Senior Software Engineer - Database Engineering

SnowflakeYesterday

Location

US-CA-Menlo Park

Type

Full Time

Salary

USD 200,000 – 287,500

Level

Senior

Role

Senior Software Engineer

Posted

Jun 29, 2026

Full TimeSenior

The role

Summary

Senior Software Engineer on Snowflake's Database Engineering team responsible for designing, developing, and supporting a distributed cloud control plane system that powers the next generation of the Snowflake Data Cloud. This role combines deep expertise in distributed systems, database technologies, and cloud architecture with leadership responsibilities mentoring junior engineers on building large-scale, high-performance data processing systems serving the world's largest enterprises.

What you'll do

Distributed Cloud Control Plane Design & Development: Design, develop, and maintain a highly scalable and reliable distributed cloud control plane system that orchestrates Snowflake's infrastructure across multiple cloud regions. This includes architecting the control flow, resource allocation mechanisms, and coordination protocols that handle billions of queries and massive data volumes while ensuring fault tolerance and seamless failover capabilities.

Next-Generation Service Architecture Implementation: Lead the development and implementation of the new service architecture required to enable the next generation of the Snowflake Data Cloud. This involves evaluating architectural patterns, making technology decisions, and building microservices that improve scalability, maintainability, and enable new product capabilities for enterprise customers.

Performance & Scalability Optimization: Analyze, identify, and resolve complex performance and scalability bottlenecks within the distributed system. Use profiling tools, metrics analysis, and load testing to discover optimization opportunities, then implement and validate fixes that improve system throughput, latency, and resource efficiency at scale.

End-to-End Project Delivery: Own the complete lifecycle of assigned projects from initial requirements analysis through production deployment. This encompasses problem scoping, architectural design, implementation, comprehensive testing strategies, code review, rollout planning, and post-deployment monitoring to ensure customer commitments are met.

Production Operations & Reliability: Ensure operational readiness of database services and execute production operations while maintaining Snowflake's commitments for durability, availability, and performance. This includes on-call rotations, incident response, root cause analysis, and implementing preventative measures to reduce production issues.

High-Reliability Software Development: Build high-quality, production-grade software that meets stringent reliability requirements demanded by the world's largest enterprises. This includes implementing rigorous testing practices, writing maintainable code, following security best practices, and ensuring system resilience under extreme conditions and edge cases.

Observability & Monitoring Tool Development: Develop and implement observability tools, dashboards, and monitoring systems that provide deep insights into system behavior, performance characteristics, and anomalies. These tools enable faster troubleshooting, proactive issue detection, and data-driven optimization decisions for the platform.

Technical Mentorship & Team Development: Mentor and support the professional growth of junior and mid-level engineers on the Database Engineering team. Provide technical guidance through code reviews, design discussions, and pair programming sessions. Help develop team members' skills in distributed systems, database technologies, and software engineering best practices.

AI-Assisted Development Collaboration: Leverage AI agents and tools as high-trust collaborators in the development process. Review both human and AI-generated code, participate in cross-team collaborations, and balance rapid experimentation with quality assurance to accelerate delivery of new features and improvements.

What we look for

Technical

Distributed Systems ExpertiseDeep understanding of distributed systems concepts including consensus algorithms, consistency models (strong, eventual), failure recovery mechanisms, replication strategies, and distributed tracing. Hands-on experience designing systems that maintain correctness and availability across multiple nodes and regions.

Java Programming ProficiencyStrong command of Java programming language with expertise in building scalable, concurrent systems. Deep knowledge of Java concurrency primitives, memory management, garbage collection tuning, and performance optimization techniques essential for high-throughput database systems.

Cloud Architecture & InfrastructureSolid understanding of cloud computing platforms (AWS, Azure, GCP) including networking, storage, compute services, and multi-cloud deployment strategies. Experience designing systems that leverage cloud-native services while managing costs and performance across regions.

Database Systems KnowledgeFundamental understanding of database system internals including query optimization, transaction management, index structures, query execution engines, and storage layer architecture. Knowledge of SQL and relational database concepts is essential.

Software Architecture & Design PatternsExpertise in designing scalable microservices architectures, implementing design patterns appropriate for distributed systems, and making technology trade-offs between consistency, availability, and partition tolerance. Experience with event-driven architectures and asynchronous processing.

