Senior Backend Engineer; Databases, Analytics

Position: Senior Backend Engineer (Databases, Analytics)
We’re looking for a Senior Software (Database) Engineer to help build the underlying storage system for our general purpose data platform
The database layer has both OLAP and OTLP capabilities to support classic analytics queries while also serving up freshly stored data
It embraces the separation of compute and storage and is designed to run on multiple cloud providers
This is an early-stage role on a high-autonomy team, so you should be comfortable working through ambiguity, making pragmatic architectural decisions, and building systems that can evolve from internal dogfooding to production-grade SaaS
Take ownership over and build one or multiple parts of the database:
Design, implement, test, and operate ingestion, query planning, distributed query execution, data formats, storage formats
Create a scalable SaaS foundation:
Help define and build the architecture for a multi-tenant database service, including tenant isolation, usage tracking, quotas, audit logs, background jobs, and reliable service boundaries
Power agent-facing retrieval workflows:
Build APIs and database interfaces that allow AI agents, MCP tools, CLIs, and internal applications to retrieve data quickly
Work across product and infrastructure:
Partner with the team to make practical tradeoffs between fast experimentation and long-term reliability, especially as the project moves from prototype to production
Operate what you build:
Instrument database services with metrics, logs, traces, alerts, and dashboards. Use observability tools to understand system behavior and improve reliability
Contribute to technical direction:
Help shape the architecture, service boundaries, storage choices, API contracts, deployment patterns, and engineering practices for a new product area
Effective communication:
You’ll be working in a highly dynamic and collaborative environment, so we need someone who can communicate effectively and contribute across teams
Ownership and impact:
Take full ownership of the database solutions you develop, ensuring they are not only innovative but also scalable, maintainable, and aligned with real user workflows
Benefits   Vacation:
Balance is key. Our team enjoys 30 days of paid vacation each year on top of national holidays, parental leave, and sick leave. We also take a breather on a number of Grafana Shutdown Days each year
Healthcare:
We’re proud to provide health coverage or stipends for our colleagues in the US, UK, Canada, the Netherlands, Sweden, Singapore, and India
Retirement planning:
There’s no time like the present to start saving for your future. We make employer contributions into the pension pots of our team members in the US, UK, Canada, the Netherlands, Sweden, and Germany
Professional development:
On top of a $1,500 annual learning and development stipend, Grafanistas have thousands of on-demand courses at their fingertips to help them grow professionally. Want to attend a conference or training? Go ahead. Just pass on what you learned

Work location:

Vast majority of our roles are fully remote, focused on hiring the best talent and allowing you to perform from the comfort of your home. If you fancy a change of scene, we’ll also reimburse you up to $175 a month for a personal co-working space
Choice of tech:
There’s no one-size-fits-all when it comes to the tech required to do your job. Choose the laptop and accessories you need when you join us, and we’ll refresh them every three years
Mindfulness:
When you join the team, you can sign up for a complimentary subscription to Headspace to take advantage of the benefits of mindfulness and meditation. Our wellbeing resource group also organize sessions run by fellow Grafanistas or external trainers
Global Employee Assistance Program:
We offer all team…