Senior Software Engineer- Open Source Analytics

Snowflake14 months ago

Location

US-WA-Bellevue

Type

Full Time

Salary

USD 200,000 – 287,500

Level

Senior

Role

Backend Engineer

Posted

Jan 17, 2025

Full TimeSenior

The role

Summary

Snowflake is seeking a Senior Software Engineer to join their Open Source Analytics team, working on cutting-edge data lakehouse technologies including Apache Iceberg and Apache Polaris. This role focuses on building scalable, interoperable data lake ecosystems and contributing to critical open-source projects in the data infrastructure space.

What you'll do

Open Source Innovation: Pioneer new and innovative technical capabilities in the Open Source Analytics community, defining and building next-generation capabilities on top of critical lakehouse building blocks

Apache Iceberg Development: Design and implement features and enhancements for Apache Iceberg focusing on scalability, performance and usability including DML/DDL transactions, schema evolution, partitioning, and time travel

Community Collaboration: Collaborate with the open source community by contributing code, participating in discussions and reviewing pull requests to ensure high quality contributions

System Architecture: Architect and build systems that integrate open source technologies seamlessly with Snowflake, enabling customers to build massive data lake architectures across platforms and cloud providers

Apache Polaris Contributions: Work on core data access control and governance features for Apache Polaris and contribute to the managed Polaris service

Data Lake Management: Build tooling and services that automate data lake table maintenance including compaction, clustering, and data retention for enhanced query performance

Cross-Platform Integration: Enable seamless management and expansion of data lakes through Snowflake and external query engines like Spark and Trino

What we look for

Technical

Distributed Systems Experience5+ years of experience designing and building scalable, distributed systems

Programming ProficiencyStrong programming skills in Java, Scala, or C++ with emphasis on performance and reliability

Transaction ProcessingDeep understanding of distributed transaction processing, concurrency control, and high-performance query engines

Data Lake FormatsExperience with open-source data lake formats like Apache Iceberg, Parquet, Delta and multi-engine interoperability challenges

Cloud-Native DevelopmentExperience building cloud-native services and working with AWS, Azure, or GCP

Data GovernanceFamiliarity with data governance, security, and access control models in distributed data systems

Education

Computer Science DegreeBachelor's or Master's degree in Computer Science, Software Engineering, or related technical field (preferred but not explicitly required)

Experience

Senior-Level ExperienceMinimum 5 years of experience in distributed systems design and implementation

Open Source PassionDemonstrated passion for open-source software and community engagement in the data ecosystem

Enterprise SystemsExperience working with enterprise-scale data processing and analytics systems

Skills

Required skills

Java/Scala/C++Expert-level programming skills in at least one of these languages

Distributed SystemsDeep understanding of scalable distributed system architecture and design patterns

Open Source Data FormatsHands-on experience with Apache Iceberg, Parquet, or Delta Lake

Cloud PlatformsProficiency with AWS, Azure, or Google Cloud Platform services

Concurrency ControlUnderstanding of distributed transaction processing and concurrency management

Query EnginesExperience with high-performance query engines and analytics processing

Nice to have

Open Source ContributionsActive contributions to open-source projects, especially in data infrastructure

REST API DesignExperience designing and implementing REST APIs for distributed systems

Production Data LakesExperience managing large-scale data lakes or data catalogs in production

Query Engine ExpertiseWorking knowledge of Spark, Flink, or Trino query engines

Apache CommunityFamiliarity with Apache Software Foundation projects and governance

Compensation & benefits

Salary

USD 200,000 – 287,500 (annual)

Stock options

Available

Benefits

Equity Compensation

Stock options and equity participation in Snowflake's growth

Comprehensive Health Coverage

Medical, dental, and vision insurance plans

Open Source Conference Support

Support for attending and speaking at open source conferences and events

Professional Development

Learning and development opportunities in cutting-edge data technologies

Flexible Work Arrangements

Hybrid work options balancing collaboration and flexibility

Innovation Time

Dedicated time for open source contributions and technical exploration

Interview process

1
Initial Screening — Phone or video call with recruiter to discuss background and role fit
2
Technical Phone Interview — Technical discussion covering distributed systems concepts and coding proficiency
3
System Design Interview — Architecture discussion focusing on data lake systems and open source technologies
4
Open Source Portfolio Review — Review of GitHub contributions and open source project involvement
5
Team Interviews — Multiple rounds with team members covering technical depth and cultural fit
6
Final Interview — Discussion with engineering leadership about technical vision and career goals