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Senior Staff Software Engineer

fivetran

Oakland, California, United States
Development

Job Score

80 pts
On-site model (+70) Development (+10)

From Fivetran’s founding until now, our mission has remained the same: to make access to data as simple and reliable as electricity. With Fivetran, customer data arrives in their warehouses, canonical and ready to query, with no engineering or maintenance required. We’re proud that more organizations continue to leverage our technology every day to become truly data-driven.

About the Role

Fivetran is building data pipelines to power the modern data stack for thousands of companies.

We’re looking for a brilliant and collaborative individual to join our Performance Engineering Team as a Staff Software Engineer. Your primary responsibility will be to ensure that our product base meets or exceeds performance standards, driving the overall performance of our products. This entails proposing and designing performance-enhancing features and improvements. You will also design and execute performance tests, analyze data to identify performance issues, and resolve these issues proactively. Additionally, you will monitor system performance over time, identify trends, and recommend improvements. Collaboratively with engineers from other teams, you will engage in discussions, debates, and code reviews to refine ideas, designs, and code.

A successful candidate will possess a humble learning attitude, embracing existing realities and approaching challenges from a fundamental perspective. They will contribute fresh perspectives, enabling the team to make optimal design decisions. This candidate will be actively involved in implementation tasks, continuously refining decision-making factors to recalibrate realities and achieve strategic goals. The ideal candidate exhibits exceptional technical skills, meticulous attention to detail, creativity, motivation, and a results-oriented mindset.

This is a Hybrid position based out of our Oakland office.

Technologies You’ll Use

  • Java, JUnit
  • Docker and Kubernetes
  • AWS, GCP
  • Terraform, WireMock, RestAssured
  • Bazel, BuildKite

What You’ll Do

  • Develop and Debug code to identify and fix performance issues
  • Analyze production workloads and system performance metrics to identify performance bottlenecks in our system
  • Build proof of concepts and translate successful ones into solutions to maximize Fivetran product’s performance and efficiency
  • Build and maintain a platform that focuses on improving the performance, resilience and quality of Fivetran products
  • Impact Fivetran business across product verticals through the work you do
  • Develop deep expertise in Fivetran's Product, Infrastructure, and Platform
  • Communicate, coordinate, and align strategy with the engineering team members; make recommendations to improve reliability, performance, best practices, and processes
  • Work with cross-functional teams (Developers, Product, SRE) across the organization
  • Actively engage with fellow engineers in design and code reviews to ensure we deliver performant solutions that improves the product’s efficiency

Skills We’re Looking For

  • 10+ years of hands-on experience in the software industry with a passion for solving complex software engineering problems
  • Experience in architecting reliable distributed systems, with an emphasis on high-volume data management
  • Experience and expertise in building backend services and data systems
  • Experience with use of wide range of algorithms and data structures
  • Strong knowledge and expertise in working with Java and databases
  • Knowledge of observability tools like New Relic, Splunk, DataDog is a plus

Bonus Skills

  • Performance Engineering background is a plus - experience analyzing, troubleshooting and automating performance workloads on large scale systems
  • Hands-on experience working with any cloud technologies(AWS, GCP,Azure) and containerization
    methodologies like docker, K8s
  • Experience with cloud warehouses, such as Snowflake, BigQuery, RedShift and Databricks
  • Familiarity with system level programming (such as process and memory management and inter-process communication)

#LI-HYBRID #LI-EM1

The compensation range displayed on this job posting reflects the minimum and maximum target for new hire compensation for the target position and level, and may include sales incentives or target bonuses depending on the role.  Our compensation ranges are determined by role, level, and location. Our job titles may span more than one career level. Within the range, individual compensation is determined by additional factors, including job-related skills, experience, relevant education or training, business need, market demands. The compensation range is subject to change and may be modified in the future. Your recruiter can share more about the specific compensation range for your location during the hiring process.

