Principal Software Engineer - MySQL

Percona is seeking a Principal Software Engineer with deep expertise in MySQL internals — ideally in one or more of the following: the optimizer, InnoDB, or Group Replication. This is a senior individual contributor role for an engineer who thrives on solving hard problems, is motivated by technical ownership, and is passionate about open-source innovation.

We are looking for someone who has a strong track record of developing new features, can deliver under tight deadlines, and is open to learning new technologies, including emerging areas like AI/ML integrations with databases.

You will work on the Percona Server for MySQL, Percona XtraBackup, Percona XtraDB Cluster and Oracle MySQL. This is a remote role, allowing you to work from your home office while collaborating with a globally distributed team using modern online tools. You’ll be part of a fast-paced, high-quality engineering environment focused on delivering value to Percona and its worldwide user base. Occasional travel—typically once per year—may be expected for team meetups or company events. A stable, high-speed internet connection is required.

We offer flexible working hours, and provide the necessary equipment, including a laptop and internet access support.

What You Will Do:

• Architect and develop cutting-edge features and improvements
• Lead key initiatives from concept to delivery with attention to quality, scalability, and performance.
• Diagnose and resolve critical bugs in Percona Server for MySQL, Percona XtraBackup, Percona XtraDB Cluster and upstream MySQL products.
• Collaborate with other seasoned engineers to push the boundaries of open-source database innovation.
• Perform periodic source code merges from other open source repositories.
• Stay ahead of the curve on AI, distributed systems, and cloud-native technologies — and help integrate these into Percona’s future roadmap.
• Mentor other engineers and contribute to a culture of technical excellence.
• Represent Percona in the open-source community by speaking, blogging, and contributing upstream.
  
  

What Have You Done:

• 10+ years of hands-on C/C++ development experience, with at least 5 years working on database internals.
• Deep understanding of MySQL internals, with specialization in at least one of:
• Query Optimizer
• InnoDB Storage Engine
• Group Replication
• Demonstrated history of shipping complex new features (not just bug fixes or backports).
• Experience delivering projects under tight deadlines while maintaining code quality.
• Solid grasp of DBMS internal algorithms such as those used in query optimiser, B-tree indexing, multiversion concurrency control, ARIES crash recovery, and others
• Experience with high concurrency threading models, atomics, and locking primitives
• Knowledge of various programming and scripting languages such as BASH, Perl, and Python
• Proficiency with tools like gdb and strace
• Proficiency with git, github, and source code management methodologies
• Experience with client/server or distributed network communication systems
• Passion for clean code, performance tuning, and algorithmic efficiency.
• Interest or experience in applying AI/ML concepts to databases or dev workflows (bonus).
• Familiarity with Linux internals, distributed systems, and threading/concurrency challenges.
  
  

What Will Make You Stand Out:

• Experience contributing to upstream MySQL or MariaDB.
• Passion for finding and fixing tough issues on multi-threaded cluster solutions
• Previous experience in contributing to the MySQL codebase
• Knowledge of high-performance algorithms on modern multicore hardware
• Established history of driving performance enhancements
• Experience with Continuous Integration and Continuous Delivery tools such as Jenkins, CircleCI, and Travis
• Experience/familiarity with various Linux distribution packaging systems
• Experience with virtualization and containment tools such as Docker, Kubernetes, etc
• Experience in Linux systems administration, including suitable expertise with file systems, hardware, and networking
• Success working in a distributed environment where e-mail, Slack, and voice calls are the only interactions with clients, colleagues, and managers daily
  
  

Ability to work autonomously and mostly asynchronously with the rest of the team.

Why Percona?

At Percona, we believe an open world is a better world. Our mission is to enable everyone to innovate freely, by providing the best open source database software, support, and services. We make databases and applications run better through a unique combination of expertise and open source software built with the community for you. Our technical teams are experts in MySQL, MongoDB, PostgreSQL, and MariaDB.

Percona is proud to be a remote-only and globally dispersed workforce – we have colleagues in more than 50 countries! We offer a collaborative, highly-engaged culture where your ideas are welcome and your voice is heard.

Our staff receives generous benefits including flexible work hours and various paid time off programs, all your equipment for your remote office, funds for career development (external training, certifications, conferences), ongoing connectivity allowances, and the opportunity to participate in our equity incentive plan. We also have benefits that support a healthy work/life balance such as The Percona Adventure Team, Work-from-Anywhere, FlowDays, FryDays, and overall flexibility. We also support being socially responsible through our PAVE volunteering program and Women Transforming Technology.

If you love the idea of working with a high-growth tech company that is one of the best in the business and known globally as a leader in the open-source database space, let’s talk!

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