Staff Software Engineer - Query Processing (Snowtrail)
Required skills
- AI-native
- agentic enterprise
- AI as collaborator
- experimental mindset
- Snowtrail
- development velocity
- quality validation
- cost and performance optimization
- technological trends
- future demands
Nice to have
- Release Validation Pipelines
- Test infrastructure in Production
Role summary
Snowflake is seeking an AI-native Staff Software Engineer for their Snowtrail team to accelerate the delivery of high-quality software. This role involves designing and building systems to enhance engineering development velocity and quality validation, optimized for cost and performance. The ideal candidate will have experience with SQL, database internals, query optimization, compiler design, and large-scale distributed systems. Strong CS fundamentals in data structures, algorithms, and distributed systems are essential. Bonus points for experience with release validation pipelines and production test infrastructure. The role emphasizes an experimental mindset and collaboration, with opportunities to mentor junior engineers.
At Snowflake, we are powering the era of the agentic enterprise. To usher in this new era, we seek AI-native thinkers across every function who are energized by the opportunity to reinvent how they work. You don’t just use tools; you possess an innate curiosity, treating AI as a high-trust collaborator that is core to how you solve problems and accelerate your impact. We look for low-ego individuals who thrive in dynamic and fast-moving environments and move with an experimental mindset — who rapidly test emerging capabilities to discover simpler, more powerful ways to deliver results. At Snowflake, your role isn't just to execute a function, but to help redefine the future of how work gets done.
Snowflake is a high-growth, cloud-native data platform company committed to empowering enterprises to achieve their full potential. With a culture built on impact, innovation, and collaboration, we offer an environment where you can build large-scale systems, move fast, and take your technology career to the next level.
As a Staff Software Engineer on the Snowtrail team, you will help Snowflake realize its mission and vision by accelerating the delivery of high quality software to production. You will have the opportunity to design and build software systems to help engineering teams increase their development velocity and provide quality validation, optimized for cost and performance. You will ensure that the team is executing towards serving the current needs of its customers, while also ensuring that we stay ahead of technological trends and future demands.
OUR IDEAL STAFF SOFTWARE ENGINEER WILL HAVE:
Experience with SQL or other database technologies including internal design and implementation
Experience with query optimization, query execution, compiler design and implementation
Experience with MySQL, PostgreSQL internals
Experience designing, building, and operating large-scale distributed systems infrastructure
Excellent problem solving skills, and strong CS fundamentals including data structures, algorithms, and distributed systems
Ability to work in a team environment, collaborate well, and mentor junior engineers
Ability to work on-site at our Bellevue, WA or Menlo Park, CA offices.
BONUS POINTS FOR EXPERIENCE WITH ONE OR MORE OF THE FOLLOWING:
Experience with Release Validation Pipelines, Test infrastructure in Production.
Snowflake is growing fast, and we’re scaling our team to help enable and accelerate our growth. We are looking for people who share our values, challenge ordinary thinking, and push the pace of innovation while building a future for themselves and Snowflake.
How do you want to make your impact?
For jobs located in the United States, please visit the job posting on the Snowflake Careers Site for salary and benefits information: careers.snowflake.com
Sample Snowflake interview questions
- 1
Design a key-value store
system designmedium - 2
Create a distributed framework for performing A/B testing at scale.
system designmedium - 3
Design a system for managing a distributed consensus algorithm.
system designmedium - 4
Design a solution for managing large-scale data migrations in a distributed environment.
system designmedium - 5
Design a leaderboard system
system designmedium
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