Staff Engineer SQL Engine

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

Benefits offered by this job

Health plans

Retirement plans

Unlimited paid time off

Job summary

A leading database company is seeking a Staff Engineer for their Languages & Relational Technologies team in Sunnyvale, CA. In this role, you will design, build, and scale core features of YugabyteDB, requiring 8+ years of experience in C/C++ programming and a strong foundation in systems engineering. The position supports hybrid work with competitive compensation ranging from $150K to $250K annually, inclusive of benefits and equity options.

Qualifications

• 8+ years of experience in software engineering.
• Strong foundation in compiled languages like C/C++.
• Deep understanding of operating systems and distributed systems.

Responsibilities

• Lead the design, development, testing of database features.
• Write high-quality C/C++ code with automated tests.
• Identify and implement performance improvements.

Skills

C/C++ programming

Systems engineering

Problem-solving

Collaboration

Education

Bachelor’s or Master’s in Computer Science

Job description

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 $64B by 2025. 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.

Staff Engineer – Languages & Relational Technologies (LRT)

Location: Sunnyvale, United States
Team: Languages & Relational Technologies (LRT)
Position Level: Staff Engineer

Role Overview

As a Staff Engineer on the Languages & Relational Technologies (LRT) team, you will help design, build, and scale core database features that power YugabyteDB’s SQL layer. You will collaborate with cross‑functional engineering teams to solve complex problems affecting distributed query planning, execution, and performance, ensuring YugabyteDB remains robust, reliable, and performance at scale.

Key Responsibilities

• Lead the design, development, testing, and release of new database features and enhancements in YugabyteDB.
• Write high‑quality C/C++ code (and contribute in other languages as needed) with comprehensive automated tests; participate actively in code reviews.
• Identify and implement performance improvements — including plan optimization, batching/parallelism, and advanced push‑downs to data nodes.
• 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.
• Mentor and influence other engineers in best practices for database internals, distributed systems, and performance‑oriented software development.

Required Qualifications

• 8+ years of professional experience 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.
• Deep understanding of systems engineering fundamentals, including operating systems, distributed systems, and databases.
• Experience with database internals, compilers, or query planning/optimization is a strong plus.
• Strong problem‑solving skills and the ability to operate effectively in a collaborative, distributed team environment.

Preferred Skills

• Experience building large‑scale distributed systems and transactional engines.
• Familiarity with PostgreSQL internals or other relational database engines.
• Contributions to open source database or systems projects.
• Prior leadership in technical architecture, performance tuning, and mentoring engineers.

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

Compensation and Benefits

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 250,000, 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.

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.