MonkDB is an AI-native unified database built for modern enterprise and agentic AI systems. It combines relational, time-series, vector, document, and geospatial data in a single engine, enabling reliable analytics, retrieval, and AI reasoning without fragmented data stacks. MonkDB is designed for high-performance, on-prem and sovereign deployments, with strong emphasis on governance, correctness, and operational efficiency.
Role SummaryAs a Senior Engineer II, you will architect and deliver complex, high-impact subsystems within the MonkDB platform. This role sits at the intersection of distributed systems, database internals, and platform architecture.
You will own multi-module initiatives end-to-end, resolve cross-team technical challenges, and set engineering direction through design leadership rather than hierarchy. This is a senior individual contributor role for engineers who think in systems, trade-offs, and long-term platform evolution.
Key ResponsibilitiesArchitecture & System Design- Architect and implement multi-module, cross-cutting features, including:
- HTAP (Hybrid Transactional & Analytical Processing) execution paths
- Graph storage, indexing, and traversal primitives
- Data lineage, metadata graphs, and dependency tracking
- SQL-native MLOps constructs and execution flows
- Design subsystems that span storage, execution, and protocol layers, ensuring correctness and performance under scale.
- Drive technical decisions through clear design documents, ADRs, and trade-off analyses.
Distributed Systems & Performance- Define and enforce SLAs, SLOs, and performance budgets for critical subsystems.
- Identify systemic bottlenecks and reliability risks across components.
- Lead performance tuning initiatives involving:
- Query planning and execution
- Indexing strategies
- Concurrency control and isolation
- Improve incident response through better observability, runbooks, and failure modeling.
Engineering Standards & Governance- Set and uphold engineering standards for:
- Code quality and review rigor
- Security and safe execution
- Documentation and operational readiness
- Act as a technical reference point for correctness, ethics, and data stewardship.
- Ensure that architectural decisions align with long-term platform integrity, not short-term convenience.
Cross-Team Technical Leadership- Resolve design conflicts and integration challenges across teams.
- Mentor engineers through code reviews, design feedback, and architectural discussions.
- Influence roadmap execution by proactively identifying technical risks and opportunities.
RequirementsTechnical Depth- 610 years of hands-on experience building distributed systems or database platforms.
- Deep understanding of:
- Query optimizers and execution engines
- MVCC, isolation levels, and transactional semantics
- Indexing structures (B-tree, LSM-tree, columnar layouts)
- Strong expertise in JVM internals, including:
- JIT behavior
- Garbage collection tuning
- Profiling and low-latency optimization
Leadership & Ownership- Proven ability to lead complex initiatives without direct authority.
- Strong track record of cross-team collaboration and conflict resolution.
- Demonstrated ethical judgment in system design, especially around data correctness and safety.
- High ownership mindsetarchitectural work is carried through to production stability.
Nice-to-Have- gRPC service design and evolution at scale.
- Python runtime integration with JVM systems (e.g., GraalPy, JNI).
- Experience building or integrating lineage systems or metadata graph platforms.
- Familiarity with multi-language execution environments and sandboxed runtimes.
Interview Loop- System Design
- Distributed architecture, performance, and failure modes
- Architecture Review
- Design trade-offs, constraints, and long-term impact
- Cross-Team Collaboration Scenario
- Navigating integration, disagreement, and technical alignment
- Behavioral Leadership & Ethics
- Ownership, judgment, and documentation discipline
Sccess Metrics- Delivers complex, multi-module features within committed timelines.
- Measurably improves reliability, latency, or throughput KPIs.
- Produces clear, durable design docs and ADRs that are actively used by teams.
- Becomes a trusted architectural voice across the engineering organization.
Qualifications
- Bachelor's degree in Computer Science (or related field)
- 6+ years of relevant work experience
- Expertise in Object Oriented Design, Database Design, and XML Schema
- Experience with Agile or Scrum software development methodologies
- Ability to multi-task, organize, and prioritize work
