Systems Programmer (C/C++)
Developing systems software: operating systems, drivers, compilers, high-performance libraries
Systems Programmer (C/C++) is a role in the Systems Programming family. It has 94 skills across 5 levels (from Junior to Principal). 141 skills are mandatory. Key domains: Programming Fundamentals, Backend Development, Database Management.
Technology Stack
Focus by Level
Writing code in C/C++. Working with system calls. Debugging memory issues (Valgrind/ASan). Writing unit tests.
Performance optimization. Multithreaded programming (pthreads/std::thread). Profiling (perf). Building libraries.
Systems software architecture. Lock-free programming. Kernel modules. SIMD optimization. API design.
System architecture. Development standards. Choosing C vs C++ vs Rust. Coordination with hardware.
Systems architecture at scale. Custom runtime. Compiler optimization. Industry standards.
Skill Matrix
94 skills × 5 levels. Click on a cell for details.
AI-Assisted Development
4 skills| Skills | Jun | Mid | Sen | Lead | Princ |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| GitHub Copilot | A | W | A | E | E |
| Cursor IDE | A | W | A | E | E |
| ChatGPT / Claude | A | W | A | E | E |
| Prompt Engineering for Code | A | W | A | E | E |
API & Integration
3 skills| Skills | Jun | Mid | Sen | Lead | Princ |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| REST API Design | A | W | A | E | E |
| GraphQL Design | A | W | A | E | E |
| API Documentation | A | W | A | E | E |
Architecture & System Design
1 skills| Skills | Jun | Mid | Sen | Lead | Princ |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| System Design Fundamentals | A | W | A | E | E |
Backend Development
1 skills| Skills | Jun | Mid | Sen | Lead | Princ |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Redis | A | W | A | E | E |
Cloud & Infrastructure
6 skills| Skills | Jun | Mid | Sen | Lead | Princ |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Docker | A | W | A | E | E |
| Virtualization | A | W | A | E | E |
| Kubernetes Core | A | W | A | E | E |
| Terraform | A | W | A | E | E |
| AWS | A | W | A | E | E |
| Network Fundamentals | A | W | A | — | — |
Compilers & Languages
14 skills| Skills | Jun | Mid | Sen | Lead | Princ |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lexing & Parsing | A | W | A | E | E |
| AST & IR Manipulation | A | W | A | E | E |
| Type Inference & Type Checking | A | W | A | E | E |
| Compiler Optimization Passes | A | W | A | E | E |
| Compiler Frontend | A | W | A | E | E |
| Compiler Optimization | A | W | A | E | E |
| LLVM Framework | A | W | A | E | E |
| Language Server Protocol (LSP) | A | W | A | E | E |
| Code Generation | A | W | A | E | E |
| JIT Compilation | A | W | A | E | E |
| Linker & Loader | A | W | A | E | E |
| Static Analysis | A | W | A | E | E |
| DSL Design & Implementation | A | W | A | E | E |
| Interpreter Design | A | W | A | E | E |
Database Management
2 skills| Skills | Jun | Mid | Sen | Lead | Princ |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| PostgreSQL | A | W | A | E | E |
| Database Indexing | A | W | A | E | E |
DevOps & CI/CD
1 skills| Skills | Jun | Mid | Sen | Lead | Princ |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| GitHub Actions / GitLab CI | W | A | E | — | — |
Embedded & IoT
24 skills| Skills | Jun | Mid | Sen | Lead | Princ |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| C for Embedded | A | W | A | E | E |
| C++ for Embedded | A | W | A | E | E |
| Rust for Embedded | A | W | A | E | E |
| Operating Systems | A | W | A | E | E |
| Rust Language | A | W | A | E | E |
| Safety Certification | A | W | A | E | E |
| Signal Processing (Embedded) | A | W | A | E | E |
| Systems Programming in Go | A | W | A | E | E |
| Bare Metal Programming | A | W | A | E | E |
| C Programming | A | W | A | E | E |
| CPU Architecture | A | W | A | E | E |
| Driver Development | A | W | A | E | E |
| Firmware Development | A | W | A | E | E |
