Senior Database Platform Engineer (MySQL)

TL;DR

Senior Database Platform Engineer (MySQL): Managing and scaling a web-scale fleet of mission-critical MySQL databases with an accent on automation, performance tuning, and high availability. Focus on designing robust infrastructure, resolving complex bottlenecks, and evaluating distributed database technologies to support long-term growth.

Location: Must be based in or able to work from Paris or Geneva. Role is hybrid with up to 30% remote flexibility.

Salary: €50,000–€76,000

Company

Proton is a privacy-focused technology company founded by CERN scientists, providing encrypted services like Mail, VPN, and Drive to millions of users worldwide.

What you will do

• Administer and ensure the reliability of a web-scale MySQL fleet, including 24/7 on-call rotation.
• Design and implement automation to eliminate manual operational toil and improve platform reliability.
• Perform deep performance tuning across the full stack, including hardware, OS, storage, and query levels.
• Drive database best practices in product design reviews, focusing on architecture and scalability.
• Lead database version upgrades and full-stack updates with minimal service disruption.
• Shape long-term database strategy by evaluating emerging technologies like distributed databases.

Requirements

• 5+ years of hands-on experience operating highly available MySQL databases at scale in production.
• Deep expertise in MySQL replication, query optimization, indexing, and schema design.
• Solid experience with ProxySQL and Linux in production environments.
• Strong automation background with scripting or custom tooling (Python, Go, or Bash).
• Experience running databases on bare-metal or on-premise infrastructure.
• Must be able to work from the office in Paris or Geneva.

Nice to have

• Hands-on experience with distributed databases like CockroachDB or YugabyteDB.
• Experience with Puppet or similar configuration management systems.
• Prior exposure to high-traffic, multi-tenant ProxySQL deployments.

Culture & Benefits

• Strong health coverage, retirement options, and generous leave.
• Stock options provided from day one.
• Daily lunch and snacks provided in the office.
• Support for public transport, bike allowances, or parking.
• Flexible working schedule focused on outcomes.