# Senior Software Engineer

**Company:** [Datadog](https://hotfix.jobs/companies/datadog)
**Location:** New York, NY
**Role:** Backend Engineering
**Salary:** $192k – $240k/yr
**Experience:** 5+ years
**Skills:** Rust, Java, Go, Python, Kafka, Ffi, Distributed Systems
**Posted:** 2026-06-29

> Build and optimize the Rust-based Streaming Platform Client library (with Java/Go/Python bindings) at Datadog. Architect resilient client-control plane interactions, drive performance on high-throughput data paths, provide exceptional developer support, and lead complex distributed systems projects.

## Job Description

## What You’ll Do
- Work within a distributed, high-impact team spanning Europe and the US, building critical technologies that power data pipelines for dozens of internal teams and hundreds of services.
- Architect and implement resilient interactions between our client libraries and the control plane.
- Optimize our high-throughput, low-level streaming library to push the boundaries of performance and efficiency.
- Champion the developer experience by providing exceptional support, technical documentation, and proactive troubleshooting for our wide user base.
- Lead high-stakes technical projects, maintaining end-to-end accountability for their delivery and quality.
- Collaborate with partner teams on delivering projects wider than your team's scope.
- Mentor junior engineers and interns, fostering a culture of technical excellence and shared knowledge.

## Who You Are
- Self-starter who experiments methodically, iterates rapidly, and views failure as a learning opportunity.
- Finisher who takes projects through to completion.
- Thrives in collaborative environments, championing a blameless culture and fostering teammate growth.
- Communicates complex ideas effectively, with experience gathering requirements from stakeholders and leading high-impact technical initiatives.
- Deeply committed to user experience, ensuring tools empower developers.
- Strong proficiency in low-level languages (ideally Rust).
- Passion for deep-dive investigations, particularly in performance optimization and debugging complex systems.
- Curious about AI and actively leverage it to enhance development workflow.

**Bonus**
- Direct experience operating or using large-scale streaming systems like Kafka.
- Familiarity with language bindings and FFI.

## Benefits
- New hire stock equity (RSUs) and employee stock purchase plan (ESPP)
- Continuous professional development, product training, and career pathing
- Intradepartmental mentor and buddy program
- Inclusive company culture with Community Guilds (employee resource groups)
- Access to Inclusion Talks
- Free global mental health benefits
- Competitive global benefits (may vary by country and employment type)
- 401(k) plan and match, paid time off, fitness reimbursements (US-specific)

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