Senior Engineering Manager-PostgreSQL

Engineering Manager · Senior · Full Time

US-CA-Menlo ParkUSD 264k – 380k5mo ago
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Role

What you'll do.

A Senior Engineering Manager role at Snowflake leading the development of a fully managed, cloud-native PostgreSQL service. The role requires 10+ years of large-scale systems experience, 5+ years of team leadership, and combines technical leadership with strategic product development in cloud database infrastructure.

Responsibilities

  • Technical Leadership: Provide strategic technical direction for PostgreSQL dataplane and orchestration control plane architecture
  • Team Management: Lead and develop high-performing engineering teams, including potential management of managers
  • Problem Solving: Break down complex distributed systems challenges and build consensus across multiple stakeholders
  • Roadmap Development: Define product roadmap while simultaneously delivering on current commitments and milestones
  • System Architecture: Design scalable, resilient PostgreSQL services meeting enterprise durability and availability requirements
  • Operational Excellence: Ensure production readiness including HA, automated scaling, backup systems, and security compliance
  • Cross-functional Collaboration: Drive alignment and influence across organizational boundaries to deliver integrated solutions
  • Strategic Planning: Balance long-term architectural vision with immediate business needs and customer requirements

Qualifications

What we look for.

Technical

  • Large-Scale Systems Experience

    10+ years building and operating distributed systems, databases, or cloud services

  • PostgreSQL Expertise

    Deep experience as PostgreSQL user, operator, or administrator with understanding of database fundamentals

  • Cloud Platform Proficiency

    Significant experience with AWS, Azure, and/or GCP for high-availability service deployment

  • System Design Skills

    Hands-on ability to navigate complex codebases and contribute to system architecture decisions

Education

  • Computer Science Degree

    BS/MS in Computer Science or related technical field, or equivalent professional experience

Experience

  • Engineering Leadership

    5+ years building, managing, and leading high-performing engineering teams

  • Production Systems

    Strong track record delivering large-scale, resilient systems and services in production environments

  • Cross-functional Communication

    Proven ability to drive alignment and influence across organizational boundaries

Skills

Required

  • PostgreSQL Administration

    Advanced PostgreSQL database administration, performance tuning, and operational management

  • Distributed Systems

    Deep understanding of distributed system design patterns, consistency models, and scaling architectures

  • Cloud Architecture

    Expertise in cloud-native service design with focus on reliability, scalability, and cost optimization

  • Engineering Leadership

    Proven ability to lead technical teams, mentor engineers, and drive organizational change

  • System Programming

    Strong programming skills in systems languages for high-performance, low-latency applications

Preferred

  • Database Internals

    Nice to have

    Understanding of database storage engines, query optimization, and transaction processing

  • DevOps Practices

    Nice to have

    Experience with CI/CD, infrastructure automation, and deployment pipeline optimization

  • Security Engineering

    Nice to have

    Knowledge of database security, encryption, access controls, and compliance frameworks

  • Performance Engineering

    Nice to have

    Experience with performance profiling, load testing, and capacity planning for database systems

  • Open Source Contribution

    Nice to have

    Active participation in PostgreSQL or related open source database projects

Tech stack

Languages

SQLPythonGoJava

Frameworks

KubernetesTerraformDocker

Databases

PostgreSQLDistributed Systems

Tools

AWSAzureGCPGitLab/GitHubPrometheusGrafana

Other

High Availability SystemsBackup & RecoveryPerformance Tuning

Compensation

Pay and benefits.

Base·USD 264,000 – 379,500

Equity·Stock options

Benefits

  • Comprehensive Health Coverage

    Medical, dental, and vision insurance with premium coverage options

  • Equity Participation

    Stock options and RSU grants to share in Snowflake's growth and success

  • Professional Development

    Learning stipends, conference attendance, and internal training programs

  • Flexible Time Off

    Unlimited PTO policy with encouraged time off for work-life balance

  • Remote Work Support

    Hybrid work arrangement with home office setup stipends and flexible scheduling

  • Retirement Planning

    401(k) with company matching and financial planning resources

Process

Interview steps.

