Senior Software Engineer, Database

Responsibilities

• Design and maintain the storage backend abstraction layer and transaction management system that underpins Ditto's embedded database.
• Implement and optimize storage backends (e.g. SQLite, in-memory, RocksDB and other engines), including connection pooling, write serialization, and concurrency control for resource-constrained devices.
• Ensure CRDT document operations — merging, tombstone management, version tracking — are correct and performant at the storage layer.
• Own the reliability and performance of the storage layer, identifying and resolving performance bottlenecks.
• Design and maintain blob storage systems for large value handling across platforms.
• Work with product managers and other engineers to help design the future of the technology.
• Collaborate closely with our Query Engine team and the Data Sync team to optimize our embedded database for edge sync operations.
• Author RFCs, design and document system architecture, and collaborate with other teams within Ditto.
• Estimate the delivery timeline for projects and communicate with management and the broader team regarding project execution.
• Set team culture by example, expanding Ditto's culture of Trust, Communication, and Continual Improvement.

Requirements

• 5+ years of experience in software engineering, 2 or more in a Senior role or above, with a focus on database internals, storage engines, or low-level systems programming.
• Strong proficiency in Rust or excellent C/C++ skills with a willingness to learn Rust.
• Experience with embedded database systems (SQLite, RocksDB, LevelDB, LMDB, or similar) or storage engine internals.
• Understanding of transaction isolation, concurrency control, and ACID guarantees.
• Experience with indexing strategies (B-tree, LSM tree, etc.) and general familiarity with query engine concepts.
• A willingness to travel (including internationally) once a quarter for team get-togethers and design sessions.
• Strong communication skills, with an emphasis on written communication skills in particular.

Nice to Haves

• Bachelor's degree or higher in Computer Science or Engineering.
• Familiarity with Conflict-Free Replicated Data Types (CRDTs) or other distributed/replicated data structures.
• Experience writing custom SQLite VFS or extensions.
• Experience with RocksDB, LMDB, or similar key-value storage engines at a deep level.
• Background in embedded systems or mobile/cross-platform development for resource-constrained environments.
• Experience with property-based testing, fault injection, or other state-space exploration techniques.
• Experience with monitoring tools such as Prometheus or Grafana.