Role Overview

Discord isn't just a chat app—it's the essential hub where over 90% of users play games, logging 1.5 billion hours across thousands of titles monthly. The Database Infrastructure team powers this ecosystem, developing and operating all databases and data services for 200M+ users. You'll work on cutting-edge systems handling trillions of messages using ScyllaDB, PostgreSQL, ElasticSearch, Linux, and Rust-based services.

This small, high-impact team drives Discord's growth through innovations like those detailed in their renowned blog posts: How Discord Indexes Trillions of Messages, How Discord Stores Trillions of Messages, and Supercharging Network Disks for Low Latency. As a Senior Software Engineer, you'll exercise First Principles Thinking to deliver user-focused solutions at planetary scale.

Key Responsibilities

• Design, build, and operate massive-scale data systems with ScyllaDB, PostgreSQL, and ElasticSearch serving 200M+ users.
• Develop Rust-based data access services for efficient trillion-message indexing and storage.
• Collaborate cross-functionally with product and infra teams to create foundational storage primitives.
• Optimize Linux-based disk storage for extreme low-latency gaming experiences.
• Implement high-availability distributed databases using Cassandra-family tech stacks.
• Troubleshoot production incidents affecting global gaming communities.
• Apply OS, distributed systems, and concurrency expertise to scale infrastructure.
• Contribute to engineering blogs sharing Discord's infrastructure breakthroughs.
• Monitor and tune systems handling 1.5B gaming hours monthly.
• Leverage DevOps tools like Terraform, Kubernetes, and Salt for deployments.
• Drive First Principles innovations prioritizing gamer experience.
• Work with statically-typed languages (Rust, Go, C++) for performance-critical services.
• Ensure reliability for Discord's role in gaming's future.

Qualifications

To succeed, you'll need proven expertise at Discord's scale:

• 4+ years building distributed systems and datastore infrastructure.
• Deep experience with HA distributed databases: ScyllaDB, Cassandra, BigTable, DynamoDB, CockroachDB, Postgres HA.
• Proficiency in Rust, Go, Java, C, or C++ for systems programming.
• Strong OS fundamentals, Linux internals, distributed systems theory, and concurrency control.
• Thrives in fast-paced environments with global impact.

Bonus Points: Cassandra/Scylla experience, Rust mastery, DevOps with Salt/Terraform/K8s.

Salary & Benefits

Senior Software Engineers in Database Infrastructure at Discord command top-market compensation. Expect total compensation packages ranging from $220,000 - $350,000 USD annually, including base salary, equity, and bonuses—calibrated to Bay Area standards for senior talent.

Discord's benefits package sets the industry standard:

• Unlimited PTO and flexible remote work.
• Comprehensive medical, dental, vision coverage.
• 401(k) matching and financial planning support.
• Wellness stipends, parental leave, mental health resources.
• Gaming perks including hardware budgets and Nitro subscriptions.
• Professional growth funding for conferences and certifications.

Why Join Discord's Database Infrastructure Team?

Work on problems few companies face: storing and indexing trillions of messages for 200M gamers. Discord's transparent engineering culture shines through detailed blog posts revealing their tech stack—from Rust migrations (Why Discord Switches to Rust) to outage postmortems (Authentication Outage Analysis).

Join a small team with massive leverage. Your code will enable voice chat during epic raids, message history for guild planning, and low-latency data for live streaming. Discord invests in Rust for performance, ScyllaDB for scale, and custom disk optimizations—putting you at tech's forefront.

The Bay Area location offers collaboration with world-class engineers while supporting remote work. With gaming's explosive growth, your impact will echo across the industry.

How to Apply

Ready to power gaming's future? Submit your resume highlighting distributed systems experience, database projects, and Rust proficiency. Include links to relevant work or contributions. Discord's hiring process includes technical interviews on systems design, coding challenges in Rust/C++, and discussions on scaling challenges like theirs.

Stand out by referencing specific blog posts and how you'd approach those problems. Discord values First Principles thinkers who prioritize user joy. Apply now to join the team building communication's next era!