Senior Software Engineer II, Managed Databases

DigitalOcean; Oregon; Hybrid; USD 167,000 - 209,000; Full time

Job summary

DigitalOcean is seeking a Senior Software Engineer II to join the Managed Databases (DBaaS) engineering organization. You will architect DBaaS platform systems, design scalable control-plane components, and drive delivery with product and engineering partners.

You will mentor engineers, improve reliability, and support AI-adjacent workloads across multi-region deployments while ensuring long-term operation and maintainability. This role is remote and offers a competitive compensation package.

Qualifications

• 8+ years of professional software engineering experience building and operating large-scale distributed systems or data-plane/control-plane infrastructure.
• Proven track record diagnosing and solving complex, high-concurrency engineering problems in production cloud environments.
• Working knowledge of relational database engine internals—specifically PostgreSQL and/or MySQL—including query performance, replication, and scale (preferred).
• Strong understanding of concurrency, failure modes, multi-region concerns, and performance optimization in production Linux/cloud environments.
• Experience scaling services for compute, memory, and networking demands of data-intensive or AI inference-adjacent workloads (preferred).
• Track record of driving complex cross-team technical projects, mentoring engineers, and communicating tradeoffs clearly with partners and leadership.
• Appetite for feedback and a 'leave it better than you found it' approach to architecture and maintainability.

Responsibilities

• Architect and implement DBaaS platform systems: design and build scalable control-plane and infrastructure components.
• Turn ambiguous requirements into deliverable architecture with product and engineering partners.
• Own performance and resiliency outcomes on services, improving resource utilization, fault tolerance, and availability.
• Strengthen lifecycle capabilities: automated failover, backups, PITR, maintenance workflows.
• Scale for data-heavy and AI-adjacent demand across control-plane and infrastructure.
• Raise engineering bar: design reviews, clear docs for initiatives.
• Mentor engineers through technical guidance and code-quality standards.
• Operate what you build: observability, on-call, incident learnings.

Skills

Distributed systems

Mentorship

Production troubleshooting

Growth mindset

Tools

PostgreSQL

MySQL

Linux

Job description

Dive in and do the best work of your career at DigitalOcean. Journey alongside a strong community of top talent who are relentless in their drive to build the simplest scalable cloud. If you have a growth mindset, naturally like to think big and bold, and are energized by the fast-paced environment of a true industry disruptor, you'll find your place here. We value winning together—while learning, having fun, and making a profound difference for the dreamers and builders in the world.

We are looking for a Senior Software Engineer II to join our Managed Databases (DBaaS) engineering organization. Managed Databases delivers fully managed Postgres, MySQL, and related database services so customers can run production data workloads—and increasingly AI inference and data-intensive applications—without operating clusters themselves.

In this high-impact IC4 role, you will apply advanced subject-matter expertise across distributed control planes, database platform infrastructure, and production reliability. You will bridge product and system requirements with concrete architecture , lead complex technical projects across DBaaS and adjacent platform boundaries (e.g., Networking, Droplets, Storage, engine teams), and mentor engineers to elevate standards on the team. You should be comfortable independently moving from ambiguous problems to design, implementation, launch, and long-term operation.

What You'll Do

• Architect and implement DBaaS platform systems: Design and build scalable control-plane and infrastructure components that improve throughput, multi-region operability, and reliability for managed database workloads.
• Turn ambiguous requirements into deliverable architecture: Deconstruct customer and system needs into clear technical designs and workstreams that drive predictable delivery with product and engineering partners.
• Own performance and resiliency outcomes on your services: Improve resource utilization, fault tolerance, and availability—using profiling and targeted changes against I/O, CPU, and network bottlenecks under real production load.
• Strengthen lifecycle capabilities: Ship improvements to automated failover, continuous backups, point-in-time recovery (PITR), and maintenance workflows so clusters handle higher data volumes and tighter SLAs.
• Scale for data-heavy and AI-adjacent demand: Expand and harden control-plane and infrastructure pieces that support compute-heavy and high-concurrency customer workloads.
• Raise the team engineering bar: Guide technical decisions for engineers on the squad through design and code reviews; contribute clear design docs for the initiatives you lead.
• Mentor team members: Coach engineers through technical guidance, architectural reviews, and code-quality standards to accelerate growth and execution velocity.
• Operate what you build: Establish observability, failover, and recovery practices; participate in on-call; turn incident learnings into durable platform improvements.

What You'll Bring

• Experience: 8+ years of professional software engineering experience building and operating large-scale distributed systems or data-plane/control-plane infrastructure (SaaS/PaaS or equivalent).
• Production depth: Proven track record diagnosing and solving complex, high-concurrency engineering problems in production cloud environments.
• Database platform fluency: Working knowledge of relational database engine internals—specifically PostgreSQL and/or MySQL—including query performance, replication, and scale (preferred).
• Distributed systems mastery: Strong understanding of concurrency, failure modes, multi-region concerns, and performance optimization in production Linux/cloud environments.
• Scale for data & AI workloads: Experience scaling services for compute, memory, and networking demands of data-intensive or AI inference-adjacent workloads (preferred).
• Collaboration & mentorship: Track record of driving complex cross-team technical projects, mentoring engineers, and communicating tradeoffs clearly with partners and leadership.
• Growth mindset: Appetite for feedback and a "leave it better than you found it" approach to architecture and maintainability.

Compensation Range:

• $167,200 - $209,000
• This is a remote roleJR: 2026-8312#LI-Remote

Why You'll Like Working for DigitalOcean

• We innovate with purpose. You'll be a part of a cutting-edge technology company with a high-growth trajectory, who are proud to simplify cloud and AI so builders can spend more time creating software that changes the world. As part of our team, you'll embody our "Shark" mindset: bold, ambitious, and scrappy. You'll lead with a bias for action and take true ownership of our products, customer success, and team culture.
• We prioritize career development. At DigitalOcean, you'll do the best work of your career. You will join a community of exceptional talent, collaborating closely with some of the brightest and most interesting people in the industry. We are a high-performance and fast-paced organization that will always challenge you to think big. Our talent development team prioritizes your professional development and provides resources to support your growth. We provide employees with reimbursement for relevant conferences, training, and education, subject to company policy.
• We care about your well-being. We take a comprehensive approach to our total rewards packages because we know different things drive different people. Our benefits are designed to support you and may include flexible time off, local team meetups, and mental health and well being support. Our benefits philosophy is consistent globally, but specific benefits and eligibility vary by location to reflect local needs and regulations.
• We reward our employees. The salary range for this position is based on market data, relevant years of experience, and skills. Eligible employees may also receive equity compensation, which may include a new hire equity grant and, in participating countries, the opportunity to participate in our Employee Stock Purchase Program. Equity awards are subject to approval and the terms of the applicable plan.
• Non-sales roles : In addition to base salary, this role is eligible to participate in DigitalOcean's annual bonus plan and may be eligible for a new hire equity grant, subject to plan terms and local eligibility. Bonus amounts depend on company and individual performance.
• Sales roles (sales compensation eligible) : In addition to base salary, this role may be eligible to earn incentive compensation under the applicable sales compensation plan and may be eligible for a new hire equity grant, subject to plan terms and local eligibility.
• DigitalOcean is an equal-opportunity employer. We do not discriminate on the basis of race, sex, disability, protected veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by applicable law.

Application Limit: You may apply to a maximum of 3 positions within any 180-day period. This policy promotes better role-candidate matching and encourages thoughtful applications where your qualifications align most strongly.