About the Position

Senior Staff Database Engineer

Santa Clara, California, United States

It all started when engineer Fred Luddy wrote code that automated a tedious task for his coworker, Phyllis. She cried tears of joy. That moment inspired Fred to build a company that could do that for everyone-freeing people from busywork so they could focus on meaningful work. Today, ServiceNow is the AI control tower for business reinvention. Our ServiceNow AI platform brings together any AI, any data, and any workflow-helping 85% of the Fortune 500® work smarter, faster, and better. We're building an AI-native culture where technology and talent are unstoppable together. And we're just getting started.

Join us to put AI to work for people.

Please Note: This role includes on-call rotation responsibilities.

Responsibilities

• Become an SME in production database troubleshooting, ServiceNow instance performance, and Linux performance analysis - both on-prem and on Hyperscaler
• Own complex incident root cause analysis across multi-tenant PostgreSQL/MariaDB fleets at scale.
• Develop observability tooling and automation to prevent recurrence of critical issues
• Influence infrastructure decisions that shape our multi-tenant cloud platform
• Mentor and collaborate with engineers across operations, support, and development.

Requirements

• Experience in leveraging or critically thinking about how to integrate AI into work processes, decision-making, or problem-solving.
• 12 years of related experience with a Bachelor's degree; or 8 years and a Master's degree; or a PhD with 5 years experience; or equivalent experience in database engineering in large-scale, enterprise environments - database-focused background required.
• Deep PostgreSQL expertise including MVCC, transaction management, vacuum mechanics, WAL architecture, advanced query performance tuning, buffer management, and backup/restore
• Experience supporting large-scale, multi-tenant SaaS, PaaS, or cloud infrastructure platforms
• Strong Unix/Linux skills - file system navigation, permissions, process management, performance diagnostics.
• Deep understanding of RedHat Linux internals with hands-on expertise diagnosing CPU, memory, and I/O issues at the OS level
• Experience with public cloud platforms (AWS, Azure, GCP).
• Strong problem-solving ability, logical thinking, and a genuine curiosity to understand complex systems end to end.

Nice to Have

• Experience with ServiceNow platform, scripting, tuning, and troubleshooting is highly preferred.
• Scripting proficiency: shell, Python, JavaScript, Ansible.
• Experience with schemas, replication, indexing, and query optimization techniques
• Familiarity with Kubernetes and CI/CD pipelines

We Offer

• Base pay of $165,500 - $289,600, plus equity (when applicable), variable/incentive compensation and benefits.
• Health plans, including flexible spending accounts
• 401(k) Plan with company match
• ESPP
• Matching donations
• Flexible time away plan and family leave programs

About the Company

ServiceNow is an equal opportunity employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, national origin, age, disability, gender identity, veteran status, or any other category protected by law. In addition, all qualified applicants with arrest or conviction records will be considered for employment in accordance with legal requirements.

Accommodations

We strive to create an accessible and inclusive experience for all candidates. If you require a reasonable accommodation to complete any part of the application process, or are unable to use this online application and need an alternative method to apply, please contact [email protected] for assistance.

Export Control Regulations

For positions requiring access to controlled technology subject to export control regulations, including the U.S. Export Administration Regulations (EAR), ServiceNow may be required to obtain export control approval from government authorities for certain individuals. All employment is contingent upon ServiceNow obtaining any export license or other approval that may be required by relevant export control authorities.