Senior Software Engineer - Metadata

Snowflake2 weeks ago

Location

US-WA-Bellevue

Type

Full Time

Salary

USD 200,000 – 287,500

Level

Senior

Role

Senior Software Engineer

Posted

Jun 1, 2026

Full TimeSenior

The role

Summary

Snowflake is seeking a Senior Software Engineer for its Metadata team, responsible for building critical distributed systems that power the company's AI Data Cloud. The role involves designing high-performance, scalable metadata storage and retrieval systems that enable Snowflake's data catalog, lineage, and governance products at exabyte scale.

What you'll do

Metadata Systems Development: Design and implement core metadata storage and retrieval systems that power Snowflake's catalog, lineage, and governance products

Distributed Services: Build high-throughput, low-latency distributed services in a cloud-native environment

API and Framework Development: Create APIs and frameworks to be consumed by internal teams and external customers

Operational Tooling: Develop observability, reliability, and operational tooling for production metadata services

Data Model Evolution: Create scalable data models that can adapt to Snowflake's rapidly growing feature surface

What we look for

Technical

Programming LanguagesStrong proficiency in Java, C++, Go, or similar systems-level languages

Distributed SystemsExtensive experience designing and operating distributed systems at scale, with understanding of high availability, fault tolerance, and consistency tradeoffs

Database KnowledgeSolid understanding of database internals, metadata management, and catalog systems

Education

Computer ScienceBachelor's or equivalent degree in Computer Science, Software Engineering, or related technical field preferred

Experience

Backend EngineeringMinimum 7+ years of experience in backend software engineering

Technical LeadershipProven ability to lead technical design across multiple engineers and drive features end-to-end

Skills

Required skills

Systems ProgrammingDeep expertise in systems-level programming and distributed computing

Technical CommunicationAbility to write clear design documents and effectively present technical tradeoffs

Nice to have

Cloud InfrastructureExperience with AWS, Azure, or GCP cloud platforms

Data GovernanceFamiliarity with data catalog, data governance, or schema registry systems

Open SourceContributions to open-source projects in metadata or data infrastructure domains

Compensation & benefits

Salary

USD 200,000 – 287,500 (annual)

Stock options

Available

Benefits

Health Insurance

Comprehensive medical, dental, and vision coverage

Equity Compensation

Stock options and potential equity grants

Professional Development

Continuous learning opportunities, conference attendance, and technical training

Flexible Work

Hybrid work arrangement with flexibility in work location

Interview process

1
Initial Screening — Phone or video call with recruiting team to assess background and initial fit
2
Technical Phone Interview — Detailed discussion of technical background, distributed systems experience, and problem-solving approach
3
Technical Interviews — Multiple rounds of in-depth technical interviews focusing on systems design, coding skills, and architectural thinking
4
System Design Challenge — Comprehensive system design interview specific to metadata and distributed systems architecture
5
Final Leadership Interview — Meeting with senior engineering leadership to assess cultural fit and long-term potential