System Debugging & Performance AnalysisAdvanced skills in debugging complex systems in production environments using profilers, log analysis tools, and distributed tracing systems. Ability to identify performance bottlenecks, analyze system metrics, and implement targeted optimizations.

Education

Bachelor's Degree in Computer Science or Related FieldBachelor's degree or foreign equivalent in Computer Science, Software Engineering, Computer Engineering, or closely related discipline. Strong foundation in computer science fundamentals including data structures, algorithms, operating systems, and networking.

Experience

Commercial Software Development (6+ years)Minimum 6 years of professional experience developing commercial software in production environments. This should include substantial work on system design, implementation, deployment, and operational support for large-scale systems serving significant user bases.

Distributed Systems ImplementationProven experience designing and implementing distributed systems at scale. This should include work on systems that handle high throughput, low latency requirements, and complex consistency challenges. Experience with distributed consensus algorithms and multi-node coordination is valuable.

Database or Infrastructure Systems ExperienceBackground working on database systems, control plane systems, or infrastructure management platforms. Understanding of how databases operate at scale, query processing pipelines, and the operational requirements of managing data systems in production.

AI-Assisted Development & CollaborationExperience working with AI tools and agents in software development workflows. Comfort reviewing and collaborating on both human and AI-generated code. Understanding of how to leverage AI for productivity while maintaining code quality and safety standards.

Skills

Required skills

JavaProduction-grade Java development with deep expertise in concurrency, memory management, and performance optimization for distributed systems.

Distributed SystemsStrong grasp of distributed systems concepts including consistency models, failure recovery, replication, and coordination mechanisms.

System DesignAbility to design large-scale, distributed systems that are scalable, reliable, and maintainable.

Problem-SolvingExcellent analytical and problem-solving skills with the ability to break down complex technical challenges and implement robust solutions.

Cloud PlatformsExperience with one or more major cloud platforms (AWS, Azure, GCP) for designing and deploying distributed applications.

Database ConceptsFundamental understanding of database systems including SQL, query optimization, transaction management, and storage architecture.

Nice to have

SQL & Database Control Plane TechnologiesExperience with SQL optimization, query planning, and internal design/implementation of database control plane systems that manage metadata, resource allocation, and query coordination.

Distributed Key-Value StoresHands-on experience deploying, managing, and scaling distributed key-value stores such as FoundationDB across multiple cloud regions with focus on reliability and performance.

Multi-Cloud ArchitectureExperience designing and operating systems across multiple cloud providers with consideration for cost optimization, latency, and redundancy.

AI/ML IntegrationExperience integrating AI agents and machine learning models into development workflows and using AI tools for accelerated development cycles.

Kubernetes & Container OrchestrationProficiency with Kubernetes, container orchestration, and infrastructure-as-code tools for managing distributed deployments.

Performance Profiling & OptimizationAdvanced skills in profiling tools, flame graphs, distributed tracing (OpenTelemetry, Jaeger), and performance tuning for high-throughput systems.

Mentoring & Technical LeadershipTrack record of mentoring engineers, leading technical initiatives, and influencing architectural decisions across teams.

Compensation & benefits

Salary

USD 200,000 – 287,500 (annual)

Stock options

Available

Benefits

Health Insurance

Comprehensive medical, dental, and vision coverage for employees and eligible dependents with multiple plan options and competitive employer cost-sharing.

Retirement Planning

401(k) retirement plan with employer matching contributions to help employees build long-term financial security.

Equity & Stock Options

Competitive equity packages providing ownership stake in Snowflake's success as a high-growth publicly traded company, allowing participation in company value creation.

Professional Development

Learning and development programs, including conference attendance, technical training, certifications, and educational reimbursement to support career growth.

Flexible Work Arrangements

Flexible working hours and remote work options supporting work-life balance and enabling productivity from preferred work environments.

Paid Time Off

Generous vacation days, sick leave, and company holidays allowing adequate time for rest, personal matters, and family commitments.

Mental Health & Wellness

Employee Assistance Program (EAP), mental health resources, wellness programs, gym subsidies, and preventative health initiatives supporting overall wellbeing.

Parental Leave

Paid parental leave policies for birth, adoption, and bonding supporting employees during major life transitions.

Commuter Benefits

Pre-tax commuter benefits and transit subsidies for employees commuting to Snowflake's offices in Bozeman, Denver, San Francisco, and other locations.

Performance Bonuses

Variable compensation based on individual and company performance, providing additional earning potential tied to business results and personal contributions.

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