Senior Software Engineer - Openflow

Snowflake2 months ago

Location

US-CA-Menlo Park

Type

Full Time

Salary

USD 200,000 – 287,500

Level

Senior

Role

Backend Engineer

Posted

Jan 15, 2026

Full TimeSenior

The role

Summary

Snowflake's Openflow team is building a next-generation data integration platform powered by Apache NiFi for real-time, scalable, bi-directional data movement. This Senior Software Engineer role focuses on designing distributed systems for batch and streaming workloads, enabling high-throughput data pipelines across Snowflake and non-Snowflake environments.

What you'll do

Control and Data Plane Development: Design and implement features in Openflow's control plane and data plane, contributing to reliable, scalable, and secure services that power real-time, bi-directional data movement

Distributed Systems Architecture: Build and evolve distributed systems for batch and streaming workloads, enabling high-throughput, low-latency data pipelines across Snowflake and non-Snowflake environments

End-to-End Project Ownership: Own medium-sized projects from requirements clarification and technical design through implementation, testing, rollout, and follow-up improvements

Operational Excellence: Take operational ownership of components including monitoring, on-call participation, incident response, and contributing to post-incident reviews and reliability improvements

Engineering Best Practices: Apply and promote solid engineering practices including clean code, robust testing, observability, security, and documentation

Cross-Functional Collaboration: Collaborate closely with peers across engineering, product, and design, translating ambiguous requirements into clear technical plans

Performance Optimization: Analyze and improve performance, scalability, and reliability of existing services and pipelines using metrics, profiling, and experimentation

Technical Mentorship: Mentor junior engineers and interns, providing constructive code reviews, design feedback, and sharing domain knowledge

Platform Tooling Development: Contribute to shared platform tooling and patterns, making it easier for Openflow teams to build, deploy, and operate high-quality connectors and runtimes

What we look for

Technical

Distributed Systems Experience7+ years of industry experience building and operating backend or platform services with significant hands-on distributed systems work

Computer Science FundamentalsStrong understanding of algorithms, data structures, and systems design with ability to apply them pragmatically in production code

Object-Oriented ProgrammingProficiency in Java or similar languages (Scala, Go, C++) with experience in large, shared codebases

Cloud-Native DevelopmentExperience building services on major cloud providers (AWS, Azure, GCP) using containers, CI/CD, and modern monitoring stacks

Systems Programming KnowledgeUnderstanding of operating systems, networking, multi-threading, memory management, and debugging performance issues

Education

Computer Science DegreeBS in Computer Science or related field, or equivalent practical experience building and shipping distributed systems

Experience

Senior-Level Experience7+ years of industry experience in backend or platform services development

Production SystemsTrack record of delivering high-quality, maintainable solutions to non-trivial engineering problems

Team CollaborationStrong collaboration and communication skills with ability to work across locations and explain technical trade-offs clearly

Skills

Required skills

Java ProgrammingExpert-level proficiency in Java for distributed systems development

Distributed Systems DesignDeep understanding of concurrency, replication, partitioning, streaming, and fault tolerance

Cloud Platform ExperienceHands-on experience with AWS, Azure, or GCP for cloud-native service development

Systems ProgrammingKnowledge of operating systems, networking, multi-threading, and memory management

Software Engineering PracticesExperience with testing, CI/CD, monitoring, and maintaining large codebases

Nice to have

Apache NiFiExperience with Apache NiFi for data integration and flow-based programming

Stream ProcessingKnowledge of Kafka, Flink, or similar streaming technologies

Data Platform ExperienceBackground in analytics platforms, data warehousing, or data engineering

Container OrchestrationExperience with Docker, Kubernetes, and container-based deployments

Observability ToolsFamiliarity with modern monitoring, logging, and alerting systems

Compensation & benefits

Salary

USD 200,000 – 287,500 (annual)

Stock options

Available

Benefits

Comprehensive Healthcare

Medical, dental, and vision insurance coverage

Equity Compensation

Stock options and equity participation in Snowflake's growth

Professional Development

Learning opportunities and conference attendance support

Flexible Work Environment

Collaborative culture focused on impact, innovation, and career growth

Retirement Planning

401(k) plan with company matching contributions

Interview process

1
Initial Screening — Phone or video call with recruiter to discuss background, interests, and role alignment
2
Technical Phone Interview — Technical discussion covering distributed systems concepts, data structures, and problem-solving approach
3
Coding Assessment — Live coding session focusing on algorithms, system design, and Java programming skills
4
System Design Interview — Architectural discussion covering distributed systems design, scalability, and data integration patterns
5
Behavioral Interview — Leadership and collaboration assessment with focus on mentoring experience and cross-functional work
6
Team Match — Discussion with Openflow team members about specific projects, team dynamics, and technical challenges
7
Final Interview — Conversation with senior leadership covering long-term vision, career growth, and cultural fit