Systems and Database Engineer | Database Services

Susquehanna International Group; Bala Cynwyd (PA); On-site; USD 120,000 - 180,000; Full time

Job summary

Susquehanna International Group is seeking a database/ systems engineer focused on application database engineering for trading platforms in a high‑performance, low‑latency environment.

You will design and operate both relational and non‑relational databases at scale, develop Python tooling, and ensure high availability through replication and DR strategies. This role collaborates across disciplines to optimize data workflows and performance.

Qualifications

• 1–5 years of database engineering or related experience.
• Strong SQL with complex query manipulation, indexing, replication, and HA.
• Solid Python development for production tooling.
• Good understanding of Kubernetes—deploying and debugging containerized workloads.

Responsibilities

• Design, deploy, and maintain relational and non-relational database systems at scale (hundreds of millions to billions of records).
• Optimize query performance through indexing, execution plans, and schema design.
• Develop Python tooling for database operations and system health.
• Ensure high availability and reliability through replication, failover, and disaster recovery planning.
• Operate in production environments and resolve time‑sensitive issues with composure.
• Manage and scale containerized database workloads using Kubernetes, including ClickHouse.
• Monitor system health using observability tooling and address performance degradation.
• Collaborate with developers, researchers, and platform engineers to support data‑intensive applications.
• Apply AI tooling and best practices to accelerate engineering workflows.

Skills

SQL

Python

Kubernetes

Linux

Database design

System reliability

AI tooling

Education

Bachelor's degree in CS or related field

Tools

MariaDB

MongoDB

InfluxDB

ClickHouse

Terraform

ProxySQL

Prometheus

Grafana

Job description

Our Production Services Team is looking for a skilled engineer with a strong foundation in database technologies and systems engineering — not a traditional DBA, but someone who understands how databases fit into broader system architecture and can collaborate across disciplines to drive performance, reliability, and scalability.

This role is part of a front office support team, focused on application database engineering for trading platforms and directly supporting traders in a high‑performance, low‑latency environment.

Key Responsibilities

• Design, deploy, and maintain relational and non‑relational database systems at scale (hundreds of millions to billions of records, TB‑scale datasets), including MariaDB, MongoDB, InfluxDB, and ClickHouse.
• Optimize query performance through advanced indexing strategies, execution plan analysis, and schema design.
• Develop Python tooling and automation to support database operations, maintenance workflows, and system health.
• Ensure high availability and reliability through replication, failover design, and disaster recovery planning.
• Operate confidently in production environments — diagnosing and resolving time‑sensitive issues with composure and precision.
• Manage and scale containerized database workloads using Kubernetes, including ClickHouse deployments.
• Monitor system health using observability tooling and proactively address performance degradation.
• Collaborate with developers, researchers, and platform engineers to support data‑intensive applications.
• Apply AI tooling and best practices to accelerate engineering workflows.

Core Requirements

• Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science, Information Systems, or a related field — or equivalent practical experience.
• 1‑5 years of experience in database engineering, systems engineering, or a related discipline.
• Strong proficiency in SQL and deep working knowledge of relational databases — complex query manipulation, indexing, partitioning, replication, and high availability.
• Solid Python development skills — able to write production‑quality scripts and tooling, not just one‑off automation.
• Good understanding of Kubernetes — deploying, managing, and debugging containerized workloads.
• Strong Linux fundamentals — shell scripting, process management, system monitoring, and core command‑line fluency.
• Comfort operating in a production environment — you handle pressure well and take ownership of reliability.
• Working knowledge of AI tools and best practices for engineering workflows.

Nice to Have

• Graph database experience (e.g., Neo4j or similar).
• Oracle database experience.
• ProxySQL configuration and routing experience.
• Infrastructure‑as‑code experience with Terraform.
• Familiarity with Prometheus and Grafana for observability and alerting.
• Prior experience in a production or trading environment.

About Susquehanna

Susquehanna is a global quantitative trading firm powered by scientific rigor, curiosity, and innovation. Our culture is intellectually driven and highly collaborative, bringing together researchers, engineers, and traders to design and deploy impactful strategies in our systematic trading environment. To meet the unique challenges of global markets, Susquehanna applies machine learning and advanced quantitative research to vast datasets in order to uncover actionable insights and build effective strategies. By uniting deep market expertise with cutting‑edge technology, we excel in solving complex problems and pushing boundaries together.