Scale Engineer

Senior Software Engineer - Dynamic Tables

Senior Software Engineer · Senior · Full Time

DE-Berlin-Trion BuildingEUR 140k – 180k3d ago
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Role

What you'll do.

Join Snowflake's Dynamic Tables team as a Senior Software Engineer to build next-generation data platform capabilities in Berlin. You'll design and implement distributed data systems using declarative SQL, working with a globally distributed team to solve complex database challenges while managing cost, latency, and throughput at enterprise scale.

Responsibilities

  • Lead Technical Design and Implementation: Work with Product Managers and globally distributed engineering teams to define capabilities, technical designs, and architectural patterns for the Dynamic Tables platform, ensuring scalable solutions that handle enterprise-grade workloads.
  • Drive Feature Development End-to-End: Take ownership of new capabilities and performance improvements from inception through production deployment, maintaining responsibility and authority throughout the development lifecycle.
  • Gather and Synthesize Customer Requirements: Interact directly with enterprise customers to understand their needs, pain points, and use cases, translating feedback into actionable product and technical roadmaps.
  • Build Reliable and Performant Systems: Develop highly reliable, performant software that meets the strict reliability, availability, and performance demands of Snowflake's largest enterprise customers.
  • Solve Complex Technical Challenges: Analyze and resolve performance bottlenecks, correctness issues, and fault-tolerance challenges in distributed systems operating at massive scale.
  • Ensure Operational Excellence: Maintain operational readiness of services, monitor performance metrics, and ensure all commitments to customers regarding reliability, availability, and performance SLAs are consistently met.

Qualifications

What we look for.

Technical

  • Distributed Data Systems Design

    5+ years of industry experience designing, architecting, and building distributed data systems with deep understanding of scalability, consistency, and fault-tolerance patterns.

  • Query Compiler Internals

    3+ years of hands-on experience working with query compiler internals, including optimization techniques, code generation, and execution planning in SQL engines.

  • Enterprise-Grade Software Development

    Proven track record building enterprise-grade, reliable, and trustworthy software systems that operate at scale with high availability and performance requirements.

  • Core Computer Science Fundamentals

    Strong mastery of data structures, algorithms, distributed systems principles, relational algebra, and SQL. Strong problem-solving skills and ability to apply CS theory to real-world challenges.

Education

  • Computer Science or Related Degree

    Bachelor's degree in Computer Science, Computer Engineering, or related technical field providing foundational knowledge in algorithms, systems design, and software engineering principles.

Experience

  • Senior-Level Software Engineering

    5+ years of professional software engineering experience with demonstrated progression to senior-level responsibilities including system design, technical leadership, and mentoring.

  • Collaborative and Adaptive Problem-Solving

    Experience thriving in dynamic, fast-moving environments with strong collaborative skills. Demonstrated ability to mentor others while remaining open to learning, balancing individual contribution with team success.

  • Enterprise Customer Interaction

    Bonus: Direct experience engaging with enterprise customers, understanding their complex requirements, and translating feedback into technical solutions.

  • Incremental View Maintenance Expertise

    Bonus: Experience with incremental view maintenance and materialized views optimization techniques, demonstrating deep knowledge of data warehousing patterns.

Skills

Required

  • SQL and Relational Databases

    Expert-level proficiency in SQL query writing and optimization. Deep understanding of relational algebra, query optimization, and database internals.

  • Distributed Systems

    Strong expertise in distributed systems theory and practice, including consensus algorithms, eventual consistency, fault tolerance, and scalability patterns.

  • Performance Optimization

    Demonstrated ability to identify performance bottlenecks, profile systems under load, and implement optimizations for latency, throughput, and resource efficiency.

  • Problem-Solving and Analysis

    Exceptional analytical skills for debugging complex system issues, root cause analysis, and implementing solutions that address correctness and reliability concerns.

  • Technical Communication

    Excellent English communication skills for writing technical documentation, design proposals, and clear explanations of complex architectural decisions to stakeholders.

  • Collaborative Engineering

    Demonstrated ability to work effectively in team environments, contributing to collective success while both mentoring junior engineers and remaining open to learning.

Preferred

  • Query Compiler Development

    Nice to have

    Hands-on experience implementing query optimization, code generation, or compilation techniques in modern SQL engines or database systems.

  • Cloud Data Warehouse Platforms

    Nice to have

    Direct experience with cloud-based data warehousing systems, analytics platforms, or similar complex distributed data infrastructure.

  • Incremental Computation

    Nice to have

    Experience implementing or optimizing incremental view maintenance, change data capture, or real-time materialized view refresh mechanisms.

  • Enterprise SaaS Systems

    Nice to have

    Experience building and maintaining multi-tenant SaaS systems with strict SLA requirements, high availability needs, and enterprise customer bases.

  • AI/ML Systems Integration

    Nice to have

    Experience integrating AI capabilities into software systems or building AI-native features, reflecting Snowflake's focus on the agentic enterprise.

