Staff Engineer SQL Engine at Yugabyte

<div class="content-intro"><p>Yugabyte is the company behind <strong>YugabyteDB</strong>, the AI-ready, multi-modal, distributed PostgreSQL database for cloud-native apps. Trusted by industry leaders including Shopify, Paramount+, GM, Kroger, Fiserv, and NPCI, YugabyteDB has been deployed in over 100 countries and powers more than 5 million clusters worldwide.</p> <p>Together, our hard-working team of experts and our industry-leading technology are uniquely positioned to meet the demands of modern workloads: geo-distributed, ultra-resilient, and built to scale without limits.</p> <p>Our Yugabeings (distributed, like our database) span 12+ countries and multiple time zones, sharing expertise from diverse backgrounds and industries.</p></div><h2><strong>Staff Engineer – Languages & Relational Technologies (LRT)</strong></h2> <h2><strong>Role Overview</strong></h2> <p>As a <strong>Staff Engineer on the Languages & Relational Technologies (LRT) team</strong>, 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.</p> <h2><strong>Key Responsibilities</strong></h2> <ul> <li>Lead the <strong>design, development, testing, and release</strong> of new database features and enhancements in YugabyteDB.</li> <li>Write <strong>high-quality C/C++ code</strong> (and contribute in other languages as needed) with comprehensive automated tests; participate actively in code reviews.</li> <li>Identify and implement <strong>performance improvements</strong> — including plan optimization, batching/parallelism, and advanced push-downs to data nodes.</li> <li>Improve database <strong>scalability and throughput</strong> as cluster sizes and transaction volumes grow.</li> <li>Contribute to the open source YugabyteDB project and help strengthen our distributed SQL capabilities across releases.</li> <li>Troubleshoot and resolve <strong>correctness, stability, and performance issues</strong> in complex distributed query planning and execution paths.</li> <li>Mentor and influence other engineers in best practices for database internals, distributed systems, and performance-oriented software development.</li> </ul> <h2><strong>Required Qualifications</strong></h2> <ul> <li><strong>8+ years of professional experience</strong> in software engineering, with a strong foundation in <strong>compiled languages</strong> such as <strong>C/C++</strong>.</li> <li>Bachelor’s, Master’s, or <strong>PhD in Computer Science</strong> (or related field), or equivalent practical experience.</li> <li>Deep understanding of <strong>systems engineering fundamentals</strong>, including operating systems, distributed systems, and databases.</li> <li>Experience with database internals, compilers, or query planning/optimization is a strong plus.</li> <li>Strong problem-solving skills and the ability to operate effectively in a collaborative, distributed team environment<br><br></li> </ul> <h2><strong>Preferred Skills</strong></h2> <ul> <li>Experience building <strong>large-scale distributed systems</strong> and transactional engines.</li> <li>Familiarity with PostgreSQL internals or other relational database engines.</li> <li>Contributions to open source database or systems projects.</li> <li>Prior leadership in technical architecture, performance tuning, and mentoring engineers.</li> </ul> <p>We work in a hybrid model, with the team together in our Sunnyvale office 2–3 days per week.</p> <h4>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.</h4> <p><strong>Equal Employment Opportunity Statement</strong>:</p> <p>As an equal

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