Software Engineer II Sunnyvale, CA

Yugabyte; Sunnyvale, Northern (CA, KY); Hybrid; USD 150,000 - 170,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Health plans

Retirement plans

Unlimited PTO

Job summary

Yugabyte is seeking a Software Engineer for the Core Database team in Sunnyvale, CA. You will work on YugabyteDB across SQL layer, storage, replication, and transaction subsystems, collaborating with cross-functional teams to deliver a robust, scalable distributed database.

The role targets engineers excited about databases, distributed systems, and systems programming, offering hands-on experience with a production-grade distributed database and opportunities to contribute to open-source

Qualifications

• 1–4 years in software engineering with a strong foundation in compiled languages such as C/C++.
• Bachelor’s, Master’s, or PhD in Computer Science (or related field), or equivalent practical experience.
• Understanding of systems engineering fundamentals, including OS, distributed systems, and databases.
• Strong fundamentals in data structures, algorithms, and operating systems.
• Experience programming in C/C++, Java, or similar systems‑level languages.
• Basic understanding of concurrency, threading, or distributed systems concepts.
• Strong problem‑solving skills and the ability to operate effectively in a collaborative, distributed team environment.

Responsibilities

• Write high-quality C/C++ code with comprehensive automated tests; participate in code reviews.
• Add unit tests, integration tests, and regression tests to ensure correctness and stability.
• Improve database scalability and throughput as cluster sizes grow.
• Contribute to the open source YugabyteDB project and strengthen distributed SQL capabilities.
• Troubleshoot and resolve correctness, stability, and performance issues in distributed query paths.
• Design, implement, and test features in YugabyteDB under senior guidance.
• Collaborate with engineers across query, storage, and platform teams.

Skills

C/C++

Distributed systems

Systems programming

Data structures

Java

Concurrency

Education

Bachelor’s/Master’s/PhD in Computer Science

Job description

Yugabyte is the company behind YugabyteDB, the AI-ready, multi-modal, distributed PostgreSQL database for cloud-native apps. Trusted by industry leaders including Shopify, Paramount+, GM, Kroger, Fiserv, and NPCI, YugabyteDB has been deployed in over 100 countries and powers more than 5 million clusters worldwide.

Together, our hard-working team of experts and our industry-leading technology are uniquely positioned to meet the demands of modern workloads: geo-distributed, ultra-resilient, and built to scale without limits.

Our Yugabeings (distributed, like our database) span 12+ countries and multiple time zones, sharing expertise from diverse backgrounds and industries.

Software Engineer – Core Database

Location: Sunnyvale, United States
Team: Core Database
Position Level: Software Engineer

About Yugabyte

At Yugabyte, we are on a mission to become the default transactional database for enterprises building cloud-native applications. YugabyteDB is our PostgreSQL compatible distributed database for cloud-native apps. Resilient, scalable, and flexible, it runs on any cloud and enables developers to become instantly productive using well-known APIs.We are looking for talented and driven people to join us on our ambitious mission and help us build a lasting and impactful company. The transactional database market is estimated to grow to $150B by 2030. YugabyteDB is cloud-native by design, has on-demand horizontal scalability, and supports geographical distribution of data using built-in replication. This means that we are well-positioned to meet market demand for geo-distributed, high-scale, high-performance workloads.

Yugabyte offers a culture of innovation, ownership, and technical excellence, with opportunities to impact a cutting-edge distributed SQL database used by global enterprises.

Role Overview

As a Software Engineer on the Core Database Engineering team, you will have an opportunity to work across the SQL layer, query execution, storage, replication, and transactional subsystems of YugabyteDB. You will collaborate with cross-functional engineering teams to solve complex problems, ensuring YugabyteDB remains robust, reliable, and performance at scale.

This role is designed for engineers who are excited about databases, distributed systems, and systems programming, and want hands‑on experience building a large-scale, production-grade distributed database.