Tech stack

Languages

SQLJava or C++

Frameworks

Query Processing FrameworksDistributed Computing Frameworks

Databases

Snowflake DatabaseDistributed SQL Databases

Tools

Git and Version ControlCloud Infrastructure PlatformsPerformance Profiling and Monitoring

Other

Declarative Data TransformationCost and Latency OptimizationEnterprise Reliability Patterns

Compensation

Pay and benefits.

Base·EUR 140,000 – 180,000

Equity·Stock options

Benefits

  • Equity and Stock Options

    Competitive equity packages allowing you to share in Snowflake's growth as a publicly traded company, with regular refresh cycles and long-term incentives.

  • Comprehensive Health and Wellness Benefits

    Health insurance coverage, dental and vision plans, mental health support, wellness programs, and fitness stipends to support physical and mental wellbeing.

  • Flexible Time Off

    Unlimited or generous PTO policies recognizing that sustainable productivity requires adequate rest and personal time for senior-level engineers.

  • Professional Development and Learning

    Training budget, conference attendance support, online learning platforms, and mentorship opportunities to keep technical skills current in evolving fields like query optimization and distributed systems.

  • Remote Work Flexibility

    Flexible work arrangements accommodating the realities of distributed teams while maintaining in-person collaboration opportunities in Berlin office.

  • Family and Parental Leave

    Generous parental leave policies and family support benefits reflecting commitment to employee wellbeing across all life stages.

  • Commuter and Relocation Support

    Public transportation subsidies in Berlin and relocation assistance for candidates relocating from outside Germany to join the team.

  • Retirement Planning

    Pension contributions and retirement savings programs, including company matching, supporting long-term financial security.

Process

Interview steps.

  1. 01

    Initial Screening Call

    Preliminary conversation with recruiter to discuss your background, experience with distributed systems, and motivation for joining Snowflake's Dynamic Tables team.

  2. 02

    Technical Phone Interview

    In-depth discussion of your experience with query compilers, distributed systems design, and specific technical challenges you've solved in previous roles.

  3. 03

    System Design Interview

    Collaborative session where you'll design a distributed data system component, discussing tradeoffs between consistency, availability, latency, and cost in a cloud environment.

  4. 04

    Coding or Technical Deep Dive

    Problem-solving session focusing on algorithmic thinking, data structures, and potentially query optimization challenges relevant to database systems.

  5. 05

    Customer Impact Discussion

    Conversation about your experience delivering customer value, working with enterprise stakeholders, and translating technical capabilities into business outcomes.

  6. 06

    Team and Culture Fit

    Meeting with team leads and engineers to assess collaboration style, mentorship philosophy, and alignment with Snowflake's values of innovation and adaptive problem-solving.

Full posting

Original listing.

At Snowflake, we are powering the era of the agentic enterprise. To usher in this new era, we seek AI-native thinkers across every function who are energized by the opportunity to reinvent how they work. You don’t just use tools; you possess an innate curiosity, treating AI as a high-trust collaborator that is core to how you solve problems and accelerate your impact. We look for low-ego individuals who thrive in dynamic and fast-moving environments and move with an experimental mindset — who rapidly test emerging capabilities to discover simpler, more powerful ways to deliver results. At Snowflake, your role isn't just to execute a function, but to help redefine the future of how work gets done.

We’re hiring talented Senior Software Engineers for the Snowflake Dynamic Tables team in Berlin, Germany. Join us to build the next generation data platform that enables customers to transform data with declarative SQL while maintaining control over cost, latency, and throughput. We are looking for strong engineers who are enthusiastic about building new cutting-edge technologies, who look forward to tackling complex database problems and pick up and understand deep technical areas quickly.

AS A SENIOR SOFTWARE ENGINEER AT SNOWFLAKE YOU WILL:

  • Work with a talented and collaborative team of engineers and Product Managers in our globally distributed team to define the capabilities and technical designs for Dynamic Tables

  • Interact with customers to understand their needs, and synthesize those into product and technical roadmaps

  • Have responsibility and authority for driving new capabilities and performance improvements from inception to landing

  • Build highly reliable and performant software that holds up under the reliability and scale demands of the largest enterprise customers

  • Analyze and solve performance, correctness, and fault-tolerance challenges at scale

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

OUR IDEAL SENIOR SOFTWARE ENGINEER WILL HAVE:

  • 5+ years of industry experience designing and building distributed data systems

  • 3+ years of experience with internals of query compilers

  • Experience building enterprise-grade, reliable and trustworthy software or services

  • Degree in Computer Science or related field

  • Excellent problem-solving skills and strong CS fundamentals including data structures, algorithms, distributed systems, relational algebra or SQL

  • Adaptive and collaborative – would rather play in a band than be a soloist, and looks for opportunities to both mentor and learn

  • Strong English communication skills

BONUS POINTS FOR EXPERIENCE WITH THE FOLLOWING:

  • Direct interactions with enterprise customers

  • Incremental view maintenance / materialized views

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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