Software Engineer, Distributed Systems

About the role

Join a critical team at Discord focused on the core real-time infrastructure that powers millions of daily active users. You will contribute to systems essential for text chat and user session updates, directly impacting platform reliability and enabling new product features. In this capacity, you will collaborate closely with other engineers to resolve intricate technical constraints that arise in high-stakes environments. Your work will ensure that the underlying platforms supporting communication remain robust, scalable, and responsive under demanding conditions. You are expected to take ownership of complex components that are vital to the end-user experience. This role provides the opportunity to shape the architecture of systems that handle significant traffic loads. Your contributions will be visible in the stability and performance of the service used by communities worldwide.

Key facts

What you'll do

• Architect and implement large-scale, dependable, and efficient distributed systems that form the backbone of real-time communication.
• Partner with product teams to integrate new functionalities while ensuring that existing services remain performant and stable.
• Uphold the high availability and performance of Discord's communication services through rigorous operational standards.
• Author code and oversee the operational aspects of our infrastructure, balancing development with production readiness.
• Investigate and resolve intricate issues that emerge in distributed environments to maintain seamless user experiences.
• Design systems that are resilient to failure and capable of scaling to meet unpredictable demand spikes.
• Evaluate and incorporate open-source solutions, assessing their viability for production use within our stack.
• Work proactively with cross-functional partners to translate product requirements into robust technical implementations.
• Mentor and guide less experienced engineers on best practices for building and maintaining critical infrastructure.
• Drive the adoption of new tools and methodologies that enhance the reliability and efficiency of our services.

Requirements

• Possess a minimum of 2 years of experience in backend system design and development.
• Demonstrate a proven ability to address complex challenges within distributed systems through practical solutions.
• Have experience operating and maintaining mission-critical, tier 0 services that require constant availability.
• Show a deep understanding of best practices for monitoring and alerting to ensure system health and performance.
• Exhibit familiarity with open-source software and the ability to investigate library code to understand and resolve issues.
• Be capable of working effectively in a fast-paced environment where priorities can shift based on operational needs.
• Hold the legal right to work in the United States and reside in or be willing to relocate to the designated counties.
• Commit to aligning with the engineering standards and processes that define the quality of our infrastructure.

Nice to have

• Prior experience with Elixir or Rust.
• Experience with cloud environments such as GCP or AWS.
• Knowledge of DevOps tools like Salt, Terraform, or Kubernetes.
• Contributions to open-source projects that demonstrate technical excellence.
• Experience building bots or applications that interact with the Discord platform.

Practical notes

• Candidates must reside in or be willing to relocate to the San Francisco Bay Area (Alameda, Contra Costa, Marin, Napa, San Francisco, San Mateo, Santa Clara, Solano, and Sonoma counties). Relocation assistance may be provided.
• The US base salary range for this position is $160,000 to $200,000, plus equity and benefits. Compensation is determined by role, level, skills, experience, and education. The listed range covers base salary only.

This position requires candidates to be located within the specified regions due to the nature of the role and team collaboration needs. The successful candidate will be expected to adhere to the schedule required for effective coordination with the Realtime Infrastructure team. Employment is contingent upon the completion of standard onboarding processes, including verification of eligibility to work in the United States. The company is dedicated to building a diverse team and encourages applications from individuals of all backgrounds and experiences. The work environment is dynamic, requiring adaptability and a strong commitment to the shared goals of the engineering organization. You will be responsible for documenting your work and processes to ensure continuity and knowledge transfer. Regular participation in team meetings and asynchronous communications is essential for staying aligned with project objectives. The role involves a significant degree of independent decision-making regarding technical trade-offs and implementation details. You will be evaluated on your ability to deliver high-quality software that meets stringent reliability criteria. The position offers opportunities for professional growth through exposure to complex systems and collaboration with senior engineers.