Staff Software Engineer - Core Data and Transactions Infrastructure (Metadata)

Snowflake1 months ago

Location

DE-Berlin-Trion Building

Type

Full Time

Salary

EUR 130,000 – 180,000

Level

Staff

Role

Staff Software Engineer

Posted

Feb 11, 2026

Full TimeStaff

The role

Summary

Staff Software Engineer role at Snowflake's Berlin office, focusing on building and optimizing core data and metadata infrastructure. The position involves designing high-scale transaction systems, storage engines, and APIs that handle trillions of requests daily, requiring 10+ years of distributed systems experience and strong computer science fundamentals.

What you'll do

Large-Scale System Architecture: Design and build next-generation transaction systems, storage engines, and multi-tenant database systems that handle trillions of requests per day

High-Performance Infrastructure Development: Develop and support highly-parallel and fault-tolerant database systems including decentralized caching systems managing terabytes of metadata

Core API and Transaction Systems: Design and implement critical high-performance APIs, DDL transactions, and logging systems that power Snowflake's internal services

Advanced Metadata Features: Build sophisticated features on top of metadata infrastructure including cloning, time travel, snapshots, and geo-replication capabilities

Performance Optimization: Analyze and resolve performance and scalability bottlenecks in distributed systems to maintain low-latency access patterns

Background Services Engineering: Develop and maintain background services that power Snowflake's proprietary multi-level metadata system for fast compilation and query optimization

Operational Excellence: Ensure operational readiness of services and meet customer commitments regarding availability and performance SLAs

User-Facing Metadata Interfaces: Own the representation of metadata to users through Information Schema, SHOW commands, and Snowflake APIs

What we look for

Technical

Distributed Systems Expertise10+ years of industry experience designing, building, and supporting large-scale distributed systems in production environments

Computer Science FundamentalsStrong foundation in data structures, algorithms, and distributed systems architecture and design patterns

Systems ProgrammingAdvanced skills in multi-threading, concurrency, caching, and low-level system optimization techniques

Java ProgrammingFluency in Java or similar procedural object-oriented programming languages for enterprise-scale development

Creative Problem SolvingProven track record of identifying and implementing innovative solutions to complex technical challenges

Education

Bachelor's DegreeBS in Computer Science or equivalent technical degree required

Advanced Degree PreferredMaster's or PhD in Computer Science, Software Engineering, or related technical field strongly preferred

Experience

Senior Engineering ExperienceMinimum 10+ years of professional software engineering experience in building production-scale systems

Database Systems KnowledgeExperience with database internals, storage engines, and transaction processing systems highly valued

Staff-Level LeadershipExperience in technical leadership roles, mentoring engineers, and driving architectural decisions

Skills

Required skills

Java ProgrammingExpert-level proficiency in Java for building enterprise-scale distributed systems and APIs

Distributed Systems DesignDeep understanding of distributed system patterns, consistency models, and fault tolerance mechanisms

Concurrency and Multi-threadingAdvanced skills in concurrent programming, thread safety, and parallel processing optimization

Database SystemsUnderstanding of database internals, storage engines, transaction processing, and query optimization

System Performance OptimizationExpertise in identifying and resolving performance bottlenecks in high-scale distributed systems

API Design and DevelopmentExperience designing and implementing high-performance, scalable APIs for internal and external consumption

Nice to have

Cloud PlatformsExperience with AWS, Azure, or Google Cloud Platform for deploying and managing distributed services

ContainerizationKnowledge of Docker, Kubernetes, and modern container orchestration for scalable service deployment

Data WarehousingUnderstanding of data warehouse architecture, OLAP systems, and analytical query processing

Caching SystemsExperience with distributed caching solutions like Redis, Hazelcast, or custom caching implementations

Monitoring and ObservabilityKnowledge of monitoring tools like Prometheus, Grafana, and distributed tracing systems

Compensation & benefits

Salary

EUR 130,000 – 180,000 (annual)

Stock options

Available

Benefits

Stock Options

Equity participation in Snowflake's growth as a publicly traded cloud computing company

Health Insurance

Comprehensive health insurance coverage including medical, dental, and vision benefits

Professional Development

Learning and development opportunities to advance technical skills and career growth

Flexible Work Arrangements

Hybrid work options with modern office facilities in Berlin's Trion Building

International Team Collaboration

Opportunity to work with global engineering teams across multiple time zones

Interview process

1
Initial Screening — Phone or video screening with recruiter to discuss background, interest, and basic qualifications
2
Technical Phone Interview — 45-minute technical discussion focusing on distributed systems design, algorithms, and past experience
3
System Design Interview — Deep-dive system design session focusing on large-scale distributed systems and metadata architecture
4
Coding Assessment — Hands-on coding exercise demonstrating Java programming skills and problem-solving approach
5
Behavioral Interview — Discussion of leadership experience, technical decision-making, and cultural fit with Snowflake values
6
Final Interview — Meeting with senior engineering leadership and team members to assess technical depth and team collaboration