Staff Software Engineer-dbt core

Our mission is to empower data practitioners to create and disseminate organizational knowledge. dbt Core is the open-source engine at the heart of this mission, used by tens of thousands of analysts and engineers to transform data with the rigor of software engineering. We are looking for a systems-oriented engineer to join the small, expert team that builds and maintains this foundational piece of the modern data stack. This is an opportunity to work on deeply technical, high-leverage problems where your contributions will improve the daily workflow of a massive and passionate open-source community.

Responsibilities

Dive deep into the dbt-core execution engine, using systems expertise to identify, debug, and eliminate performance bottlenecks in the Python codebase; Architect and implement improvements to the adapter interface; Debug complex, system-level issues spanning from Linux process management and concurrency models to database query planning and network protocols; Lead technical design discussions and contribute to the long-term architectural roadmap for dbt Core; Mentor other engineers and review contributions from the open-source community; Take strong ownership of distributed systems, troubleshoot complex production issues, and participate in an on-call rotation

Requirements

6+ years of professional software development experience, with a focus on building and operating backend systems in a production environment; Deep backend engineering experience and proficiency in Python; A systematic, first-principles approach to problem-solving, with comfort navigating and debugging in Linux environments (e.g., understanding process scheduling, memory management, file systems); Solid grasp of database internals, such as query execution engines, storage layers, indexing strategies, and transaction management; Excellent communication skills and a sense of ownership, with the ability to balance technical depth with fast, iterative delivery

Nice to have

A background in data warehousing, data engineering, or analytics engineering; Professional experience writing production code in Go or Rust; Experience contributing to or maintaining a popular open-source project; Experience building compilers, interpreters, or developer tooling; Familiarity with performance analysis tools like perf or strace

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