Distinguished Systems Developer - SQL Engine
InterSystems · Boston, MA
$144,000–$205,000
Jul 20, 2026
Boston, MA
Jul 21, 2026
What this job asks for AI summary
A senior individual-contributor role focused on building and improving a SQL query processing stack, covering areas such as parsing, optimization, plan generation, vectorized execution, and code generation. The work involves integrating with a multi-model storage layer to support both analytical and AI-oriented workloads like vector search and graph traversal. The role also carries mentorship and architectural leadership responsibilities, and suits engineers with deep database internals or systems programming backgrounds.
Principal level · 10+ years · Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH · Full-time
Pay in the description: $144,000–$205,000
We read this from the posting text with AI. Skim the description below before ruling yourself out.
How this req sits in the market our data
Rare in this occupation — lead with these, and say what you built with them.
What the occupation pays Median $169,742 (middle half $134,780–$187,781). This posting is about at that midpoint.
Estimated from BLS employment for this occupation and area, per-skill prevalence across our listing corpus, and published wage benchmarks — as of Jul 28, 2026. It is a model, not a headcount.
Why we read it this way (7)
The title 'Distinguished Developer' is InterSystems' internal designation for a top-of-ladder individual contributor, equivalent to a Principal engineer — mapped to Principal seniority accordingly.
The JD requires expertise in 'at least one systems programming language' and/or 'LLVM-based codegen environments' as a single gated requirement; both are captured separately since they represent distinct technical capabilities, but the JD frames them as alternatives ('or').
A PhD or published research experience is described as 'highly advantageous' — not a hard gate — so the degree requirement is set to None.
AI infrastructure and ML inference pipelines are explicitly framed as 'a strong plus,' so they are marked preferred.
Location is not explicitly stated in the posting, but InterSystems is headquartered in Boston, MA; the role is mapped there. No remote option is mentioned.
Compensation range ($144,000–$205,000/year) is stated as a 'good faith estimate' and may vary by experience, education, skills, and performance; a discretionary annual variable incentive may also apply.
Ignored 1 non-technology phrase(s) as skills (responsibilities/concepts, not named tools): multi-model data systems.
Read the full posting
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