Staff Engineer Distributed Storage and Transaction

Yugabyte; Sunnyvale (CA); On-site; USD 150,000 - 250,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Health plans

Retirement plans

Unlimited paid time off (PTO)

Job summary

A cloud-native database firm is looking for a Staff Engineer to design and scale core distributed storage systems. The role involves writing high-quality C/C++ code, mentoring engineers, and enhancing the performance of distributed storage features. Ideal candidates have 8+ years in software engineering, a solid foundation in distributed systems, and strong problem-solving skills. This position is hybrid, located in Sunnyvale, offering a competitive salary ranging from USD 150,000 to USD 250,000 and additional benefits.

Qualifications

• 8+ years of experience in software engineering, specifically in systems programming using C/C++.
• Deep understanding of distributed systems such as replication and transaction models.
• Experience with storage engines or database systems.

Responsibilities

• Design and build core distributed storage and replication features.
• Write high-quality C/C++ code with thorough testing.
• Troubleshoot distributed storage and transactional system issues.
• Enhance database scalability and throughput.
• Mentor and influence engineers in system design.

Skills

C/C++ programming

Distributed systems fundamentals

Problem-solving skills

Collaboration in distributed teams

Education

Bachelor’s, Master’s, or PhD in Computer Science

Job description

Staff Engineer Distributed Storage and Transaction

Sunnyvale, CA

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 that runs on any cloud and enables developers to become instantly productive using well‑known APIs. It is resilient, scalable, and flexible, and it eliminates trade‑offs and silos while retaining the power and familiarity of PostgreSQL. Hundreds of enterprises are migrating from legacy RDBMSs to YugabyteDB to meet mission‑critical app demands.

Staff Engineer – Distributed Storage & Transactions (DST)

Location: Sunnyvale, United States

Team: Distributed Storage Technologies (DST)

Position Level: Staff Engineer

Role Overview

As a Staff Engineer on the DST team, you will play a critical role in designing, building, and scaling the core distributed storage, replication, and transaction foundations of YugabyteDB. You will tackle consistency, durability, fault tolerance, performance, and scalability challenges while collaborating with query, platform, and cloud teams.

Key Responsibilities

• Lead the design, development, testing, and delivery of core storage and replication features.
• Write high‑quality C/C++ code with comprehensive automated tests; actively participate in design discussions and code reviews.
• Troubleshoot and resolve correctness, stability, and performance issues in complex distributed storage and transactional subsystems.
• Improve database scalability and throughput as cluster sizes, data volumes, and transaction rates grow.
• Build and streamline database management operations, including horizontal cluster scale‑out, incremental and point‑in‑time backups, online schema and index operations, rolling upgrades, and blue‑green deployments.
• Identify and implement performance improvements across the storage engine, transaction processing, and replication layers.
• Contribute to the open‑source YugabyteDB project, helping evolve its storage architecture and operational reliability.
• Mentor and technically influence other engineers in distributed systems design, performance engineering, and systems‑level debugging.

Required Qualifications

• 8+ years of professional software engineering experience, with a strong foundation in systems programming using C/C++.
• Bachelor’s, Master’s, or PhD in Computer Science (or related field), or equivalent practical experience.
• Deep understanding of distributed systems fundamentals, including replication and consensus, transaction and consistency models, and fault tolerance and recovery.
• Experience working on storage engines, databases, or other infrastructure‑level systems.
• Strong problem‑solving skills and the ability to operate effectively in a collaborative, distributed team environment.

Preferred Skills

• Hands‑on experience with distributed storage systems, transactional engines, or consensus protocols.
• Familiarity with LSM‑tree based storage engines, WALs, snapshots, or compaction strategies.
• Experience with PostgreSQL internals or other relational database engines.
• Prior contributions to open‑source systems or database projects.

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

We feel strongly about equal pay for equal work. The cash compensation for this role is market competitive, with a range of USD 150,000 – USD 250,000, inclusive of variable/incentive for some roles. Equity (when applicable) and benefits including health plans, retirement plans, and unlimited paid time off (PTO) are also offered. The pay range is a general guideline only and not a guarantee of compensation or salary. The actual pay will vary based on experience, qualifications, and skill level.

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.