About MotherDuck

Don’t let the quirky name fool you! We’re on a mission to radically transform the data analyst user experience. We think we can empower and delight analysts using a novel cloud architecture built on top of DuckDB, an open source foundation with a vibrant community. Our team is a diverse mix of passionate, collaborative and empathetic data industry veterans from Google, Amazon, Meta, Snowflake, SingleStore, Databricks, and the like. 

At MotherDuck, the Database team is responsible for building the DuckDB-based compute layer and integrating it to work seamlessly as an extension to DuckDB. DuckDB’s versatility and low footprint allows it to runlocally in users’ machines (embedded in Python, CLI, or via WASM in the users’ browser) as well as on our cloud servers, or in CND’s edge nodes. Our extension ties these instances together and bridges the gap between an extremely efficient SaaS platform and blazingly fast local computation. As a Software Engineer on our team, you will help design and build these systems, gain thorough understanding on how DuckDB (and databases in general) work, and build the compute layer of a newly forming service.  You will be joining a small team with a big vision, and hopefully be instrumental in achieving our vision to "make the easy things easy, and the impossible things possible”. 

Core Responsibilities

• Design and implement features in what we call hybrid-execution - running queries that are executed both on a local DuckDB instance and a DuckDB backend in the Cloud.

• Learn and become a DuckDB expert. Share that knowledge with other MotherDuck engineers and our users.

• Collaborate with frontend and platform engineering teams to ensure that our compute layer works seamlessly with other parts of our system.

• Optimize database performance, network throughput, and reliability to provide a smooth and efficient user experience.

• Be in direct contact with our users, help identifying and work to fix root causes in your area of expertise.

• Participate in code reviews, drive the development of larger features, and contribute to the continuous improvement of engineering processes.

• Mentor more junior engineers, guide them through to solutions and help them grow.

• Work closely with the product teams as we design features, providing technical guidance and insights.

What we value

• 10+ years of years of experience in software development, with a focus on backend development

• Bachelors degree in Computer Science or related

• Solid experience in designing and developing backend database systems, preferably for cloud-based applications.

• Strong experience with backend programming languages (C++, Java, etc..) and libraries.

• Familiarity with cloud-based database services and distributed computing concepts.

• Experience with design, scoping and building larger features, together with others in the team.

• Experience with big data technologies and data warehousing is a plus. 

• Experience with SQL databases, such as PostgreSQL and DuckDB is a plus. 

• Strong understanding of databases, query optimization, and data indexing is a plus.

• Ability to work in a fast-paced, agile environment and adapt to evolving project needs.

• Ability to communicate technical concepts, both in written and verbal form. 

• Excellent problem-solving and analytical skills, with a keen attention to detail.

• Sense of fun, ability to not take yourself too seriously

What we provide

• Competitive compensation and stock options

• 100% paid medical, dental, and vision for employees

• 80% paid medical, dental, and vision for dependents

• Unlimited Paid Time Off

• 401k plan

• Opportunities to build team connections via company summits 2x a year and team summits 1-2x a year.

• Hybrid work environment with catered lunch 3 days a week.

Please Apply

Does this role sound appealing to you, but you’re missing some of the requirements or don’t quite think you’re qualified?  Please apply anyway. Research has shown that underrepresented groups in technology often shy away from roles which aren’t a 100% match. We aim to build a diverse team and will strongly consider applicants who bring many of the requirements plus have other experiences which round out their qualifications.

MotherDuck is proud to be an Equal Employment Opportunity and Affirmative Action employer. We do not discriminate based on race, religion, color, national origin, gender (including pregnancy, childbirth, or related medical conditions), sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, age, status as a protected veteran, status as an individual with a disability, or other applicable legally protected characteristics. MotherDuck is committed to working with and providing reasonable accommodations to applicants with physical and mental disabilities.