Data Platform Software Engineer

About the role

Database Provisioning builds the tools that safely operate and manage the databases running in ServiceNow data centers, including RaptorDB, ServiceNow's PostgreSQL-based database. Internal operations and support teams use the CLI tools we create, and so does every automation running in a ServiceNow data center. Our challenge is to deliver high-quality solutions that run reliably, without interruption, at massive scale. Our work is fundamental to ServiceNow's reliability, reputation, and success.

We believe ease of use, quality, scale, and customer feedback are the pillars of good development. We work in a very collaborative environment with distributed teams in the US and Europe. New team members are mentored in the skills they need to become strong contributors.

What you get to do in this role

• Build and improve snc-provision, our in-house framework that deploys, configures and operates RaptorDB (PostgreSQL) and MariaDB databases in production, including the snow CLI used by operations teams and automation, and Dojo, our fleet-wide scheduled maintenance and monitoring service.
• Own well-scoped features from design through implementation, test automation and delivery, with guidance from senior engineers.
• Write clean, maintainable, well-tested code, and take part in code and design reviews.
• Automate operational tasks across a large database fleet, from configuration management to monitoring and remediation.
• Help investigate production issues, including database crashes, backup/restore failures and performance problems, and learn to drive root-cause analysis from logs, stack traces, and system data.
• Work with operations, support, and partner engineering teams to understand requirements and turn feedback into improvements.
• Contribute to documentation and runbooks, and share what you learn with the team.

To be successful in this role you have

• A solid foundation in data structures, algorithms, and object-oriented design.
• Hands-on experience with Linux, and an interest in learning its internals.
• Familiarity with relational databases, ideally PostgreSQL, MySQL or MariaDB, and a desire to learn how they run in production.
• Strong problem-solving skills and curiosity about how systems fail.
• Clear communication, and comfort working with teammates across time zones (PT, ET, CET).

Qualifications

• Experience in leveraging or critically thinking about how to integrate AI into work processes, decision-making, or problem-solving. This may include using AI-powered tools, automating workflows, analyzing AI-driven insights, or exploring AI's potential impact on the function or industry.
• Typically requires a bachelor's degree and a minimum of 2 years of related experience; or an advanced degree without experience; or equivalent work experience.
• Programming experience in Ruby, Python, Go or a similar language, plus shell scripting. Ruby is preferred but not required; engineers with Python or other scripting experience pick it up quickly.
• Experience with source control and CI/CD systems such as Git and Jenkins.
• Nice to have: Puppet or another configuration management tool; database backups, replication or high availability; Kubernetes; AI coding tools such as Claude Code, Windsurf or Cursor.
• Ability to work (hybrid model) out of either our San Diego, Santa Clara, or Kirkland office. Potential option to be remote.

Pay and benefits

For positions in this location, we offer a base pay of $139,700 - $216,500, plus equity (when applicable), variable/incentive compensation and benefits. Sales positions generally offer a competitive On Target Earnings (OTE) incentive compensation structure.

Please note that the base pay shown is a guideline, and individual total compensation will vary based on factors such as qualifications, skill level, competencies, and work location. We also offer health plans, including flexible spending accounts, a 401(k) Plan with company match, ESPP, matching donations, a flexible time away plan and family leave programs.

Compensation is based on the geographic location in which the role is located and is subject to change based on work location.

Additional Information: Work Personas

We approach our distributed world of work with flexibility and trust. Work personas (flexible, remote, or required in office) are categories that are assigned to ServiceNow employees depending on the nature of their work and their assigned work location. Learn more here. To determine eligibility for a work persona, ServiceNow may confirm the distance between your primary residence and the closest ServiceNow office using a third-party service.