| Interrupt Handling | A | W | A | E | E |
| Kernel Development | A | W | A | E | E |
| RTOS Fundamentals: FreeRTOS, Zephyr | A | W | A | E | E |
| Real-Time Systems Design | A | W | A | E | E |
| Bare Metal Programming | A | W | A | E | E |
| Real-Time Programming | A | W | A | E | E |
| RTOS Development | A | W | A | E | E |
| Hardware Interfaces | A | W | A | E | E |
| Cross-Compilation | A | W | A | E | E |
| Debugging Tools | A | W | A | E | E |
| Embedded Testing | A | W | A | E | E |
Observability & Monitoring
3 skills| Skills | Jun | Mid | Sen | Lead | Princ |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Structured Logging | A | W | A | E | E |
| Prometheus & Grafana | A | W | A | E | E |
| OpenTelemetry | A | W | A | E | E |
Performance Engineering
12 skills| Skills | Jun | Mid | Sen | Lead | Princ |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| CPU Profiling | A | W | A | E | E |
| Memory Profiling | A | W | A | E | E |
| I/O & Disk Profiling | A | W | A | E | E |
| Code Profiling | A | W | A | E | E |
| Performance Profiling | A | W | A | E | E |
| Latency Optimization | A | W | A | E | E |
| Throughput Optimization | A | W | A | E | E |
| Resource Optimization FinOps | A | W | A | E | E |
| Low-Latency Systems | A | W | A | E | E |
| Benchmarking Tools & Methodology | A | W | A | E | E |
| Performance Budgets | A | W | A | E | E |
| Profiling & Benchmarking | A | W | A | E | E |
Programming Fundamentals
16 skills| Skills | Jun | Mid | Sen | Lead | Princ |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Algorithms & Complexity | A | W | A | E | E |
| Data Structures | A | W | A | E | E |
| Graph Algorithms | A | W | A | E | E |
| OOP & SOLID Principles | A | W | A | E | E |
| Design Patterns | A | W | A | E | E |
| Multithreading | A | W | A | E | E |
| Async Programming | A | W | A | E | E |
| Thread Synchronization | A | W | A | E | E |
| Code Quality & Refactoring | A | W | A | E | E |
| Clean Code | A | W | A | E | E |
| Functional Programming Principles | A | W | A | E | E |
| Type Safety & Type Systems | A | W | A | E | E |
| Generics & Parametric Polymorphism | A | W | A | E | E |
| Memory Management | A | W | A | E | E |
| Memory Profiling | A | W | A | E | E |
| Systems Memory Management | A | W | A | E | E |
Security
2 skills| Skills | Jun | Mid | Sen | Lead | Princ |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| OWASP & Application Security | A | W | A | E | E |
| Secure Coding Practices | A | W | A | E | E |
Testing & QA
3 skills| Skills | Jun | Mid | Sen | Lead | Princ |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Unit Testing | A | W | A | E | E |
| Unit Testing | A | W | A | E | E |
| Integration Testing | A | W | A | E | E |
Version Control & Collaboration
2 skills| Skills | Jun | Mid | Sen | Lead | Princ |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Git Advanced | A | W | A | E | E |
| Code Review | A | W | A | E | E |
FAQ
What skills are needed for the Systems Programmer (C/C++) role?
The Systems Programmer (C/C++) role requires 94 skills, of which 141 are mandatory. Skills are distributed across 5 levels: from Junior to Principal. See full matrix.
How to advance to the next level in the Systems Programmer (C/C++) role?
Use the Grade Calculator to assess your current level and get personalized recommendations. The system will show which skills need to be developed for the next level.
What tech stack is used in the Systems Programmer (C/C++) role?
The stack includes 5 technologies at different levels. C17/C++20, Linux, GDB, Valgrind/ASan, Make/CMake, Git, GoogleTest, C17/C++20, pthreads/std::thread, perf/flamegraph, CMake advanced, Conan/vcpkg, CI/CD, C++23, Lock-free algorithms, SIMD (AVX/SSE), eBPF, Kernel development basics, Custom allocators...
How does the community define requirements for the Systems Programmer (C/C++) role?
Role requirements are shaped by the community through a proposal system. Any member can suggest changes that go through voting and expert review.