Principal Software Engineer with Perl

About the Role

Percona is looking for a highly skilled Principal Software Engineer with deep knowledge of MySQL internals, preferably with expertise in areas such as the query optimizer, InnoDB storage engine, or Group Replication. This senior individual contributor position suits someone who excels at tackling complex technical challenges, takes pride in ownership of their work, and is passionate about advancing open-source database technologies.

The ideal candidate has a proven history of delivering new features on schedule, embraces learning new technologies, and is particularly interested in the integration of AI and machine learning with database systems.

In this role, you will contribute to key Percona products including Percona Server for MySQL, Percona XtraBackup, Percona XtraDB Cluster, and Oracle MySQL. This is a fully remote position, allowing you to collaborate with a global team using modern digital communication tools. While primarily remote, occasional travel (about once per year) may be required for company meetings or team events. Reliable high-speed internet and suitable home office setup are essential.

Percona offers flexible working hours and provides all necessary equipment including a laptop and support for internet access.

Key Responsibilities

• Design and implement advanced features and improvements across Percona’s MySQL-related products

• Lead significant projects from initial concept through to release, ensuring high standards in quality, scalability, and performance

• Diagnose and fix critical issues in Percona Server, XtraBackup, XtraDB Cluster, and upstream MySQL

• Collaborate closely with experienced engineers to drive innovation in open-source database development

• Perform routine merges of source code from other open-source projects

• Keep abreast of emerging technologies in AI, distributed systems, and cloud-native environments, contributing to Percona’s product roadmap

• Mentor and guide other engineers to foster a culture of technical excellence

• Act as a representative of Percona in the wider open-source community through speaking engagements, blogging, and upstream contributions

Experience and Qualifications

• Over 10 years of hands-on experience programming in C and C++, with at least 5 years focused on database internals

• Deep understanding of MySQL internals, with specialized expertise in one or more of these areas: query optimizer, InnoDB engine, or Group Replication

• Proven track record of delivering complex new features rather than just fixes or patches

• Strong knowledge of database algorithms such as query optimization, B-tree indexing, multi-version concurrency control, and crash recovery techniques like ARIES

• Experience with high-concurrency multithreading, atomic operations, and locking mechanisms

• Familiarity with scripting languages including Bash, Perl, and Python

• Proficient with debugging tools like gdb and strace

• Skilled in source code management using Git and GitHub

• Experience with client-server and distributed network communication systems

• Passionate about clean, efficient code and performance optimization

• Bonus: interest or experience applying AI/ML concepts to database systems or developer workflows

• Good understanding of Linux internals, threading, concurrency, and distributed systems challenges

Preferred Skills

• Contributions to upstream MySQL or MariaDB projects

• Passion for identifying and fixing difficult issues in multi-threaded, clustered environments

• Experience with high-performance algorithms optimized for multicore processors

• Track record of driving performance improvements in complex systems

• Familiarity with Continuous Integration/Continuous Delivery tools such as Jenkins, CircleCI, or Travis

• Experience with packaging for different Linux distributions

• Knowledge of containerization and virtualization technologies like Docker and Kubernetes

• Linux systems administration skills including networking, hardware, and file systems

• Experience thriving in fully distributed teams with remote communication through email, Slack, and voice/video calls

• Ability to work independently and manage priorities asynchronously

Why Work at Percona?

Percona is committed to the belief that open source fosters a better world. Our mission is to empower innovation by providing top-tier open-source database software, services, and support. We specialize in MySQL, MongoDB, PostgreSQL, and MariaDB, delivering solutions built with the community for the community.

As a fully remote company with employees in over 50 countries, Percona values collaboration, engagement, and inclusivity. Your ideas and voice will be welcomed in our supportive culture.

We offer competitive benefits including flexible schedules, generous paid time off, professional development funds, remote work equipment, connectivity stipends, and participation in our equity incentive program. We also support work-life balance through initiatives like The Percona Adventure Team and Work-from-Anywhere policies. Social responsibility is important to us, reflected in programs like PAVE volunteering and Women Transforming Technology.

If you’re excited to join a leading, innovative, fast-growing tech company recognized globally for open-source database leadership, we’d love to connect.

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