Software Engineer - PlanetScale Vitess

Hidden Jobs; United States; Remote; USD 120,000 - 290,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Remote position (EMEA)

Job summary

PlanetScale is seeking a backend engineer with deep expertise in Go to design and operate the services that power a scalable database platform. You will tackle distributed-systems challenges, work with customers to translate requirements into robust software, and mentor teammates in a collaborative environment.

The role emphasizes independence, strong problem-solving, and experience with relational databases and Kubernetes.

Qualifications

• At least five years of software engineering experience, with a focus on backend systems.
• Strong proficiency in Go; experience with Python, Java, C++, or another language is useful.
• Experience with MySQL or other relational database systems.
• Working knowledge of Kubernetes and containerized applications.
• Experience building, deploying, and operating distributed systems at scale.
• Strong problem-solving skills, sound technical judgment, and the ability to work independently with limited direction.

Responsibilities

• Build and operate critical services for a database platform handling very high query volumes.
• Solve distributed-systems problems involving scalability, reliability, performance, and operational complexity.
• Collaborate with experienced engineers on architecture, implementation, debugging, and technical decision-making.
• Work directly with customers to understand requirements and turn them into durable technical solutions.
• Navigate and improve large, complex codebases while maintaining clean, testable, and maintainable software.
• Share knowledge and mentor less-experienced engineers in a collaborative environment.

Skills

Go

Distributed systems

Backend engineering

Problem solving

Tools

Kubernetes

MySQL

Job description

Design and build the backend systems that support a large-scale database platform serving demanding production workloads. This is an autonomous software engineering role focused on distributed systems, database infrastructure, performance, and customer-driven technical problem solving, with opportunities to contribute across a complex codebase and mentor other engineers.

Responsibilities

• Build and operate critical services for a database platform handling very high query volumes.
• Solve distributed-systems problems involving scalability, reliability, performance, and operational complexity.
• Collaborate with experienced engineers on architecture, implementation, debugging, and technical decision-making.
• Work directly with customers to understand requirements and turn them into durable technical solutions.
• Navigate and improve large, complex codebases while maintaining clean, testable, and maintainable software.
• Share knowledge and mentor less-experienced engineers in a collaborative environment.

Requirements

• At least five years of software engineering experience, with a focus on backend systems.
• Strong proficiency in Go; experience with Python, Java, C++, or another additional language is useful.
• Experience with MySQL or other relational database systems.
• Working knowledge of Kubernetes and containerized applications.
• Experience building, deploying, and operating distributed systems at scale.
• Strong problem-solving skills, sound technical judgment, and the ability to work independently with limited direction.

Nice to have

• Understanding of database internals, query optimization, or distributed consensus algorithms.
• Contributions to open-source projects, particularly in database infrastructure or related systems.

Benefits and work setup

• Remote position for candidates located in the Europe, Middle East, and Africa region.
• The source lists a base salary range of $120,000-$290,000 USD.