes

CI/CD tools

Job description

Job Title: Senior Software Engineer – Backend and Distributed Systems

Job Description

This role focuses on designing and developing high‑performance backend services and distributed systems using C# and .NET in Linux server environments. You will architect scalable, secure, and highly available service-oriented systems that power high throughput messaging, device communication, and cloud-connected workloads. The position offers the opportunity to work on complex, real-world challenges within a collaborative team that values creativity, technical excellence, and practical problem solving.

Responsibilities

• Design and develop high performance backend services using C# and .NET running in Linux server environments.
• Architect and implement scalable service-oriented systems that support high throughput messaging, device communication, and distributed workloads.
• Design and build robust network-based services that leverage modern networking patterns and protocols.
• Develop and maintain systems that use distributed messaging technologies such as Kafka, MQTT, RabbitMQ, or similar platforms.
• Implement secure service architectures, including authentication, authorization, encryption, and secure communication patterns.
• Design backend infrastructure with high availability, scalability, observability, and fault tolerance as core principles.
• Optimize service performance through asynchronous programming, effective concurrency models, and efficient resource management.
• Develop and maintain APIs and service interfaces consumed by internal systems, connected devices, and cloud platforms.
• Collaborate with DevOps and infrastructure teams to support deployment pipelines and operational tooling across cloud environments such as AWS, Azure, or Google Cloud Platform.
• Troubleshoot and resolve complex issues involving network communication, distributed systems behavior, and production service performance.
• Use Git-based workflows and CI/CD pipelines to ensure reliable, repeatable deployments and high-quality code delivery.
• Translate high-level platform requirements into clean, maintainable, and scalable service architectures.
• Analyze and debug complex distributed system issues involving networking, service interactions, and concurrency problems.
• Ensure backend services integrate effectively with infrastructure, networking layers, and dependent systems.

Essential Skills

• 7+ years of software development experience building backend or distributed systems.
• Strong experience developing applications using C# and ASP.NET.
• Experience developing and deploying services in Linux server environments.
• Deep understanding of TCP/IP networking, socket programming, and network-based service architectures.
• Experience implementing secure service architectures, including authentication mechanisms, encryption, and service hardening.
• Hands‑on experience with distributed messaging platforms such as Kafka, MQTT, RabbitMQ, or similar technologies.
• Experience deploying or operating systems within cloud environments such as AWS, Azure, or Google Cloud Platform.
• Familiarity with Git-based workflows and CI/CD pipelines.
• Strong understanding of how backend services interact with infrastructure, networking layers, and dependent systems.
• Ability to design scalable architectures that balance performance, reliability, and maintainability.
• Proven skill in debugging complex distributed system issues involving networking, service interactions, and concurrency problems.
• Ability to translate high-level platform requirements into clean, maintainable service architectures.

Additional Skills & Qualifications

• Experience building high throughput or real‑time messaging systems.
• Experience with containerization technologies such as Docker and Kubernetes.
• Experience building IoT platforms or device communication systems.
• Experience working in fast‑paced, problem‑solving, and collaborative engineering environments.
• Comfort working with cloud‑native tooling and modern DevOps practices.

Work Environment

This position follows a hybrid work schedule, with remote work on Mondays and Fridays and in‑office collaboration from Tuesday through Thursday. You will work in a fast‑paced, problem‑solving, and highly collaborative environment that encourages creativity, open communication, and teamwork. The engineering culture emphasizes modern tooling, including Linux‑based servers, cloud platforms such as AWS, Azure, or Google Cloud Platform, distributed messaging technologies like Kafka, MQTT, or RabbitMQ, and containerization solutions such as Docker and Kubernetes where applicable.

Job Type & Location

This is a Contract to Hire position based out of Southfield, MI.

Pay and Benefits

The pay range for this position is $57.00 - $70.00/hr.

Individual compensation offered for this position within this range will depend on many factors, including qualifications, skills, relevant experience, job knowledge, geographic location, internal equity, and other pertinent job‑related factors.

Eligibility requirements apply to some benefits and may depend on your job classification and length of employment. Benefits are subject to change and may be subject to specific election, plan, or program terms. If eligible, the benefits available for this temporary role may include the following:

• Medical, dental & vision
• Critical Illness, Accident, and Hospital
• 401(k) Retirement Plan – Pre‑tax and Roth post‑tax contributions available
• Life Insurance (Voluntary Life & AD&D for the employee and dependents)
• Short and long‑term disability
• Health Spending Account (HSA)
• Transportation benefits
• Employee Assistance Program
• Time Off/Leave (PTO, Vacation or Sick Leave)

Workplace Type

This is a hybrid position in Southfield,MI.

Application Deadline

This position is anticipated to close on Sep 28, 2026.

About Actalent

Actalent is a global leader in engineering and sciences services and talent solutions. We help visionary companies advance their engineering and science initiatives through access to specialized experts who drive scale, innovation and speed to market. With a network of almost 20,000 consultants and 5,000 clients across the U.S., Canada, Asia and Europe, Actalent serves many of the Fortune 500. We are proud to be an Engineering News‑Record (ENR) Top 500 Design Firm for our engineering design services and a ClearlyRated Best of Staffing® winner for both client and talent service.

The company is an equal opportunity employer and will consider all applications withoutregard to race, sex, age, color, religion, national origin, veteran status, disability,sexual orientation, gender identity, genetic information or any characteristic protectedby law.

If you would like to request a reasonable accommodation, such as the modification or adjustment of the job application process or interviewing process due to a disability, please email [e-mail] for other accommodation options.

San Francisco Fair Chance Ordinance

Pursuant to the San Francisco Fair Chance Ordinance, for all positions located in the city and county of San Francisco, we will consider for employment qualified applicants with arrest and conviction records.

Massachusetts Lie Detector

It is unlawful in Massachusetts to require or administer a lie detector test as a condition of employment or continued employment. An employer who violates this law shall be subject to criminal penalties and civil liability.

Use of Artificial Intelligence (AI)

We may use Artificial Intelligence (AI) to support parts of our hiring process, including sourcing, screening, and evaluating candidates. AI helps assess applications and qualifications, but final decisions are made by our hiring team. By applying, you acknowledge and agree that your application may be reviewed using AI tools.