Senior Platform Software Engineer

dbt Labs is building a resilient and scalable cloud future on a state-of-the-art multi-cell architecture, and we're looking for a Senior Platform Software Engineer to help lead the way.

The Multi-Cell team is at the core of this evolution. We design, build, and operate the foundational platform that allows our services to run in an isolated, highly available, and globally distributed fashion. We are also the architects of the customer migration experience, ensuring a smooth transition to our next-generation infrastructure.

About the Role

As a Senior Platform Software Engineer, you will have an outsized impact on every dbt Labs customer. You will be instrumental in shaping the future of our cloud infrastructure, with a direct influence on the reliability and scalability of our entire product suite. This is a hands-on role where you will tackle complex distributed systems problems, build sophisticated automation, and empower other engineering teams to innovate on top of our multi-cell environments.

We serve some of the largest data-driven organizations, and the quality, reliability, and performance of our multi-cell implementation directly translates to the success of data professionals everywhere.

In this role, you can expect to...

• Join a Senior, Distributed Team (US & Canada): Become part of a closely-knit group of senior engineers at the intersection of application and infrastructure.
• Architect & Build Platform Infrastructure: Design, build, and operate the foundational components of our cutting-edge multi-cell platform, including the regional service routing layer and the control plane for managing account lifecycles.
• Drive Seamless Migrations: Develop and automate the tooling to seamlessly migrate customer accounts from our legacy environment to the new multi-cell architecture.
• Develop Scalable Backend Services: Write robust, high-quality backend services and infrastructure code, primarily in Go and Python, with opportunities to work with Rust.
• Automate for Scale: Design and implement automation using tools like Argo Workflows and Kubernetes to enhance the scale, reliability, and efficiency of our platform and migration processes.
• Champion Best Practices: Lead and implement best practices in Infrastructure as Code (IaC) with Terraform and Helm, CI/CD, and configuration management to ensure a stable and predictable platform.
• Collaborate & Mentor: Work closely with product engineering teams, security, and customer support to unblock feature conformance, define technical direction, and mentor other engineers.
• Own & Troubleshoot: Take strong ownership of our distributed systems, troubleshoot complex issues, and participate in an on-call rotation to maintain high availability and deliver a resilient platform experience. Define tradeoffs and make decisions about what, how, and when we build.

You are a good fit if you...

• Are an experienced backend or platform engineer, proficient in languages like Go or Python, with a history of building large-scale distributed systems.
• Have deep expertise in modern cloud infrastructure, including extensive hands-on experience with a major cloud provider (AWS, GCP, or Azure), containerization (Docker, Kubernetes), and Infrastructure as Code (Terraform).
• Thrive at the intersection of product and infrastructure, with a passion for building internal platforms and automation that enhance developer productivity and platform reliability.
• Take strong ownership of your work from end-to-end, demonstrating a systematic, customer-focused approach to problem-solving and a track record of leading complex technical projects like migrations or system integrations.
• Are a proactive and collaborative communicator, skilled at working asynchronously in a distributed team and effectively engaging with both technical and non-technical partners.
• Possess a drive for continuous improvement, with an eagerness to learn new technologies, set high programming standards, and operate in a fast-paced, iterative environment.

You'll have an edge if you have...

• Direct experience with cell-based or multi-tenant architectures, particularly with building tooling for large-scale account migrations.
• A proven track record of building internal developer platforms or self-service infrastructure that empowers other engineers.
• Deep expertise in multi-cloud strategies, including tools for cross-cloud management and cost optimization.
• Advanced proficiency with our core technologies, including extensive professional experience with both Go and Python, and an interest in or exposure to Rust.
• Experience working directly with customers in technically complex or support-heavy environments.
• Advanced industry certifications (e.g., AWS Certified Solutions Architect - Professional, Google Professional Cloud Architect or Certified Kubernetes Administrator - CKA) or contributions to open-source cloud-native projects.

Qualifications

• 5+ years of professional software engineering experience, particularly in platform, infrastructure, or backend roles supporting SaaS applications.
• A Bachelor's degree in Computer Science or a related technical field is preferred, though equivalent practical experience or bootcamp completion with relevant work history will be considered.

Compensation & Benefits

Salary:

We offer competitive compensation packages commensurate with experience, including salary, equity, and where applicable, performance-based pay. Our Talent Acquisition Team can answer questions around dbt Labs' total rewards during your interview process. In select locations (including Boston, Chicago, Denver, Los Angeles, Philadelphia, New York City, San Francisco, Washington, DC, and Seattle), an alternate range may apply, as specified below.

• The typical starting salary range for this role is: $143,000-$172,800
• The typical starting salary range for this role in the select locations listed is: $158,000-192,000

Benefits:

• Unlimited vacation (and yes we use it!)
• 401k w/3% guaranteed contribution
• Excellent healthcare
• Paid Parental Leave
• Wellness stipend
• Home office stipend, and more!

*Equity or comparable benefits may be offered depending on the legal limitations

 What to expect in the hiring process (Zoom Interviews)

• Interview with a Talent Acquisition Partner 
• Technical Interview with Hiring Manager
• Team Interviews 
• Final interview with leadership team member

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