Senior Staff Database Engineer

Our SWAT (Software Action Team) ensures the production stability of customer applications and infrastructure services. Our engineers are the last line of defense - production champions who own stability at every service level and act as the ultimate escalation point for internal and external customers.

We are looking for a strong database engineer with deep technical expertise, sharp logical reasoning, and the flexibility to thrive in a fast-paced, high-stakes environment. If you are passionate about chasing down complex issues in large-scale distributed systems under real-world load, this role is for you. In this role you will support the infrastructure by learning the platform from end to end.

What you get to do in this role:

• Become an SME in production database troubleshooting, ServiceNow instance performance, and Linux performance analysis - both on-prem and on Hyperscaler
• Own complex incident root cause analysis across multi-tenant PostgreSQL/MariaDB fleets at scale.
• Develop observability tooling and automation to prevent recurrence of critical issues
• Influence infrastructure decisions that shape our multi-tenant cloud platform
• Mentor and collaborate with engineers across operations, support, and development., We approach our distributed world of work with flexibility and trust. Work personas (flexible, remote, or required in office) are categories that are assigned to ServiceNow employees depending on the nature of their work and their assigned work location. Learn more here. To determine eligibility for a work persona, ServiceNow may confirm the distance between your primary residence and the closest ServiceNow office using a third-party service.

• Experience in leveraging or critically thinking about how to integrate AI into work processes, decision-making, or problem-solving. This may include using AI-powered tools, automating workflows, analyzing AI-driven insights, or exploring AI’s potential impact on the function or industry.
• 12 years of related experience with a Bachelor’s degree; or 8 years and a Master’s degree; or a PhD with 5 years experience; or equivalent experience in database engineering in large-scale, enterprise environments - database-focused background required.
• Deep PostgreSQL expertise including MVCC, transaction management, vacuum mechanics, WAL architecture, advanced query performance tuning, buffer management, and backup/restore
• Experience supporting large-scale, multi-tenant SaaS, PaaS, or cloud infrastructure platforms
• Strong Unix/Linux skills - file system navigation, permissions, process management, performance diagnostics.
• Deep understanding of RedHat Linux internals with hands-on expertise diagnosing CPU, memory, and I/O issues at the OS level
• Experience with public cloud platforms (AWS, Azure, GCP).
• Strong problem-solving ability, logical thinking, and a genuine curiosity to understand complex systems end to end.

Desired Skills:

• Experience with ServiceNow platform, scripting, tuning, and troubleshooting is highly preferred.
• Scripting proficiency: shell, Python, JavaScript, Ansible.
• Experience with schemas, replication, indexing, and query optimization techniques
• Familiarity with Kubernetes and CI/CD pipelines

What sets the right candidate apart:

• You are not a generalist. You are a database engineer first - someone who has spent years going deep on database internals in production environments at large organizations. You bring strong logical reasoning, adapt quickly to new problems, and are comfortable owning high-pressure incidents end to end.

For positions in this location, we offer a base pay of $165,500 - $289,600, plus equity (when applicable), variable/incentive compensation and benefits. Sales positions generally offer a competitive On Target Earnings (OTE) incentive compensation structure. Please note that the base pay shown is a guideline, and individual total compensation will vary based on factors such as qualifications, skill level, competencies, and work location. We also offer health plans, including flexible spending accounts, a 401(k) Plan with company match, ESPP, matching donations, a flexible time away plan and family leave programs. Compensation is based on the geographic location in which the role is located and is subject to change based on work location.

It all started when engineer Fred Luddy wrote code that automated a tedious task for his coworker, Phyllis. She cried tears of joy. That moment inspired Fred to build a company that could do that for everyone-freeing people from busywork so they could focus on meaningful work. Today, ServiceNow is the AI control tower for business reinvention. Our ServiceNow AI platform brings together any AI, any data, and any workflow- helping 85% of the Fortune 500® work smarter, faster, and better. We’re building an AI-native culture where technology and talent are unstoppable together. And we’re just getting started.