Scala Developers: What They Do, Skills, & Salary

Even though Scala first appeared 19 years ago, it has only become popular in the last few years. This is due to its ability to handle big data and its scalability and flexibility. Some have attributed Scala's slow rise in popularity to the fact that it is a complex language, but for those developers who have invested the time to learn Scala, it offers significant rewards. The language is now among the most preferred for large-scale application development. For instance, major organizations like LinkedIn, Netflix, and Twitter have adopted Scala.

With the recent interest and adoption of Scala development, Scala developer jobs have become more lucrative, and the demand for competent and skilled Scala developers has risen.?

If your organization wants to leverage Scala for application development or data analysis, you must understand what this engineer does and the skills they can bring to your project. It’s also helpful to understand the position’s salary requirements and how to find the right developer for your project. Read on for a comprehensive guide to hiring Scala developers.

What Is a Scala Developer?

A Scala developer is a software engineer who uses Scala's object-oriented programming (OOP) to build enterprise applications for the cloud, develop data-heavy applications, and work with big data. This combines functional programming with reactive programming, which makes it ideal for working with large amounts of data and ensures scalability, robustness, and maintainability.

What Does a Scala Developer Do?

Scala software engineers are responsible for a wide range of tasks. They use the Scala programming language to design, develop, and maintain applications. This includes designing the application architecture, writing code, debugging existing code, and ensuring it meets security and performance standards.

They rely heavily on the Scala framework, which contains the language and its associated libraries. The Scala framework also provides various tools and libraries for distributed computing, web development, data storage, and more. For instance, they use type classes and reference classes, which contain methods, values, variables, types, objects, and traits to create efficient, secure, and reliable code for applications. Type classes are collections of functions that define object types, while reference classes are object-oriented classes in which the objects in the class can refer to other objects of the same type.

When you hire Scala developers, their roles and responsibilities will depend on your specific project and the size of your team. However, some of the common tasks they are responsible for include the following:

• Designing applications per customer requirements and industry best practices?
• Writing code to build web, cloud, or mobile applications using the Scala programming language
• Debugging existing code and ensuring it meets performance standards
• Testing applications to ensure they are bug-free and secure?
• Optimizing applications for maximum speed and scalability
• Collaborating with other developers, such as designers, testers, and system engineers, throughout the development cycle
• Ensuring the applications are up-to-date and scalable

Scala Developer Skills

Scala developers must possess specific skills to be successful in their role. That is why it's essential to identify the skills you need before you start your search, and vet potential candidates with in-depth interview questions to assess soft, hard, and technical skills.

Soft Skills

These are the non-technical skills that all software engineers should possess, regardless of the language they use. Soft skills are essential for communication and collaboration in a dev team. A successful Scala engineer should have the following:

• Excellent communication ability
• Problem-solving skills
• Ability to work in a team environment
• Strong analytical skills
• Ability to work under pressure and meet deadlines

Hard Skills

Hard skills are related to technical aspects such as programming, coding, and software engineering. A successful Scala developer should possess the following:

• Programming experience: Including programming languages such as Java, C++, and Python
• Experience with the Scala ecosystem:Including the framework, language, and associated libraries
• Experience with distributed systems: Including big data technologies such as Apache Hadoop, Apache Spark, and Kafka Database knowledge: Including relational databases and NoSQL databases

Technical Skills

Technical skills are the practical know-how and experience a software engineer needs to be successful. A professional Scala developer should possess the following:

• High proficiency in object-oriented programming
• Ability to write efficient, robust, and maintainable lines of code
• Knowledge of functional programming concepts
• Familiarity with web application development using Scala
• Experience with web application development frameworks such as Play and Akka
• Familiarity with databases such as MongoDB and Cassandra
• Experience with version control systems such as Git, Subversion, and Mercurial
• Knowledge of API design and application security
• Ability to optimize code for performance and scalability
• Experience with continuous integration and delivery platforms such as Jenkins and Chef

Scala Developer Salary

Understanding how much you can expect to pay a Scala developer and the factors that may affect it will help you to make an informed decision about the budget for your project. The cost of hiring a Scala developer will depend on their experience, skill set, location, and industry.

Junior Developer?

According to Glassdoor, entry-level Scala developers in the U.S. with up to three years of experience earn an annual average salary of between $119,690 and $132,614. These developers typically handle basic tasks related to coding and debugging.

Mid-Level Developer

Scala developers with four to six years of experience earn an annual average income of $143,183. They typically handle more complex tasks related to application architecture and design.

Senior Developer

Wages for a senior Scala engineer with seven or more years of experience are approximately $151,156. Senior engineers typically handle more complex tasks such as developing distributed systems, optimizing code for performance and scalability, and designing APIs. They may also be responsible for an application's overall development and maintenance.

While Scala developers in Latin American countries are equally skilled, the lower cost of living means they’re usually paid 30% to 50% less than their US counterparts, with wages varying based on location and experience. Revelo provides a cost-effective solution while offering highly qualified, pre-vetted Latin American developers.