Oakland Pay Range
$232,338—$290,422 USD

 

Perks and Benefits

  • 100% employer-paid medical insurance*
  • Generous paid time-off policy (PTO), plus paid sick time, inclusive parental leave policy, holidays (including a year end Global Week of Rest), and volunteer days off
  • RSU stock grants*
  • Professional development and training opportunities
  • Company virtual happy hours, free food, and fun team-building activities
  • Monthly cell phone stipend
  • Access to an innovative mental health support platform that offers personalized care and resources in areas such as: therapy, coaching, and self-guided mindfulness exercises for all covered employees and their covered dependents.

*May vary by country and worker type - please reach out to your recruiter for more information

Click here to learn more about Fivetran's Benefits by Region.


We’re honored to be valued at over $5.6 billion, but more importantly, we’re proud of our core values of Get Stuck In, Do the Right Thing, and One Team, One Dream. Read about us in Forbes.     

Fivetran brings together high-quality talent across the globe to make data access as easy and reliable as electricity for our customers. We value and recognize that our customers benefit from having innovative teams made of people from many backgrounds, experiences, and identities. Fivetran promotes diversity, equity, inclusion & belonging through attracting, recruiting, developing, and retaining a diverse workforce, not only because it is the right thing to do, but because it helps us build a world-class company to better serve our customers, our people and our communities.

To learn more about Fivetran’s culture and what it’s like to be part of the team, click here and enjoy our video.

To learn more about our candidate privacy policy, you can read our statement here.


We are committed to ensuring that all candidates have an equal opportunity to participate in our interview process. If you require accommodations at any stage of the process due to a disability, medical condition, or any other circumstance, please don't hesitate to submit your request by filling out this form. We will work with you to provide reasonable accommodations to facilitate your participation and ensure a fair and accessible interview experience. Your request and any information provided will be kept confidential and will not impact your candidacy. We look forward to hearing from you and accommodating your needs to the best of our ability.

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About Software Development

Software Development is one of the most dynamic and constantly evolving fields in the job market. Professionals in this area are responsible for creating, maintaining, and optimizing web, mobile, and desktop applications that impact millions of users daily.

Key languages and frameworks include JavaScript (React, Node.js, Vue.js), Python (Django, Flask), Java (Spring), PHP (Laravel), and TypeScript. Demand for full-stack developers continues to grow, especially in tech companies and startups.

Salaries range from entry-level to senior positions, with growing opportunities for remote work and international freelancing.

Discover Other Areas

Understand the scope of work, key skills, and tools used in different career areas.

About Infrastructure and DevOps

Infrastructure and DevOps are responsible for creating, maintaining, and optimizing IT environments that support applications at scale. This area is fundamental for system reliability and performance.

Key technologies include AWS, GCP, Azure, Docker, Kubernetes, Terraform, Ansible, CI/CD (GitHub Actions, GitLab CI, Jenkins), and monitoring (Datadog, Grafana, Prometheus).

DevOps engineers and SREs are highly sought-after professionals, with salaries among the highest in the technology sector.

About Web3

The Web3 area represents the new phase of the decentralized internet, built on blockchain technology. Web3 professionals create decentralized applications (dApps), interact with smart contracts, manage digital assets (cryptocurrencies and NFTs), and utilize DeFi (Decentralized Finance) protocols, revolutionizing how data, ownership, and finance are managed online.

About Tech Recruiter

The Tech Recruiter is a professional specialized in recruiting technology talent, from developers to AI engineers and DevOps professionals. They combine technical knowledge with recruitment skills to evaluate and attract highly qualified candidates.

Key skills include technical screening, analysis of technical profiles (GitHub, portfolios, blogs), knowledge of software stacks and architectures, networking in tech communities and events. Proficiency with tools like LinkedIn Recruiter, Gem, Ashby, and technical assessment platforms is a differentiator.

Tech Recruiters are scarce and highly paid professionals, especially those who can map and access passive talent in competitive markets like AI, data engineering, and cloud computing.

About Photography

The Photography area encompasses the capture, editing, and processing of static images for commercial, advertising, editorial, or artistic purposes. Professionals in this field master lighting techniques, visual composition, camera and lens operation, as well as the use of specialized editing and post-processing software such as Adobe Photoshop and Lightroom.

