Staff Database Engineer and AI Orchestrator

Coupang; Mountain View (CA); On-site; USD 164,000 - 282,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Annual bonus up to 20%

Medical/Dental/Vision insurance

401K Plan with Company Match

Paid Time Off (18-21 days)

Paid Parental leave

Electric Car Charging Station

Job summary

Coupang is seeking a skilled Database Engineer in Mountain View, California, to join the Customer Success team. You will be responsible for ensuring the reliability and performance of databases in a high-traffic e-commerce environment.

The role requires strong expertise in MySQL and AWS services, along with experience in database automation and management. The position offers a competitive salary and a variety of benefits, reflecting the cost of living.

Qualifications

• 6 years of experience in backend software development.
• Proficiency in Java and the Spring Framework.
• Experience working in cloud environments, particularly AWS.

Responsibilities

• Develop tools and automation for database operations.
• Manage large scale Amazon Aurora MySQL and PostgreSQL clusters.
• Monitor and analyze database performance and resolve bottlenecks.

Skills

AI Automation

AWS Cloud services

Java

Python

MySQL

PostgreSQL

Education

Bachelor's degree in computer science or related field

Tools

Amazon Aurora

AWS CloudWatch

Job description

Role Overview

We are looking for a skilled and experienced Database Engineer with AI experience to join the Customer Success team at Coupang. The Customer Success team obsesses over the success of development and application teams by delivering high-quality storage infrastructure. In this role, you will be responsible for developing tools and automation (scripts, AI) for reliable operations of Aurora MySQL, Aurora PostgreSQL, DocumentDB, DynamoDB, Cassandra, and TiDB databases in a high-traffic, mission-critical e-commerce environment. You will work closely with development teams and application teams to ensure database reliability, performance, and availability while driving operational excellence through automation and best practices.

At Coupang, we Aim High and Find a Way to solve impossible problems. You will be responsible for building a system that doesn't just meet industry standards but sets them, ensuring 5-6 nines availability while leveraging AI to automate complex system behaviors and self-healing capabilities.

What You Will Do

• AI Automation: Generate AI Skills and Context prompts to automate storage engine and code and configuration generation across storage technologies.

Database Operations & Management

• Manage and operate large-scale Amazon Aurora MySQL and Aurora PostgreSQL clusters in production environments.
• Perform database maintenance tasks including version upgrades (minor/major), patching, and parameter tuning.
• Execute Blue/Green Deployment (BGD) based upgrades and migrations with minimal downtime.

Performance Optimization

• Monitor and analyze database performance using AWS CloudWatch, Performance Insights, and internal monitoring tools.
• Identify and resolve performance bottlenecks through query optimization, index tuning, and configuration adjustments.
• Conduct capacity planning and provide recommendations for scaling strategies.

Reliability & Availability

• Ensure high availability and reliability of database services through proactive monitoring and incident response.
• Participate in on-call rotations and respond to database-related incidents in a timely manner.
• Design and implement failover strategies and validate recovery procedures.

Automation & Tooling

• Develop and maintain automation scripts and tools (Python) for database operations, reducing manual intervention.
• Create and maintain Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) for all database operations.
• Contribute to internal tooling and operational frameworks.

Collaboration

• Partner with application development teams to provide database architecture guidance and support.
• Collaborate with infrastructure and security teams on database-related projects (e.g., SPIRE-based DB authentication).
• Participate in change management processes and conduct thorough reviews of database changes.

Basic Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in computer science, Electrical Engineering, Math, or a closely related field.
• 6 years of experience in backend software development.
• Proficiency in Java and the Spring Framework.
• Experience working in cloud environments, particularly AWS.
• Demonstrated experience in building and maintaining highly available, distributed systems.

Preferred Qualifications

• 10+ years of hands‑on experience as a Database Engineer.
• 2+ years of creating AI Automation for your own or company workflows, storage, or code.
• 5+ years of experience managing Amazon Aurora MySQL and/or Aurora PostgreSQL in production environments.
• Strong expertise in MySQL 8.0+ including replication, InnoDB internals, query optimization, and troubleshooting.
• Working knowledge of PostgreSQL including extensions, vacuuming, and major version upgrade procedures.
• Proficiency with AWS database services (Aurora, RDS) and related services (CloudWatch, IAM, VPC, Parameter Groups).
• Proficiency in Python or similar scripting languages for automation.
• Experience with database operations in large‑scale, high‑traffic environments (10,000+ TPS).

Pay & Benefits

Our compensation reflects the cost of living across several US geographic markets. At Coupang, your base pay is one part of your total compensation. The base pay for this position ranges from $164,000/year to $282,000/year. Pay is based on several factors including market location and may vary depending on job-related knowledge, skills and experience.

General Description of All Benefits

• Annual bonus is 0-20% of the base salary.
• Medical/Dental/Vision/Life, AD&D insurance.
• Flexible Spending Accounts (FSA) & Health Savings Account (HAS).
• Long-term/Short-term Disability.
• Employee Assistance Program (EAP) program.
• 401K Plan with Company Match.
• 18-21 days of Paid Time Off (PTO) a year based on the tenure.
• 12 Paid Holidays.
• Paid Parental leave.
• Pre-tax commuter benefits.
• Electric Car Charging Station (free).

General Description of Other Compensation

"Other Compensation" includes, but is not limited to, bonuses, equity, or other forms of compensation that would be offered to the hired applicant in addition to their established salary or wage scale.

Privacy Notice

Your personal information will be collected and managed by Coupang as stated in the Application Privacy Notice located below: https://www.coupang.jobs/privacy-policy/

Equal Opportunity Employer

Coupang is an equal opportunity employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, or gender (including pregnancy, gender identity, gender expression, sexual orientation, transgender status), national origin, age, disability, medical condition, HIV/AIDS or Hepatitis C status, marital status, military or veteran status, use of a trained dog guide or service animal, political activities, or affiliations, citizenship, or any other characteristic or class protected by the laws or regulations in the locations where we operate. If you need assistance and/or reasonable accommodation in the recruiting process due to a disability, please contact us at [e-mail].