  1. 01

    Initial Screening

    Phone/video call with recruiter to discuss background, role expectations, and compensation alignment

  2. 02

    Technical Leadership Interview

    System design discussion focusing on large-scale database architecture and PostgreSQL-specific challenges

  3. 03

    Management Interview

    Behavioral interview covering team leadership scenarios, conflict resolution, and engineering culture building

  4. 04

    Cross-functional Panel

    Meet with potential peer managers and stakeholders to assess collaboration and communication skills

  5. 05

    Executive Interview

    Final interview with senior leadership covering strategic vision, business alignment, and cultural fit

  6. 06

    Reference Checks

    Professional reference verification with previous managers and direct reports

Full posting

Original listing.

Snowflake is about empowering enterprises to achieve their full potential — and people too. With a culture that’s all in on impact, innovation, and collaboration, Snowflake is the sweet spot for building big, moving fast, and taking technology — and careers — to the next level.

Snowflake is about empowering enterprises to achieve their full potential — and people too. With a culture that’s all in on impact, innovation, and collaboration, Snowflake is the sweet spot for building big, moving fast, and taking technology — and careers — to the next level.

Snowflake is reimagining what a modern Postgres experience can be. The Snowflake Postgres team is building a fully managed, cloud-native Postgres service that delivers the reliability, performance, and scale developers expect that is paired with a data experience that seamlessly ties into Snowflake.

As a Senior Engineer Manager, you'll help define the architecture, push the boundaries of Postgres in the cloud, and shape one of Snowflake's most strategic new products

AS A SENIOR ENGINEERING MANAGER AT SNOWFLAKE YOU WILL:

  • Provide strong technical leadership across both the Postgres dataplane and the orchestration/control plane required to deliver a managed service (HA, upgrades, backups, scaling, automation, and operational safety).

  • Break problems down and build consensus across multiple parties to reach solutions that are scalable, tractable, and timely.

  • Function as both a problem solver and a problem finder by building the roadmap while delivering it.

  • Leverage your experience to balance long-term thinking with more immediate business needs.

  • Understand trade-offs between consistency, performance, scaling limits, and costs to build solutions which can meet the demands of rapidly growing services.

  • Ensure operational readiness of the services and meet the commitments to our customers regarding durability, availability, performance, and security.

  • Solve real business needs at large scale by applying your software engineering and analytical problem solving skills.

OUR IDEAL SENIOR ENGINEERING MANAGER WILL HAVE:

  • 10+ years of experience building and operating large-scale systems (distributed systems, databases, or cloud services).

  • 5+ years of experience building, managing, and leading high-performing engineering teams (and experience leading managers is a strong plus).

  • Strong track record of delivering large-scale, resilient systems and services in production.

  • Significant experience in cloud environments (AWS, Azure, and/or GCP) and building services with high availability and operational rigor.

  • Strong communication and collaboration skills, with the ability to drive cross-functional alignment and influence across org boundaries.

  • Strong hands-on technical ability; comfortable navigating complex codebases and diving deep into system design and implementation.

  • BS/MS in Computer Science or related majors, or equivalent experience.

  • Postgres depth: experience with Postgres as an end user, operator, or administrator; strong understanding of database fundamentals and tradeoffs (consistency, performance, scaling limits, cost).

    • OR

  • Love of Postgres. You have worked with Postgres as an end user or administrator. You have a solid understanding of database fundamentals.

WHY JOIN THE ENGINEERING TEAM AT SNOWFLAKE?

  • Build an industry-leading Cloud Data and AI Platform.

  • Solve challenging technical problems related to security, parallel and distributed systems, programming, resource management, large-scale system maintenance, and more!

  • Work closely with our customers & partners, understand their use cases & needs, think strategically to seek the right problem to solve at the right time, and innovate with rigor.

  • Join a world-class team of both industry veterans and rising stars.

Snowflake is growing fast, and we’re scaling our team to help enable and accelerate our growth. We are looking for people who share our values, challenge ordinary thinking, and push the pace of innovation while building a future for themselves and Snowflake.

How do you want to make your impact?

For jobs located in the United States, please visit the job posting on the Snowflake Careers Site for salary and benefits information: careers.snowflake.com

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