About People Analyst

The People Analyst is the professional responsible for transforming people data into strategic insights for HR decision-making. They combine data analysis knowledge with people management vision to help organizations understand workforce metrics, turnover, engagement, and diversity.

Key skills include people analytics, workforce analytics, turnover and retention analysis, HR metrics (time-to-hire, cost-per-hire, e-NPS), data visualization (Power BI, Tableau, Visier), workforce planning, and compensation analysis. Knowledge of statistics, SQL, and people analytics tools is a differentiator.

People Analysts in technology companies are highly valued, especially those who can translate complex people data into actionable insights for retention, diversity, and growth strategies. The field offers opportunities from HR analyst to head of people analytics, with a focus on data-driven people management.

Career Guides

Technology Career Guide

Planning, skills, interviews, and professional growth in IT, Data Science, DevOps, and Product.

Read full guide →

Design Career Guide

UX/UI, Graphic Design, Product Design. Portfolio, tools, interviews, and growth in the Design field.

Read full guide →

Marketing Career Guide

SEO, Paid Media, Growth, Content Marketing. Certifications, tools, and strategies to grow in Digital Marketing.

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Finance Career Guide

Financial market, investments, corporate finance, certifications, and strategies to grow in the financial field.

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Communication Career Guide

Journalism, PR, Corporate Communication, Content Marketing, and Multimedia Production.

Read full guide →

Administration Career Guide

Business Management, HR, Logistics, Consulting, Project Management, and Entrepreneurship.

Read full guide →

Data Career Guide

Data Science, Data Engineering, BI, Machine Learning, and AI. From training to the job market.

Read full guide →

Product Career Guide

Product Management, Product Ownership, Agile, Scrum, and OKRs. From strategy to execution.

Read full guide →

Tech & Remote Glossary

Stop getting lost in interviews and job descriptions

The job market, especially within tech and global companies, has developed its own dialect. Not understanding these acronyms can make you lose valuable opportunities or poorly negotiate your contract. To end this problem, we created the Definitive Glossary for the Remote Professional.

🏢 Work Models & Routine

Async (Asynchronous Work)
A communication model where responses don't need to be immediate. Instead of back-to-back meetings, the team relies on well-structured documents, threads, and messages. It's the gold standard for global companies spanning multiple time zones.
Sync (Synchronous Work)
The opposite of Async. It requires the team to be online and available at the same time for meetings, live chats, and real-time collaboration.
Daily / Stand-up
A quick daily meeting (usually 15 minutes) common in Agile (Scrum) methodologies. The team answers three questions: What did I do yesterday? What will I do today? Are there any blockers?
All-Hands / Town Hall
A company-wide meeting involving all employees. Usually led by the founders (C-Levels) to present results, new goals, and answer team questions.
1:1 (One-on-One)
A recurring individual meeting between a professional and their direct manager. It is used for career alignment, feedback, and problem-solving, not just for project status updates.

💰 Contracts, Benefits & Compensation

PTO (Paid Time Off)
Instead of strict, categorized leave policies, modern US companies usually offer a flexible pool of days (e.g., 20 days of PTO, or even "Unlimited PTO") that you can use for vacations, sick days, or personal matters, while receiving your regular compensation.
Equity / Stock Options
Company ownership. The startup offers you the right to buy shares at a heavily discounted strike price in the future. If the company grows, goes public, or is acquired, these shares can be highly lucrative.
Vesting (Vesting Schedule)
The rule that controls your Equity. It usually lasts 4 years. You don't get all the shares on day one; you "earn" them gradually as you stay with the company. A "1-year Cliff" means you must stay for at least one year to receive your first batch of shares.
RSUs (Restricted Stock Units)
Unlike Stock Options (where you have the right to buy the stock), RSUs are actual shares the company grants you as a bonus or part of your compensation package, following a strict Vesting schedule.
Independent Contractor (1099 / B2B)
The most common international hiring model for global talent working for US companies. You act as a service provider (business-to-business), receiving the gross salary (often six-figure compensation) without standard local payroll tax deductions at the source.

