Senior Database Engineer

Ladders; United States; Remote; USD 120,000 - 145,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Medical & dental

Paid time off

401(k) matching

Dev stipend

Home office stipend

MacBook provided

Coaching services

HQ visits

Job summary

Ladders is seeking a Senior Database Engineer to own the health, performance, and reliability of production databases supporting the platform. This remote US-based role partners with application engineers to diagnose issues and guide safer changes, focusing on distributed and relational databases and proactive risk reduction.

Responsibilities include tuning, benchmarking, indexing, and documenting best practices for migrations and operations; collaboration across teams to ensure scalable, robust

Qualifications

• Strong SQL skills with deep understanding of execution plans and transaction management.
• Experience with distributed databases and their performance characteristics.
• Proficient in managing relational databases for production systems.
• Ability to diagnose database inefficiencies and implement improvements.

Responsibilities

• Investigate and resolve performance bottlenecks and reliability risks in the database environment.
• Optimize slow-running queries and improve indexing and database settings.
• Diagnose and address distributed database issues in collaboration with application engineers.
• Establish performance baselines for early visibility into workload changes.
• Guide engineering teams on database risks and trade-offs before production changes.
• Participate in design reviews to provide database schema and indexing guidance.
• Develop documentation and procedures for safer database migrations and operational practices.

Skills

SQL

Distributed DBs

Relational DBs

Performance tuning

Problem solving

Job description

For our client, we are seeking a Senior Database Engineer to join the team of a leader in the Information Technology space. This role will own the health, performance, and reliability of mission-critical production databases that support the company’s platform. You will partner closely with application engineers and other technical teams to diagnose issues, guide safer changes, and improve how data systems perform at scale. The work will center on distributed and relational database environments, with a strong emphasis on proactive tuning, operational discipline, and risk reduction.

Location: Remote - US based candidates only, no visa sponsorship available

Compensation: $120,000 – $145,000 annually

Responsibilities

• Investigate and resolve performance bottlenecks and reliability risks in the database environment
• Optimize slow-running queries and improve indexing and database settings
• Diagnose and address distributed database issues in collaboration with application engineers
• Establish performance baselines for early visibility into workload changes
• Guide engineering teams on database risks and trade-offs before production changes
• Participate in design reviews to provide database schema and indexing guidance
• Develop documentation and procedures for safer database migrations and operational practices

Qualifications

• 5+ years of experience managing production databases as a primary responsibility
• Deep hands-on experience with distributed databases and their performance
• Proficient in managing relational databases for critical production systems
• Proven track record of diagnosing database inefficiencies and implementing improvements
• Strong SQL skills with a solid understanding of execution plans and transaction management
• Ability to assess risks of database changes and communicate trade-offs effectively
• Independent problem-solver with a collaborative working style

Benefits

• Outstanding medical and dental benefits with a 100% employer-paid option
• Open Paid Time Off policy plus 12 weeks of paid leave for new parents
• Matching 401(k) plan with contributions up to $5,000 yearly
• $1,000 annual professional development stipend
• Monthly home working stipend and new MacBook provided
• Access to company-paid professional coaching services
• Opportunities for remote employees to visit HQ in Durham, North Carolina

Our client is an equal opportunity employer.