Senior Software Engineer

Authzed; Northern (KY); On-site; USD 140,000 - 210,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Stock options

Healthcare (US team)

Insurance plans

Offsite team events

Job summary

AuthZed is seeking a Senior Software Engineer to build SpiceDB and the OSS ecosystem, tackling distributed systems, databases, and cloud infrastructure. You will own features across SpiceDB and AuthZed projects, collaborate with a high-performing team, and contribute to open-source initiatives and community discussions.

You will ship robust, scalable software with end-to-end ownership, participate in on-call rotations, and help advance the company’s open-source authorization solutions for

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science or a related field or equivalent experience.
• 5+ years of experience in programming (Go, Python, Java).
• Strong systems engineering background (distributed systems, operating systems, databases).
• Experience building and debugging complex production systems where correctness, reliability, and performance matter.
• Experience with cloud infrastructure and managing distributed databases in cloud-native environments.
• Experience with CI/CD, Docker, and Git.
• Excellent communication skills for technical and non-technical stakeholders.
• Thrives in remote-first, cross-time-zone teams.
• Experience building Kubernetes controllers or operators.
• Familiarity with database concepts: indices, query planning, optimization, materialized views, etc.
• Familiarity with modern authorization systems and access control models.

Responsibilities

• Build SpiceDB and the AuthZed OSS ecosystem: research, design, implement, test, and release features across SpiceDB and other open-source AuthZed projects.
• Champion of Quality: drive best practices in software development, testing, and CI/CD for robustness and scalability.
• Operate what you build: end-to-end ownership from development to production operations, including on-call rotation.
• Troubleshoot correctness, stability, or performance issues in a distributed system.
• Work in the open: collaborate with users and contributors, review contributions, participate in discussions.
• Continuously identify opportunities to optimize processes and elevate team performance.
• Collaborate with engineers, product, and support teams; mentor others.
• Share progress through technical docs, blogs, and talks to position AuthZed as an industry thought leader.

Skills

Go

Python

Java

Distributed systems

Cloud infrastructure

CI/CD

Docker

Kubernetes

Git

Education

Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science or related field

Tools

Docker

Git

Kubernetes

Job description

Authorization Infrastructure securing AI at OpenAI, Zoom, & more

We are the creators and maintainers of SpiceDB and the authorization infrastructure that companies around the world depend on to keep their engineering teams focused on what matters most - their own product.

We are a Series A company, fixing broken access control with products that eliminate complex permission management while delivering enterprise-scale performance and consistent access control.

We are a fully remote company with employees across the US, Canada, and Europe. We’re a hardworking and close-knit group with a software-driven culture (yep, even our GTM team understands and loves this technology)! We bring integrity to all our interactions, fostering confidence in decision making - trusting and respecting each voice on our team, every day.

Company Values:

Agency: Everyone should have the capability, freedom, and confidence to bring about changes to our business and product. Organizational processes exist to clearly define our goals, but not restrict how progress is made.

Collaboration: Success is defined in various dimensions and no single person can be an expert in all of them. Without valuing the opinions of others, finding compromises, and sharing mutual trust and respect, you cannot arrive at the best possible solution.

Open-mindedness: Without asking questions, testing assumptions, and questioning our pre-existing biases, we risk operating within an echo-chamber. We celebrate the representation of diverse perspectives and backgrounds as a catalyst for creating an inclusive work environment that everyone can appreciate.

About the Role:

At AuthZed, we’re building the infrastructure that makes fine-grained authorization possible at scale. We are the creators of SpiceDB, the open-source permissions database inspired by Google Zanzibar, as well as a growing ecosystem of open-source and commercial products built around it.

As a Senior Software Engineer, you’ll work on SpiceDB and other open-source projects across the AuthZed ecosystem. You’ll tackle challenging problems at the intersection of distributed systems, databases, cloud infrastructure, and authorization—from query planning and execution to performance, scalability, reliability, and operability.

Operating in an agile startup environment, your technical leadership and innovation will directly influence our strategic trajectory. You will collaborate with a high-performing engineering team to address complex challenges in distributed systems, cloud architecture, and fine-grained authorization models, delivering scalable solutions to AuthZed’s global enterprise customer base.

