Distributed Systems Engineer (Data Platform)

Censys; United States; Remote; USD 151,000 - 191,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Equity

Health/Dental/Vision

Retirement plan

Parental leave

Mental health benefits

Flexible PTO

Professional development stipend

Annual bonus plan

Job summary

Censys is seeking a Senior Distributed Systems Engineer to build scalable, data-driven services that power internal APIs and customer-facing applications. You will work on large-scale data pipelines, databases, and cloud/on‑prem services, collaborating with ML and security teams to improve outcomes.

The role emphasizes maintainability, reliable delivery, and forward-looking design, with remote work within the United States and competitive compensation and equity.

Qualifications

• 5+ years of software engineering experience building distributed systems.
• Proficiency with object-oriented programming in Go.
• Experience with at least one cloud provider (AWS/Azure/GCP).
• Experience with messaging systems (Kinesis, Pub/Sub, Kafka or similar).
• Experience with databases like BigTable, Spanner, HBase, Cassandra, or equivalents.
• Understanding of scalability, fault tolerance, and reliability.
• Familiarity with AI concepts and using AI responsibly.
• Ability to write maintainable, testable code.
• Strong communication with engineers and product managers.
• Openness to using AI to enhance skills and impact.

Responsibilities

• Build large scale, real-time services and data-driven applications.
• Create tooling and libraries to support security, research, and data platforms.
• Turn prototypes into reliable internal tools and services.
• Engage in planning with engineering and product teams to design solutions.
• Develop data pipelines, messaging systems, databases, caching layers, and cloud or on-prem services.
• Collaborate with ML engineers and security researchers to improve security outcomes.

Skills

Go

Distributed systems

Cloud platforms

Messaging systems

Databases

AI familiarity

Maintainable code

Communication

AI usage / responsible AI

Kubernetes

gRPC/REST

Protobuf/MessagePack

Tools

AWS

Azure

GCP

Kinesis

Pub/Sub

Kafka

BigTable

Cloud Spanner

HBase

Cassandra

Protobuf

MessagePack

Docker

Kubernetes

REST

GRPC

Job description

Company Background

Censys’ mission is to be the one place to understand everything on the internet. Frustrated by the lack of trustworthy Internet intelligence, we set out to create the industry’s most comprehensive, accurate, and up-to-date map of the Internet. Today, Censys delivers real-time Internet intelligence and actionable threat insights to global governments, over 50% of the Fortune 500, and leading threat intelligence providers worldwide.

Location: This position is remote within the United States.

Role Summary:

We’re looking to hire a Senior Distributed Systems Engineer on our Internet Map Connections team to build highly-available and scalable, data-driven services that provide value directly to customers and across our organization. Censys operates distributed infrastructure for Internet-wide scanning, bulk DNS resolution, and X.509 certificate ingestion: your job will be to go below the surface of our data, and help us find and attribute ownership to assets and find how assets on the Internet relate to one another.

At Censys, we believe in working iteratively, but we’re always thinking about the big picture. We’re building a platform that enables fast development of future products, and integration with new data collection methods. You’d be great for this position if you’re someone who considers not just initial development, but ongoing maintenance and monitoring. You consider delivery and developer experience, and everything you do can be built upon in the future by others.

What You’ll Do:

• Help build large scale, real-time services and applications which leverage our massive datasets to power internal APIs and external applications.
• Build tooling, libraries, frameworks, and services that support security, research and data platform initiatives.
• Productionize prototypes into reliable internal tools, services, or platform capabilities.
• Participate in planning and technical discussions with engineering and product teams to help build the right solutions.
• Develop and maintain systems such as data pipelines, messaging systems, databases, caching layers, and services that run in the cloud or on-prem.
• Work with Machine Learning Engineers and Security Researchers to realize solutions that affect security outcomes.

Skills You Have:

• 5+ years of software engineering experience building distributed systems (i.e. data ingestion pipelines, databases, services).
• Experience with object-oriented programming - we use Go.
• Experience with at least one cloud provider, like: AWS, Azure, or GCP.
• Experience or familiarity with message queue technologies, like: AWS Kinesis , Google Pub/Sub, Kafka, or other.
• Experience working with databases, like: BigTable, Cloud Spanner, HBase, Cassandra, or other.
• Understanding of core distributed systems concepts such as scalability, fault tolerance, and reliability.
• Familiarity with using AI.
• Ability to write understandable, testable code with an eye towards maintainability.
• Strong communication skills and the ability to work effectively with other engineers and product managers.
• Open to using AI to amplify their skills and strengthen their work - demonstrating curiosity, a willingness to learn, and sound judgment in applying AI responsibly to improve efficiency and impact.

Things that make you stand out:

• Familiarity with gRPC or REST.
• Familiarity with data serialization technologies, like: Protobuf, MessagePack, etc.
• Experience building, deploying, or maintaining containerized services in Kubernetes.
• An understanding of how the Internet works; how machines and services communicate using defined protocols / standards.
• Any Security Domain knowledge is a bonus

_For_high cost of living areas (San Francisco Bay, New York City, and Seattle), the expected salary range for this position is $174,000 USD - $206,000 USD, plus bonus eligibility and equity.

For all other locations, the expected salary range for this position is $151,000 USD - $191,000 USD, plus bonus eligibility and equity.

Job level and actual compensation will be decided based on factors including, but not limited to, individual qualifications objectively assessed during the interview process (including skills and prior relevant experience, potential impact, and scope of role), market demands, and specific work location. The listed range is a guideline, and the range for this role may be modified. For roles that are available to be filled remotely, the pay range is localized according to employee work location by a factor of between 83% and 100% of range. Please discuss your specific work location with your recruiter for more information.

Censys offers a competitive benefits package to employees, including equity, health, dental & vision coverage, retirement with company contribution, parental leave, mental health & wellness benefits, flexible PTO, and a professional development stipend. Censys also offers sales incentive pay for most sales roles and an annual bonus plan for eligible non-sales roles. Censys’s compensation and benefits are subject to change and may be modified in the future. Please see our careers page for more details.

We will work to ensure individuals with disabilities are provided reasonable accommodation to apply for a role, participate in the interview process, perform essential job functions, and receive other benefits and privileges of employment. If you require accommodation, please reach out to your recruiter. These modifications enable an individual with a disability to have an equal opportunity not only to get a job, but successfully perform their job tasks to the same extent as people without disabilities.

To ensure the integrity of our hiring process and facilitate a more personal connection, we require all candidates to keep their cameras on during video interviews. Additionally, if hired, we would love to bring you to our HQ in Ann Arbor for in-person onboarding.

By applying for this job, the candidate acknowledges and agrees that any personal data contained in their application or supporting materials will be processed in accordance with our Censys Privacy Policy.

Our roots are in Ann Arbor, Michigan and our innovation is fueled by the team’s global perspectives. For this role, we are open to remote employees across the continental US. We value diversity and are committed to creating an inclusive environment for all employees. Censys is an equal opportunity employer.__

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