Staff Software Engineer
Leads development of reliable, scalable database connectors and replication technology for enterprise data movement. The role requires strong Java or C/C++ experience, database internals expertise, distributed-systems design skills, and technical leadership through architecture, mentoring, and production investigations.
About the job
Responsibilities
- Design, build, and improve database connectors with a focus on correctness, performance, scalability, and operability.
- Investigate complex replication and change data capture (CDC) issues in production systems used by enterprise customers.
- Analyze low-level database behavior, logs, and transaction flows to support new features and improve reliability.
- Develop support for new database capabilities, especially in Oracle and other enterprise database platforms.
- Drive software design and technical roadmap decisions for the team.
- Improve observability, testing, and operational excellence across connector systems.
- Partner with engineers across teams to improve architecture quality and reliability across the broader platform.
- Mentor engineers and provide technical leadership through design reviews, implementation guidance, and hands-on development.
Requirements
- Significant hands-on software engineering experience building backend, infrastructure, or distributed systems.
- Strong experience with Java and/or C/C++ in production systems.
- Deep understanding of database internals, transaction semantics, query behavior, and data consistency.
- Experience building or maintaining data replication, CDC, ETL/ELT, migration, or connector systems.
- Experience investigating low-level or poorly documented system behavior, such as binary logs, protocols, storage formats, or APIs.
- Strong system design skills, especially for reliable distributed systems operating under strict correctness and availability requirements.
- Ability to lead technical direction and influence architecture across teams.
- Strong communication skills and a track record of mentoring engineers.
Nice-to-haves
- Experience with Oracle internals, redo/archive logs, or log-based replication.
- Experience with database migration or replication products.
- Experience in systems-level engineering, including kernel, drivers, networking, or protocol analysis.
- Experience working on developer infrastructure or highly reliable data platforms.
Technologies
- Java
- C/C++
- SQL
- Relational databases and database internals
- Docker
- Bazel
- Buildkite
- Google Cloud (GCP)
- AWS
- Microsoft Azure
- Linux
- Unix
- Windows
- Git
Compensation and Benefits
- Ontario compensation range: $167,548–$209,435 CAD.
- 100% employer-paid medical insurance.
- Paid time off, paid sick time, inclusive parental leave, holidays, a year-end Global Week of Rest, and volunteer days off.
- RSU stock grants.
- Professional development and training opportunities.
- Monthly cell phone stipend.
- Mental health support platform with therapy, coaching, and self-guided mindfulness resources.
Skills
Java, C++, C, SQL, Database Internals, Change Data Capture, Data Replication, Distributed Systems, Docker, Bazel, Buildkite, GCP, AWS, Microsoft Azure, Linux
Similar jobs
Backend Engineering jobsTechnical leader for the Metadata team, designing distributed cloud subsystems and leading complex initiatives across discovery, catalog, lineage, and run history services. Requires 8+ years of software engineering experience, backend or systems expertise, cloud infrastructure experience, and strong architecture, reliability, and mentoring skills.
Technical leader for the Metadata team, owning architecture and delivery of distributed backend services for discovery, catalog, lineage, and run history. The role requires 8+ years of software engineering experience, strong cloud and systems expertise, and a record of leading multi-engineer initiatives.
Build large-scale backend infrastructure and data products for Databricks across areas such as log analytics, AI/BI, business semantics, and apps. The role requires staff-level software engineering experience, including 10+ years with Java, Scala, or C++ and expertise in distributed systems and cloud technologies.
Staff backend engineer leading the design, delivery, and operation of highly scalable passwordless authentication systems. The role requires deep Java and distributed-systems expertise, technical leadership, and experience with passkeys, FIDO2/WebAuthn, and identity protocols.
Leads the architecture and development of scalable Java-based backend services for Okta’s device identity and access platform. The role requires 7+ years of software development experience, strong distributed-systems expertise, and technical leadership across teams.