Software Engineer (Database Systems)

Are you a skilled and experienced Software Engineer looking for an exciting job in the vibrant city of Amsterdam? At Triply (located at the campus of VU University Amsterdam), we seek somebody to join our mission to build the next generation of linked data tools. 

About us 

At Triply, we believe smart technology can make a real difference. We help organizations turn scattered data into clear, actionable insights using our software and services for linked data production systems. Our TriplyDB platform enables companies worldwide, from start-ups to organizations with 10,000+ employees, to integrate their data into standards-compliant knowledge graphs and unlock its full potential.

We work with clients across industries, including governments and social organizations, contributing to projects that truly have impact. Our close-knit team of curious thinkers thrives on making complex information clear and usable, in an open, creative environment where everyone can experiment and build solutions that matter.

Your role

You’ll contribute directly to the core of our database engine, where performance, scalability, and correctness are paramount. Our system faces two key challenges:

• Supporting expressive queries over large and evolving datasets.
• Scaling both horizontally and vertically to handle real-world workloads.

You’ll work on:

• Designing and optimizing storage formats, indexing structures, and query execution strategies.
• Improving performance and memory efficiency through careful data structure design and benchmarking.
• Extending our query planner and execution engine to support new features and optimizations.
• Building advanced indexing strategies (e.g. full-text and geospatial) to enable fast and precise access to complex data.
• Collaborating with a small, experienced team to design solutions that are both theoretically sound and practical in production.

If you enjoy understanding how databases work under the hood—parsing, planning, executing, caching—and you want to help build something unique in the linked data space, this role is for you.

Profile

You have:

• 3+ years of experience in systems-level programming (e.g. C++, Rust, or Go).
• Experience building or extending database engines, query processors, storage systems, or similar performance-critical software.
• Solid understanding of data structures, algorithms, and concurrency.
• Experience with performance profiling and debugging tools (e.g. perf, gdb, Valgrind, flamegraphs).
• Familiarity with modern development workflows: Git, CI/CD, automated testing.
• Strong communication skills and the ability to express complex ideas clearly and concisely.

Nice to haves:

• Experience with TypeScript/Node.js and native bindings (e.g. N-API).
• Familiarity with query planning, cost estimation, or index optimization.
• Experience with RDF, SPARQL, or graph/semantic data systems.
• Exposure to containerized environments (Docker, Kubernetes) or cloud deployment of data systems.
• Interest in Rust or modern CMake-based workflows.

Even if you do not fit the above description completely, you can always apply. We value a curious mindset and a drive to solve problems. 

Responsibilities

• Design, Develop & Test Robust Software: Build and maintain performant, secure, and maintainable core components of our database engine. Implement and test features related to query execution, storage, and indexing, ensuring scalability, correctness, and maintainability.
• Optimize for Real-World Performance: Profile and benchmark complex workloads. Use empirical evidence to guide performance improvements and architectural decisions.
• Collaborate & Communicate Effectively: Work closely with other engineers on design discussions, reviews, and testing. Communicate technical issues clearly and share knowledge across the team.
• Pragmatism: Use sound judgment to balance ideal architecture with practical constraints. Refactor where needed, prioritize impact, and maintain a high standard of developer and user experience.
• Support the Team & Broader Organization: Assist in diagnosing and fixing issues, testing contributions from others, and collaborating with product and support teams when deep technical expertise is needed.

What do we offer?

• A competitive salary based on your skills and experience
• A friendly, international team
• 25 days of holiday
• Laptop and mobile phone will be provided if necessary
• Pension scheme
• Hybrid working
• Personal budget
• Snacks, coffee, and occasional sweet treats to keep you energized

How to apply

If you are a talented Software Engineer looking to join a forward-thinking team and make an impact in the world of linked data, we would love to hear from you. Please send your resume and a brief cover letter highlighting your relevant experience to [email protected]