Staff Software Engineer – dbt Core

About the role

Fivetran and dbt Labs are building the data infrastructure layer that moves, transforms, and trusts data. The dbt Core team needs a systems‑oriented engineer to maintain and evolve the open‑source execution engine that powers the modern data stack.

Key responsibilities

• Dive deep into the dbt‑core execution engine to identify, debug, and eliminate performance bottlenecks in the Python codebase.
• Architect and implement improvements to the adapter interface that connects dbt to a growing ecosystem of databases and data platforms.
• Debug complex system‑level issues spanning Linux process management, concurrency models, database query planning, and network protocols.
• Lead technical design discussions and shape the long‑term architectural roadmap for dbt Core.
• Mentor engineers and review contributions from the open‑source community, upholding high standards for code quality and testing.
• Take ownership of distributed systems, troubleshoot production incidents, and participate in an on‑call rotation.

Required profile

• 6+ years of professional software development experience, focused on building and operating backend systems in production.
• Deep backend engineering expertise with strong proficiency in Python.
• First‑principles problem‑solving mindset and comfort debugging in Linux environments.
• Solid understanding of database internals such as query execution, storage, indexing, and transaction management.
• Excellent communication skills, strong sense of ownership, and ability to deliver iteratively.

Required skills

• Python
• Linux
• Database internals
• Go (preferred)
• Rust (preferred)
• perf
• strace

What we offer

• 100% employer‑paid medical insurance
• Generous paid time off, including flexible/unlimited vacation and parental leave
• RSU stock grants
• Professional development and training opportunities
• Virtual happy hours, free food, and team‑building activities
• Monthly cell‑phone stipend
• Access to an innovative mental‑health support platform