Software Engineer - Sharded Postgres (Neki)

Hidden Jobs; United States; Remote; USD 120,000 - 200,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

San Francisco Bay Area or remote work

Job summary

PlanetScale is seeking a Software Engineer for Sharded Postgres (Neki) to build a scalable PostgreSQL foundation. You will work remotely with an option to be in the San Francisco Bay Area, collaborating with a talented team on distributed databases and high-throughput workloads.

You will design and implement core components, optimize performance, and engage with customers to translate requirements into robust technical solutions while mentoring teammates in a fast-paced infrastructure

Qualifications

• At least 5 years of software engineering experience focused on backend systems, database engines, query planners, or similar areas.
• Strong experience with distributed systems, databases, and performance optimization.
• Proficiency in Go.
• Ability to work effectively in large codebases and understand complex systems quickly.
• Strong problem-solving and debugging skills.
• Self-direction, sound technical judgment, and the ability to operate with limited guidance.

Responsibilities

• Design and implement critical components for horizontally scalable PostgreSQL infrastructure.
• Solve distributed-systems challenges involved in routing, sharding, reliability, and high-volume query execution.
• Develop clean, maintainable software for a complex and evolving codebase.
• Investigate and debug difficult issues that span multiple systems and performance layers.
• Work directly with customers to understand requirements and translate them into robust technical solutions.
• Contribute to technical decisions, collaborate with teammates, and mentor less-experienced engineers.

Skills

Go

Distributed systems

Backend systems

Databases

Performance optimization

Job description

Software Engineer - Sharded Postgres (Neki)

Backend Remote, with San Francisco Bay Area option

Job details

Remote, with San Francisco Bay Area option Eligibility

Junior Experience

Not specified Employment

About this role

Role overview

Help build a sharded PostgreSQL system from the ground up for demanding, high-throughput applications. This core engineering role focuses on database infrastructure, distributed systems, query planning, and performance, while also involving direct customer feedback, independent technical ownership, and collaboration with experienced engineers.

Responsibilities

• Design and implement critical components for horizontally scalable PostgreSQL infrastructure.
• Solve distributed-systems challenges involved in routing, sharding, reliability, and high-volume query execution.
• Develop clean, maintainable software for a complex and evolving codebase.
• Investigate and debug difficult issues that span multiple systems and performance layers.
• Work directly with customers to understand requirements and translate them into robust technical solutions.
• Contribute to technical decisions, collaborate with teammates, and mentor less-experienced engineers.

Requirements

• At least 5 years of software engineering experience focused on backend systems, database engines, query planners, or similar areas.
• Strong experience with distributed systems, databases, and performance optimization.
• Proficiency in Go.
• Ability to work effectively in large codebases and understand complex systems quickly.
• Strong problem-solving and debugging skills.
• Self-direction, sound technical judgment, and the ability to operate with limited guidance.

Nice to have

• Experience with Python or C++.
• Background building database engines, query planners, sharded systems, or other high-scale infrastructure.
• Interest in mentoring engineers and working closely with end users.

Benefits and work setup

• San Francisco Bay Area or remote work arrangement.