Senior Backend Engineer

At Prisma, we’re redefining how developers work with databases. If you’re fascinated by the cutting-edge data infrastructure powering companies like Twitter, Airbnb, and Facebook, but want the agility, ownership, and impact of a fast-moving startup, Prisma is the place for you.

Backed by top-tier Silicon Valley investors like Amplify Partners, Kleiner Perkins, and IVP, our small, distributed team is making advanced database technology accessible to developers everywhere. Our open-source tools are trusted by over 400,000 developers each month, with a thriving community on Discord and GitHub, where we’ve earned 43,000+ GitHub Stars.

At the heart of our commercial offerings is Prisma Postgres, our flagship product designed to supercharge PostgreSQL with modern developer workflows, performance optimizations, and seamless scaling. Alongside it, Prisma Accelerate, and Studio, provide a world-class tookit for building with data.

By combining the power of open-source with cutting-edge commercial solutions, we’re shaping the future of databases, one developer at a time.

**What would you do at Prisma?**:
You’ll be part of our Prisma Data Platform team which is responsible for Accelerate, Prisma Postgres and the bare metal cloud that those products are build on. You'll be contributing across the stack to the projects of the team.

To give you a clear idea of what the job could entail, here are some examples of the work we’ve done lately or will start soon:

- Design, implement and deploy a websocket server that will allow customers to connect to Prisma Postgres from WASM environments where TCP connections are unavailable.
- Work closely with the ORM team to define the protocol of that server so they can implement the client adapter.
- Choose and deploy a globally distributed configuration store (like etcd, rqlite) for encrypted authentication secrets to enable global routing for Prisma Postgres.
- Work together with an infra engineer to improve automation of our bare metal servers with the goal to reduce the provisioning time of new servers.
- Troubleshoot and fix a bug where a customer experiences sporadic connectivity issues.

- **Experience in building and scaling distributed systems.** Experience with bare metal servers is a plus.
- **Experience in database and backend technologies** like SQL/NoSQL databases and familiarity with cloud services, APIs (GraphQL/REST).
- **High standards for quality**, ensuring excellence while balancing **pragmatism, purpose, and a strong sense of agency**—taking ownership, making thoughtful trade-offs, and driving meaningful impact.
- **Strong communication skills in English**, both written and verbal—able to articulate complex ideas clearly, adapt messaging to different audiences, **give and receive constructive feedback effectively**, and foster collaboration across teams.
- **You have a structured thought process**, approaching problems methodically and making well-reasoned decisions. **You plan effectively**, setting clear goals, anticipating challenges, and ensuring smooth execution while keeping stakeholders aligned.

**What's it like to work at Prisma?**:
You're likely to be a great fit for the team if you...

- **... have an ownership mindset.** As a member of the team, you'll have an outsized impact on decisions and the way things are executed.
- **... stay nimble.** It's a startup, things change and you are ok with that. Be ready to re-calibrate often and stay flexible.
- **... be kind and collaborative.** Come in ready to share your ideas and listen to feedback.

**What's in it for you?**:
We put our people first**.** Strong pay, full flexibility, and benefits that make a difference. Take the time off that you need, grow your career, and do work that matters.

- **A Fun and Supportive Team** that values collaboration, growth, and continuous learning.
- **Competitive Base Salary and Stock Options**, including extended post-termination exercise windows.
- **Fully Remote Work** with flexibility to work from anywhere within our required time zones. If you prefer an office environment, we provide access to a local co-working space for up to ten days per month.
- **Generous Time Off**, including twenty-four days of paid vacation and paid sick leave.
- **Parental Benefits**, including twenty weeks of fully paid parental leave and child sick leave.
- **Sabbatical Leave**, with six weeks of fully paid time off after three years of continuous employment.
- **Mental Health Support**, including four fully paid Mental Health Days per year and access to professional resources.
- **Tech and Ergonomic Budget** to equip you with the tools you need, plus an ergonomic chair subsidy for your comfort and well-being.
- **Annual Offsites**, bringing the team together twice a year with all expenses paid retreats at exciting locations.
- **Relocation Support**, offering a relocation package for team members moving to Berlin after twelve months, if you choose to relocate.
- **[US] Health and P