Software Engineer - Database

Madrona Venture Labs; New York (NY); Hybrid; USD 180,000 - 230,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Stock options

Health coverage

Flexible PTO

401k

Company events

Flexible work environment

Job summary

MotherDuck in New York City (remote on the East Coast) is seeking a backend-focused engineer to advance DuckDB in the cloud and local development. You will own major projects, optimize performance, and shape APIs.

You'll mentor teammates, collaborate across teams, and contribute to open-source community with DuckDB Labs.

Qualifications

• Experience building and shipping complex backend systems.
• Fluent in C++, Rust, Java, or similar systems languages.
• A good foundation in query engines, execution plans, indexing, and performance optimization techniques.
• Hands-on experience with DuckDB is a huge plus.
• Experience with cloud infrastructure and low-latency distributed systems.

Responsibilities

• Own major projects in our dual execution stack, so DuckDB can process queries seamlessly whether they're running locally or in the cloud.
• Help build a cloud platform that dynamically assigns resources, so DuckDB stays efficient whether someone's running a tiny workload or pushing our biggest, highest-memory instances.
• Lead cross-functional work with our frontend, platform, and infrastructure teams to keep the user experience coherent end to end.
• Push the state of the art in embedded database performance, distributed execution, and DuckDB internals.
• Deepen your DuckDB expertise and share it with the rest of the company through mentorship and documentation.
• Work directly with our support team to debug issues, learn from real usage patterns, and prioritize the improvements that matter most.
• Improve systems holistically... spotting architectural challenges early and clearing bottlenecks before they become problems.
• Mentor teammates and help raise the bar for engineering practices across the team.
• Work closely with DuckDB Labs to align on APIs and shape where DuckDB goes next.

Skills

C++/Rust

Java

Performance optimization

Tools

DuckDB

Job description

About MotherDuck

Don’t let the quirky name fool you: At MotherDuck, we’re on a mission to make data warehousing fun, frictionless, and ducking awesome for developers and data practitioners building blazing fast internal and customer-facing analytics experiences. We're building a cloud-hosted version of DuckDB, working hand-in-hand with the creators of the fastest-growing and fastest-improving query engine on the planet. Unlike other databases, MotherDuck was architected to unify local development with cloud operations to bridge the gap between software and data engineering workflows. Our team is a mix of thoughtful, passionate, and empathetic data industry veterans.

What you will do

The Database team is the bridge between DuckDB and the cloud. We own the core server and client extension logic that lets DuckDB run seamlessly, whether it's local or in the cloud, and we work in C++ right alongside the DuckDB codebase itself. Our mission is to push the boundaries of embedded database performance, distributed execution, and user experience, all while staying closely connected to DuckDB Labs (the team behind DuckDB) to align on APIs and shape what's next. Day to day, we drive major projects in dual execution, resource assignment, and system reliability, while also handling incoming issues and lending our DuckDB expertise to other teams. We collaborate closely across MotherDuck and with the wider DuckDB community, making sure people get the best of both local and cloud worlds. It's a small, high-agency team with big ambitions... the kind of place where engineers own impactful projects, share what they learn, and help shape how modern analytics gets built. This role is ideally based in New York City but also open to great candidates remotely on the East Coast.

Key Responsibilities

• Own major projects in our dual execution stack, so DuckDB can process queries seamlessly whether they're running locally or in the cloud.
• Help build a cloud platform that dynamically assigns resources, so DuckDB stays efficient whether someone's running a tiny workload or pushing our biggest, highest-memory instances.
• Lead cross-functional work with our frontend, platform, and infrastructure teams to keep the user experience coherent end to end.
• Push the state of the art in embedded database performance, distributed execution, and DuckDB internals.
• Deepen your DuckDB expertise and share it with the rest of the company through mentorship and documentation.
• Work directly with our support team to debug issues, learn from real usage patterns, and prioritize the improvements that matter most.
• Improve systems holistically... spotting architectural challenges early and clearing bottlenecks before they become problems.
• Mentor teammates and help raise the bar for engineering practices across the team.
• Work closely with DuckDB Labs (which grew out of the Database Architectures group at CWI, where vectorized execution and DuckDB were born) to help align on APIs and shape where DuckDB goes next.

What you bring

You've built and shipped complex backend systems, and you know what great looks like.

You're fluent in a backend language like C++, Rust, Java, or similar systems languages, and you're comfortable working close to the metal. (C++ and Rust are the biggest plus here, and we love a great Java engineer too.)

A good foundation in query engines, execution plans, indexing, and performance optimization techniques.

Hands-on experience with DuckDB is a huge plus, no matter what level you're coming in at.

You've worked with cloud infrastructure, networking, and building low-latency distributed systems.

You can scope and lead projects that span multiple collaborators and cross-functional dependencies.

You take pride in clear thinking, careful design, and thoughtful tradeoffs.

You're comfortable mentoring peers and helping build a collaborative, high-agency environment.

You enjoy engaging with the wider community, whether that's open-source conversations or working directly with DuckDB Labs.

What we provide

• The opportunity to participate and contribute to DuckDB, one of most popular modern open source analytical databases.
• Feather-ruffling compensation – competitive salary and stock options so you have a stake in our flock’s success.
• Top-notch healthcare coverage – 100% paid medical, dental, and vision for employees, plus 80% coverage for dependents (because we care about your whole nest).
• Flexible PTO – take the time you need to recharge, explore, or just have a lazy day by the pond.
• 401k plan – because even ducks need to plan for the future.
• Legendary company events – we bring the whole flock together twice a year for unforgettable summits in fun locations, plus 1-2 team gatherings a year to keep our bonds strong.
• Flexible work environment - spend most of the week in the office collaborating with the flock, and work from wherever you're most productive the rest of the time. Specifics are role dependent and as agreed upon with your manager

Equal Employment Opportunity

MotherDuck is proud to be an Equal Employment Opportunity and Affinitive Action employer. We do not discriminate based on race, religion, color, national origin, gender (including pregnancy, childbirth, or related medical conditions), sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, age, status as a protected veteran, status as an individual with a disability, or other applicable legally protected characteristics. MotherDuck is committed to working with and providing reasonable accommodations to applicants with physical and mental disabilities.