Senior Software Engineer - Database Infrastructure
@ Discord

San Francisco, California, United States
$210,000
On Site
Full Time
Posted 12 hours ago

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XXXXXXXXX XXXXXXXXXXX XXXXXXXXX****** @discord.com
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Job Details

About Discord

Discord is used by over 200 million people every month and has become a central platform especially for gamers. Over 90% of its users play video games, spending a combined 1.5 billion hours on thousands of unique titles.

The Role

As a Senior Software Engineer - Database Infrastructure, you will join the Database Infrastructure team and focus on developing and operating databases and data services that store data for Discord's 200M+ monthly active users including trillions of messages. You will work with technologies such as ScyllaDB, PostgreSQL, ElasticSearch, Linux, and Rust.

Your Responsibilities

  • Build and operate large-scale, reliable, and performant data systems.
  • Collaborate with product and infrastructure teams to develop storage primitives.
  • Exercise first principles thinking to deliver what matters most to users.
  • Work in a talented team that drives one of the largest communication platforms.

Your Qualifications

  • 4+ years of experience building distributed systems and datastore infrastructure.
  • Experience with highly-available and distributed databases (ScyllaDB, Cassandra, BigTable, etc.).
  • Proficiency in at least one statically-typed language such as Rust, Go, Java, C, or C++.
  • Strong fundamentals in operating systems, distributed systems, and concurrency control.
  • Familiarity with Linux internals and comfort in fast-paced environments.

Bonus Points

  • Experience with Cassandra or Scylla.
  • Experience with Rust.
  • Knowledge of DevOps tools like Salt, Terraform, or Kubernetes.

Additional Insights

Learn more from our team blog posts and conference presentations, including topics like indexing billions of messages and performing database upgrades at scale. One team member even authored a book on ScyllaDB.

Location & Compensation

Candidates must reside in or be willing to relocate to the San Francisco Bay Area. Relocation assistance may be available. The US base salary range for this full-time position is $196,000 to $220,500 plus equity and benefits.

Join Us

Discord plays a vital role in the future of gaming, fostering deeper connections among gamers. We are committed to inclusion and providing reasonable accommodations during the interview process.

Key skills/competency

Distributed Systems, ScyllaDB, PostgreSQL, ElasticSearch, Linux, Rust, Concurrency, DevOps, Database Infrastructure, High Availability

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How to Get Hired at Discord

🎯 Tips for Getting Hired

  • Research Discord's culture: Study their mission and tech blogs online.
  • Customize your resume: Highlight experience with distributed systems and Rust.
  • Showcase technical expertise: Emphasize database and infrastructure projects.
  • Prepare for interviews: Practice system design and operational challenges.

📝 Interview Preparation Advice

Technical Preparation

Review distributed database architectures.
Practice coding in Rust or Go.
Study Linux internals and system design.
Brush up on concurrency control fundamentals.

Behavioral Questions

Describe conflict resolution in team projects.
Explain past challenges and learning moments.
Discuss collaboration under deadline pressure.
Share experience working in fast environments.

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