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, then 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 a Senior TypeScript Engineer at Prisma do?**:
You will join a team of skilled TypeScript engineers tackling challenges across the stack to deliver a market-leading ORM. A typical day at Prisma might include:

- **Expanding the Prisma Client** to support advanced database capabilities.-
- Drive the process from technical design through implementation.
- Continuously refine and harden the codebase to ensure stability, maintainability, and ease of contribution. - ** Building new libraries and tools** that serve as foundational components, both for our internal teams and for the developer community.
- **Elevating the developer experience (DX)** by shaping intuitive, high-quality tools that make database access a delight.
- We believe that the right person will meet quite a few of the criteria below. If you don't fit the description perfectly, we'd still love to hear from you. Many of these can be learnt on the job:_

- **5+ years of professional experience as a Senior Software Engineer** (or equivalent senior-level role) with a proven track record of delivering production-grade systems.
- Deep **backend engineering expertise** with **JavaScript and TypeScript**, writing clean, maintainable, and scalable codebases.
- Strong **database proficiency**:

- Hands-on experience with high-scale, data-intensive systems.
- Skilled at query optimization, diagnosing performance bottlenecks, and managing indexes.
- Direct experience tuning databases for reliability and speed in demanding environments. - Excellent **English communication skills**, both written and verbal; able to express complex technical concepts with clarity.
- A mindset of **continuous learning and feedback**: proactively seek input, adapt quickly, and embrace collaboration.
- **Team-oriented approach**: value pairing, mentoring, and proactively supporting peers.
- Passion for **building outstanding developer experience** through **sustainable, well-tested tools and infrastructure** that empower developers and improve workflows.

**Nice-to-Have Skills**:

- Contributions to **open source projects** (as maintainer or active contributor).
- Experience with **systems-level programming languages** (e.g., C, C++, Go, Zig, or others) and an interest in low-level performance optimization.
- Experience with **edge computing platforms** (e.g., Vercel Edge, Cloudflare Workers).

**What's it like to work at Prisma?**:
You are likely to be a great for the team if you:
**...have an ownership mindset.** As part of a small team, you'll have an outsize impact on decisions and the way things are executed.

**...stay nimble.** As a growing startup, the team and strategy evolves quickly. 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**:

- The opportunity to **push the boundaries of DX and TypeScript within a fast-growing, early-stage startup** with roots in Silicon Valley and Berlin.
- We provide a **competitive base salary** in line with industry standards for similar positions.
- As an early-stage startup we also provide competitive stock-option grants with a **exercise window of up to 10 years.**
- **24 days paid vacation** per year.
- **4 mental health** days per year.
- **Fully paid parental leave** up to 20 weeks.
- **Generous tech budget** to make sure you have all the hardware that you need.
- **Ergonomic** chair subsidy.
- Access to your **local co-working space** if you prefer to work from an external location to your home.
- [US] Health, Dental, Vision + 401k Matching.

**Remote Work**:
We are a remote-first organisation with an office based in Berlin, Germany. Whether you would like to work remotely, or from the office in Berlin is up to you We are open to discussing relocation assistance if you would like to join us in Berlin.

**What is the process like?**:
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