🤖 Recruitment & Hiring Process

ATS (Applicant Tracking System)
The "robot" that reads your resume. Software like Greenhouse, Ashby, and Workday are used to filter candidates by keywords before a human even looks at the document. (Pro tip: this is why your resume must be clean, semantic, and have the right keywords).
JD (Job Description)
The document that lists the responsibilities, technical requirements, and benefits of the open position.
Cultural Fit
The interview stage that evaluates if your core values, communication style, and worldview align with the company's culture. This is the ultimate test of your Soft Skills.
Onboarding
The integration process. It's the period of your first few weeks at the company, where you get your access credentials, learn about the culture, study the internal documentation, and understand how the product works.

🚀 How to use this to your advantage?

The secret isn't just knowing what these acronyms mean, but using them actively. If during an interview for a premium tech role you ask, "How does your PTO policy and Vesting schedule work?", the recruiter will immediately perceive you as a high-level professional, familiar with the global market standards.

The remote job market requires preparation. And having the right vocabulary is the first big step to securing six-figure proposals and standing out among thousands of applicants.

Expert Tip

The Current State of the Cloud & DevOps Market

By Mondywork | The ultimate guide for tech professionals looking to level up their careers, land global remote roles, and master modern infrastructure.

The End of the "SysAdmin" and the Rise of Platform Engineering

If you've been tracking the most sought-after roles at startups and Fortune 500 companies, you've probably noticed a drastic shift. The Cloud Computing and DevOps market is no longer just about "keeping the app online." Today, companies demand extreme resilience, automation, and cost optimization (the famous FinOps).

DevOps culture has evolved. We are now in the era of Platform Engineering, where infrastructure teams build internal platforms to grant developers full autonomy (Self-Service). For those aiming for global remote roles with six-figure compensation, understanding this transition isn't just a plus—it's a strict requirement.

"Elite DevOps teams deploy code 973 times more frequently and boast a Mean Time To Recovery (MTTR) that is 6,570 times faster than low-performing teams."

— State of DevOps Report (DORA / Google Cloud)

What Do Recruiters and ATS Systems Really Look For?

Automated filters (ATS platforms like Greenhouse, Ashby, and Workday) are hardwired to scan for a very specific set of skills in Cloud/DevOps resumes. Simply listing 20 tools won't cut it anymore; you must demonstrate culture and real-world impact.

  • Infrastructure as Code (IaC): Forget clicking around the AWS console. Declarative tools like Terraform, Pulumi, and Ansible are the true industry standards.
  • Container Orchestration: Mastery of Docker and, above all, Kubernetes (K8s) is practically mandatory for premium roles.
  • CI/CD Culture: Building automated pipelines (GitHub Actions, GitLab CI, ArgoCD) that guarantee continuous and secure deployments.
  • Cloud Providers and Architecture: Proficiency in at least one major public cloud provider (AWS, Google Cloud, or Microsoft Azure), with a strong focus on Serverless, microservices, and system resilience.

How to Transition: The Roadmap to Success

Many Back-End developers, support analysts, and network professionals want to pivot to Cloud and DevOps. If that's your goal, follow this market-validated roadmap:

  1. Master the Basics (Linux and Networking): Modern DevOps runs on Linux. Understanding permissions, processes, bash scripting, and the fundamentals of TCP/IP, DNS, and Load Balancers is your foundation.
  2. Learn to Code: A DevOps engineer doesn't need to be a Senior Developer, but you must know how to automate tasks. Python and Go (Golang) are currently the most highly valued languages in this ecosystem.
  3. Are Certifications Worth It? Yes, especially to get past the initial HR screening. Certifications like the AWS Certified Solutions Architect – Associate or the CKA (Certified Kubernetes Administrator) carry massive weight in the global market.
  4. Build a Real Portfolio: Publish a project on GitHub where you provision infrastructure via Terraform, set up a CI/CD pipeline using GitHub Actions, and deploy a simple app to a Kubernetes cluster. Practical projects always beat theoretical resumes.

Essential References and Study Links

To stay up-to-date, we highly recommend following official organizations and annual market reports:


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