Senior Staff Platform Engineer Database Systems
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Job Location:
San Francisco, CA - USA
Monthly Salary:
Not Disclosed
Posted on:
5 days ago
Vacancies:
1 Vacancy
Job Summary
About Quizlet:
At Quizlet our mission is to help every learner achieve their outcomes in the most effective and delightful way. Our $1B learning platform serves tens of millions of students every month including two-thirds of U.S. high schoolers and half of U.S. college students powering over 2 billion learning interactions monthly.
We blend cognitive science with machine learning to personalize and enhance the learning experience for students professionals and lifelong learners alike. Were energized by the potential to power more learners through multiple approaches and various tools.
Lets Build the Future of Learning
Join us to design and deliver AI-powered learning tools that scale across the world and unlock human potential.
About the Role
Were hiring a Senior Staff Platform Engineer Database Systems to lead the design strategy and evolution of Quizlets database and data infrastructure. Youll architect large-scale systems that power Quizlets most critical services ensuring reliability performance and scalability across millions of global learners. Youll partner closely with other platform and product engineering teams setting the technical direction for database systems caching and data access layers across the company.
This role reports to the Senior Director of Technical Infrastructure and is an onsite position in our San Francisco office. Employees are required to be onsite a minimum of three days per week: Monday Wednesday and Thursday.
In this role you will
- Architect and evolve Quizlets database ecosystem including Cloud Spanner PlanetScale MySQL BigQuery and Redis ensuring low latency strong consistency and high availability
- Set technical direction for database reliability observability and disaster recovery patterns across all product teams
- Lead large-scale modernization initiatives including performance tuning connection management optimization and query efficiency improvements
- Drive platform-wide resilience building self-healing automated systems that maintain 99.95% availability across critical services
- Mentor and guide engineers in best practices for database design caching and operational excellence
- Partner with leadership to define SLOs shape roadmap priorities and align platform strategy with Quizlets product and AI initiatives
- Contribute to architecture reviews and company-wide infrastructure standards for data storage access and security
What you bring to the table
- 10 years of backend or platform engineering experience with 5 focused on large-scale database systems
- Proven experience architecting high-throughput low-latency database infrastructures in production environments
- Deep expertise in MySQL and PlanetScale; strong proficiency with Cloud Spanner Postgres or BigQuery.
- Experience building and leading platform-level automation and self-service tooling using Terraform Kubernetes (GKE) and Python or Go
- Expertise in observability monitoring and incident management for distributed data systems
- Ability to collaborate cross-functionally with engineering SRE and product leadership
- Passion for building systems that are secure resilient and developer-friendly
Bonus points if you have:
- Experience running multi-tenant or hybrid database architectures at global scale
- Knowledge of Vitess Kafka or Pub/Sub for distributed data access
- Familiarity with service mesh (Istio) or database proxy management
Compensation Benefits & Perks
- Quizlet is an equal opportunity employer. We celebrate diversity and are committed to creating an inclusive environment for all employees. Salary transparency helps to mitigate unfair hiring practices when it comes to discrimination and pay gaps
- Total compensation for this role is market competitive including a starting base salary of $258000 $314000 depending on location and experience as well as company stock options
- Collaborate with your manager and team to create a healthy work-life balance
- 20 vacation days that we expect you to take!
- Competitive health dental and vision insurance (100% employee and 75% dependent PPO Dental VSP Choice)
- Employer-sponsored 401(k) plan with company match
- Access to LinkedIn Learning and other resources to support professional growth
- Paid Family Leave FSA HSA Commuter benefits and Wellness benefits
- 40 hours of annual paid time off to participate in volunteer programs of choice
Why Join Quizlet
Massive reach: 60M users 1B interactions per week
Cutting-edge tech: Generative AI adaptive learning cognitive science
Strong momentum: Top-tier investors sustainable business real traction
Mission-first: Work that makes a difference in peoples lives
Inclusive culture: Committed to equity diversity and belonging
We strive to make everyone feel comfortable and welcome!
We work to create a holistic interview process where both Quizlet and candidates have an opportunity to view what it would be like to work together in exploring a mutually beneficial partnership.
We provide a transparent setting that gives a comprehensive view of who we are!
In Closing:
At Quizlet were excited about passionate people joining our teameven if you dont check every box on the requirements list. We value unique perspectives and believe everyone has something meaningful to contribute. Our culture is all about taking initiative learning through challenges and striving for high-quality work while staying curious and open to new ideas. We believe in honest respectful communication thoughtful collaboration and creating a supportive space where everyone can grow and succeed together.
Quizlets success as an online learning community depends on a strong commitment to diversity equity and inclusion.
As an equal opportunity employer and a tech company committed to societal change we welcome applicants from all backgrounds. Women people of color members of the LGBTQ community individuals with disabilities and veterans are strongly encouraged to apply. Come join us!
To All Recruiters and Placement Agencies:
At this time Quizlet does not accept unsolicited agency resumes and/or profiles.
Please do not forward unsolicited agency resumes to our website or to any Quizlet employee. Quizlet will not pay fees to any third-party agency or firm nor will it be responsible for any agency fees associated with unsolicited resumes. All unsolicited resumes received will be considered the property of Quizlet.
#LI-FT
We may use artificial intelligence (AI) tools to support parts of the hiring process such as reviewing applications analyzing resumes or assessing responses. These tools assist our recruitment team but do not replace human judgment. Final hiring decisions are ultimately made by humans. If you would like more information about how your data is processed please contact us.
Required Experience:
Staff IC
Key Skills
- Entertainment
- Aircraft
- Journalism
- AC Maintenance
- Agricultural
- Application Programming
About Company
Quizlet makes simple learning tools that let you study anything. Start learning today with flashcards, games and learning tools — all for free.
