Sr. Software Engineer - Distributed Databases

About AuthZed: We are the creators and maintainers of SpiceDB and the authorization infrastructure that companies around the world depend on to keep their engineering teams focused on what matters most - their own product. We are a Series A company, fixing broken access control with products that eliminate complex permission management while delivering enterprise-scale performance and consistent access control. AuthZed is a fully remote company with employees across the US, Canada, and Europe. We’re a hardworking and close-knit group with a software-driven culture (yep, even our GTM team understands and loves this technology)! We bring integrity to all our interactions, fostering confidence in decision making - trusting and respecting each voice on our team, every day. About the Role: We’re looking for a driven and innovative Senior Software Engineer, experienced in distributed databases to help shape the future of our open-source database, SpiceDB. SpiceDB is built to manage security-critical application permissions. In this role, you'll leverage your deep expertise in database engineering to push the boundaries of performance, scalability, and efficiency for both SpiceDB OSS and Enterprise. You’ll focus on low-latency query optimization, refining database architecture, and ensuring the system is robust and reliable for large-scale, mission-critical applications. What you'll own: Research, design, implementation, testing and release for new database features and enhancements. Troubleshooting correctness, stability and performance issues related to statement planning and execution within a complex distributed system. Driving Optimization efforts by gathering statistics, refining query planning, and implementing materialized views and incremental view maintenance (IVM). Indexing, partitioning, and caching strategies to improve query efficiency and overall database performance. Contributions to both our open source and enterprise database product, SpiceDB. Collaboration closely with product, engineering, and support teams. What you bring: Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science or a related field or equivalent experience. 5+ years of experience working in system-level languages like Golang, C/C++, Rust or Zig. In-depth knowledge of database concepts, and how they are implemented: compilers, indices, query planning, optimization, materialized views, etc. Strong Systems engineering background (e.g. distributed systems, operating systems, databases). Proven ability to diagnose performance bottlenecks and propose creative solutions. Excellent communication skills with a proven ability to articulate technical concepts to both technical and non-technical stakeholders. Ability to collaborate effectively with remote teams across time zones. Familiarity with modern software development practices and tools, such as continuous integration/continuous deployment (CI/CD), Docker, and Git. Extra shine: Master’s level coursework in database systems. Experience with Golang. Experience with cloud infrastructure and managing databases in cloud-native environments. Familiarity with modern authorization systems and access control models. Life at AuthZed: Opportunities to work with cutting-edge technology in a rapidly growing sector. A supportive environment where your ideas lead to real impact. Competitive salary based on experience. Stock options at an early-stage startup. Comprehensive benefits including healthcare (in the US) and other insurance. A fully remote and flexible schedule to accommodate different time zones. Twice-yearly travel for team offsites, focused on team bonding, collaboration, and having fun!