Staff Engineer (SQL Engine)

TL;DR

Staff Engineer – Languages & Relational Technologies (LRT) (Distributed SQL): Design, build, and scale core database features powering hirify.globalDB’s SQL layer with an accent on distributed query planning, execution, and performance. Focus on leading development of new features, implementing performance improvements like plan optimization and parallelism, enhancing scalability, and troubleshooting complex distributed issues.

Location: Hybrid in Sunnyvale, CA, United States (team together in office 2–3 days per week)

Salary: USD 150,000 - USD 250,000

Company

Developer of hirify.globalDB, a PostgreSQL-compatible distributed cloud-native database for high-scale transactional workloads.

What you will do

• Lead design, development, testing, and release of new database features and enhancements.
• Write high-quality C/C++ code with comprehensive tests and participate in code reviews.
• Implement performance improvements including plan optimization, batching/parallelism, and push-downs to data nodes.
• Improve database scalability and throughput for growing clusters and transaction volumes.
• Contribute to open source hirify.globalDB and strengthen distributed SQL capabilities.
• Troubleshoot correctness, stability, and performance issues in distributed query paths.
• Mentor engineers in database internals, distributed systems, and performance practices.

Requirements

• 8+ years professional software engineering experience with strong C/C++ foundation
• Bachelor’s, Master’s, or PhD in Computer Science or equivalent
• Deep understanding of systems engineering: operating systems, distributed systems, databases
• Experience with database internals, compilers, or query planning/optimization (strong plus)
• Strong problem-solving in collaborative distributed teams

Nice to have

• Building large-scale distributed systems and transactional engines
• Familiarity with PostgreSQL internals or other relational engines
• Open source contributions to databases or systems projects
• Leadership in technical architecture, performance tuning, mentoring

Culture & Benefits

• Hybrid work model with 2–3 days per week in Sunnyvale office
• Market-competitive cash compensation with equity
• Health plans, retirement plans, unlimited PTO
• Commitment to equal pay, transparency, and diverse workforce
• No new H-1B visa sponsorship after September 21, 2025