Key Responsibilities

• Write high-quality C/C++ code (and contribute in other languages as needed) with comprehensive automated tests; participate actively in code reviews.
• Add unit tests, integration tests, and regression tests to ensure correctness and stability
• Improve database scalability and throughput as cluster sizes and transaction volumes grow.
• Contribute to the open source YugabyteDB project and help strengthen our distributed SQL capabilities across releases.
• Troubleshoot and resolve correctness, stability, and performance issues in complex distributed query planning and execution paths.
• Design, implement, and test features in YugabyteDB under the guidance of senior engineers
• Collaborate with engineers across query, storage, and platform teams

Required Qualifications

• 1–4 years in software engineering, with a strong foundation in compiled languages such as C/C++.
• Bachelor’s, Master’s, or PhD in Computer Science (or related field), or equivalent practical experience.
• Understanding of systems engineering fundamentals, including operating systems, distributed systems, and databases.
• Strong fundamentals in data structures, algorithms, and operating systems
• Experience programming in C/C++, Java, or similar systems‑level languages
• Basic understanding of concurrency, threading, or distributed systems concepts
• Strong problem‑solving skills and the ability to operate effectively in a collaborative, distributed team environment

Preferred Skills

• Coursework or hands‑on experience in distributed systems or storage systems
• Exposure to databases, SQL, or PostgreSQL (academic or professional)
• Familiarity with PostgreSQL internals or other relational database engines.
• Familiarity with concepts such as replication, transactions, or fault tolerance
• Contributions to open source database or systems projects.

We work in a hybrid model, with the team together in our Sunnyvale office 2–3 days per week.

Work Authorization

This position is based in the U.S. Candidates must have authorization to work in the United States. Sponsorship may be considered only under specific circumstances aligned with current regulatory requirements.

We feel strongly about equal pay for equal work, and transparency in compensation is one way to help achieve that. The cash compensation for this role is market competitive, with a range of USD 150,000-USD 170,000, inclusive of variable/incentive for some roles. As well as equity (when applicable), and benefits including health plans, retirement plans, and unlimited paid time off (PTO). The pay range for this position is a general guideline only and not a guarantee of compensation or salary. The actual pay will vary based on factors including experience, qualifications, and skill level.

#LI-HYBRID

Due to the Proclamation, “Restriction on Entry of Certain Nonimmigrant Workers”, which went into effect on September 21, 2025, at this time we are no longer able to sponsor new H-1B visa petitions filed after September 21, 2025 for new hires. We are still able to consider candidates who require H-1B extensions, changes of employer, or other types of work authorization.

Equal Employment Opportunity Statement:

As an equal opportunity employer, Yugabyte is committed to a diverse workforce. Employment decisions regarding recruitment and selection will be made without discrimination based on race, color, religion, national origin, gender, age, sexual orientation, physical or mental disability, genetic information or characteristic, gender identity and expression, veteran status or other non-job related characteristics or other prohibited grounds specified in applicable federal, state and local laws.

Voluntary Self-Identification

For government reporting purposes, we ask candidates to respond to the below self-identification survey. Completion of the form is entirely voluntary. Whatever your decision, it will not be considered in the hiringprocess or thereafter. Any information that you do provide will be recorded and maintained in aconfidential file.

As set forth in YugabyteDB’s Equal Employment Opportunity policy,we do not discriminate on the basis of any protected group status under any applicable law.

If you believe you belong to any of the categories of protected veterans listed below, please indicate by making the appropriate selection.As a government contractor subject to the Vietnam Era Veterans Readjustment Assistance Act (VEVRAA), we request this information in order to measurethe effectiveness of the outreach and positive recruitment efforts we undertake pursuant to VEVRAA. Classification of protected categoriesis as follows:

A "disabled veteran" is one of the following: a veteran of the U.S. military, ground, naval or air service who is entitled to compensation (or who but for the receipt of military retired pay would be entitled to compensation) under laws administered by the Secretary of Veterans Affairs; or a person who was discharged or released from active duty because of a service‑connected disability.

A "recently separated veteran" means any veteran during the three‑year period beginning on the date of such veteran's discharge or release from active duty in the U.S. military, ground, naval, or air service.

An "active duty wartime or campaign badge veteran" means a veteran who served on active duty in the U.S. military, ground, naval or air service during a war, or in a campaign or expedition for which a campaign badge has been authorized under the laws administered by the Department of Defense.

An "Armed forces service medal veteran" means a veteran who, while serving on active duty in the U.S. military, ground, naval or air service, participated in a United States military operation for which an Armed Forces service medal was awarded pursuant to Executive Order 12985.