AuthZed’s organizational culture is built upon principles of mutual respect, transparent communication, and psychological safety. We empower team members to exercise initiative and pursue well-considered technical strategies while maintaining a firm commitment to professional well-being and operational boundaries. We support professional advancement through structured mentorship and objective recognition of achievement. Our inclusive, highly collaborative workplace leverages diverse perspectives to drive both individual career growth and organizational excellence.

What you’ll own:

Build SpiceDB and the AuthZed OSS ecosystem: Research, design, implement, test, and release features across SpiceDB and other open-source AuthZed projects.

Champion of Quality: Drive best practices in software development, testing, and CI/CD to ensure our platform is robust, scalable, and always on the leading edge.

Embrace the " operate what you build philosophy, taking end-to-end ownership of your work - from development and deployment to production operations, and participate in on-call rotation.

Problem Solver: Troubleshoot correctness, stability or performance issues related to statement planning and execution in a complex distributed system.

Work in the open: Collaborate with users and contributors, review contributions, participate in technical discussions, and help evolve our open-source projects and APIs.

Continuous Improver: Proactively identify opportunities to optimize processes, streamline operations, and elevate team performance.

Collaborator and Mentor: Work closely with other engineers, product, and support teams.

Storyteller: Showcase your work through technical documentation, blogs, and talks, representing AuthZed as a thought leader in the industry.

What you bring:

Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science or a related field or equivalent experience.

5+ years of experience working in programming languages like Golang, python, Java. Experience with Go is a plus.

Strong Systems engineering background (e.g. distributed systems, operating systems, databases).

Experience building and debugging complex production systems where correctness, reliability, and performance matter.

Experience with cloud infrastructure and managing distributed databases in cloud-native environments.

Experience with modern software development practices and tools, such as continuous integration/continuous deployment (CI/CD), Docker, and Git.

Excellent communication skills with a proven ability to articulate technical concepts to both technical and non-technical stakeholders.

A proven ability to thrive in remote-first, cross-time-zone teams, collaborating effectively to deliver impactful results.

Experience building kubernetes controllers or operators.

Familiarity with database concepts, and how they are implemented: compilers, indices, query planning, optimization, materialized views, etc.

Familiarity with modern authorization systems and access control models.

Life at AuthZed:

Work with cutting-edge tech in a fast-growing industry.

Enjoy a supportive team environment where your ideas make a genuine difference.

Receive competitive pay tailored to your experience.

• Own a piece of the company with early-stage startup stock options.
• Access comprehensive benefits, including healthcare (for US team members) and insurance plans.
• Connect with the team during our twice-yearly offsites focused on bonding, collaborating, and having fun together!

Work fully remotely with flexible hours designed to fit your schedule and timezone.

We’re pioneering open-source authorization solutions for scaling businesses tackling complex end-user permissions in zero-trust architectures. Our focus is on providing SpiceDB—the most mature open-source permissions database inspired by Google’s Zanzibar system—and building managed services that enable planet-scale production authorization services.

Our strategic approach to capital-raising has empowered us to efficiently utilize our $3.9M seed fund and recently secure a $12M Series A. This funding has allowed us to further develop SpiceDB, now the open-source standard in authorization database technology, fortify our reputation as authorization experts, accelerate our open-source community growth, and scale revenue with robust enterprise products.

AuthZed is a fully remote company with employees across the US and Europe. We’re a hardworking group with a software-driven culture; even our sales team understands and loves our technology! We bring integrity to all our interactions, fostering confidence in decision making - trusting and respecting each voice on our team, every day.

Company Values

• Agency
  • Everyone should have the capability, freedom, and confidence to bring about changes to our business and product. Organizational processes exist to clearly define our goals, but not restrict how progress is made.
• Success is defined in various dimensions and no single person can be an expert in all of them. Without valuing the opinions of others, finding compromises, and sharing mutual trust and respect, you cannot arrive at the best possible solution.
• Open-mindness
  • Without asking questions, testing assumptions, and questioning our pre-existing biases we risk operating within an echo-chamber. We celebrate the representation of diverse perspectives and backgrounds as a catalyst for creating an inclusive work environment that everyone can appreciate.