Senior Software Engineer, Distributed Database

The Role

We’re looking for a driven and innovative Senior Software Engineer, Distributed Database to help shape the future of our open-source, Google Zanzibar-inspired database, built to manage security-critical application permissions. In this role, you'll leverage your deep expertise in database engineering to push the boundaries of performance, scalability, and efficiency in SpiceDB OSS and Enterprise. You’ll focus on low-latency query optimization, refining database architecture, and ensuring the system is robust and reliable for large-scale, mission-critical applications.

What You’ll Do

• Research, design, implement, test and release new database features and enhancements.
• Troubleshoot correctness, stability or performance issues related to statement planning and execution in a complex distributed system.
• Drive Optimization efforts by gathering statistics, refining query planning, and implementing materialized views and incremental view maintenance (IVM).
• Apply indexing, partitioning, and caching strategies to improve query efficiency and overall database performance.
• Contribute to both our open source and enterprise database product, SpiceDB.
• Collaborate closely with product, engineering, and support teams.
  
  

Requirements

• Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science or a related field or equivalent experience.
• 5+ years of experience working in system-level languages like Golang, C/C++, Rust or Zig.
• In-depth knowledge of database concepts, and how they are implemented: compilers, indices, query planning, optimization, materialized views, etc.
• Strong Systems engineering background (e.g. distributed systems, operating systems, databases).
• Proven ability to diagnose performance bottlenecks and propose creative solutions.
• Excellent communication skills with a proven ability to articulate technical concepts to both technical and non-technical stakeholders.
• Ability to collaborate effectively with remote teams across time zones.
• Familiarity with modern software development practices and tools, such as continuous integration/continuous deployment (CI/CD), Docker, and Git.
  
  

Nice To Have

• Master’s level coursework in database systems.
• Experience with Golang.
• Experience with cloud infrastructure and managing databases in cloud-native environments.
• Familiarity with modern authorization systems and access control models.