Senior Distributed Systems Engineer

About the role

Censys is seeking a Senior Distributed Systems Engineer to join our Internet Map Connections team. You will be instrumental in developing highly available and scalable data-driven services that serve both our customers and internal operations. This role involves going beyond surface-level data to understand and attribute internet assets and their interrelationships.

Key facts

What you'll do

• Construct large-scale, real-time services and applications that utilize extensive datasets to power internal APIs and external products.
• Create tools, libraries, frameworks, and services to support security, research, and data platform initiatives.
• Transform prototypes into dependable internal tools, services, or platform components.
• Contribute to planning and technical discussions with engineering and product teams to shape effective solutions.
• Build and maintain systems including data pipelines, messaging systems, databases, caching layers, and cloud or on-premise services.
• Collaborate with Machine Learning Engineers and Security Researchers to implement solutions that enhance security outcomes.

Requirements

• A minimum of 5 years of software engineering experience focused on building distributed systems, such as data ingestion pipelines, databases, or services.
• Proficiency in object-oriented programming, with experience in Go.
• Experience with at least one major cloud provider: AWS, Azure, or GCP.
• Familiarity with message queue technologies like AWS Kinesis, Google Pub/Sub, Kafka, or similar.
• Experience working with databases such as BigTable, Cloud Spanner, HBase, Cassandra, or comparable systems.
• A solid understanding of fundamental distributed systems concepts including scalability, fault tolerance, and reliability.
• Experience or familiarity with AI tools and applications.
• The ability to write clear, testable, and maintainable code.
• Strong communication skills and the capacity to collaborate effectively with engineers and product managers.
• An open mindset towards using AI to enhance skills and work output, demonstrating curiosity, a willingness to learn, and sound judgment in its responsible application.

Nice to have

• Familiarity with gRPC or REST.
• Familiarity with data serialization technologies like Protobuf or MessagePack.
• Experience building, deploying, or maintaining containerized services within Kubernetes.
• An understanding of fundamental Internet protocols and how machines and services communicate.
• Any experience within the security domain.

Skills & tools

• Go
• AWS, Azure, or GCP
• AWS Kinesis, Google Pub/Sub, Kafka
• BigTable, Cloud Spanner, HBase, Cassandra
• Kubernetes (preferred)
• gRPC or REST (preferred)
• Protobuf, MessagePack (preferred)

Practical notes

• Salary range for high cost of living areas (San Francisco Bay, New York City, Seattle): $174,000 - $206,000 USD, plus bonus eligibility and equity.
• Salary range for all other locations: $151,000 - $191,000 USD, plus bonus eligibility and equity.
• Compensation will be determined by objective factors assessed during the interview process, market demands, and work location.
• Benefits include equity, health, dental & vision coverage, retirement with company contribution, parental leave, mental health & wellness benefits, flexible PTO, and a professional development stipend.
• Annual bonus plan for eligible non-sales roles.
• Candidates are required to keep cameras on during video interviews.
• In-person onboarding at HQ in Ann Arbor is required if hired.
• Censys processes personal data in accordance with its Privacy Policy.
• Censys is an equal opportunity employer.