Staff Field Engineer - Distributed US

Category-defining tech. Career-defining work.

Lots of tech companies disrupt. But, many fail when they try to scale. We're different. CockroachDB makes it easier for companies to build and scale apps. This is how and why we're helping some of the most innovative companies on the planet. We tackle problems head-on and focus on solutions that create lasting impact.

Because when our customers win, we all win.

The Role

As a Field Software Engineer at Cockroach Labs, you’ll play a dual role: a hands-on software engineer contributing to CockroachDB’s ongoing development, and a trusted technical advisor helping customers realize its full potential. You’ll design and build new features, integrations, and tools that address real-world needs—ranging from performance optimizations to orchestration enhancements—while also providing expertise to troubleshoot and resolve the most challenging database issues. By working directly with customers in the field and collaborating closely with our Product and Engineering teams, you’ll ensure CockroachDB remains a best-in-class, distributed SQL database that solves complex data problems at global scale.

You Will

• Design, implement, and maintain new features, integrations, and tooling to enhance CockroachDB, drawing on customer feedback and real-world use cases.
• Develop and refine tools, scripts, and automation frameworks that streamline CockroachDB deployments, configurations, and scaling across on-prem, cloud, or hybrid environments—working closely with DevOps teams to integrate solutions into existing pipelines.
• Investigate and resolve complex issues related to distributed systems, database performance, networking, and application integrations, ensuring production-grade reliability.
• Gather and synthesize customer insights, working closely with Solutions Engineers and Enterprise Architects to provide actionable feedback to R&D, helping shape product enhancements and guide strategic roadmap decisions.
• Act as a technical advisor for customers—leading architectural design sessions and providing best practices—while forging strong, long-term partnerships.
• Create and maintain clear, actionable documentation for deployments, runbooks, and troubleshooting processes, and share insights with both internal teams and external users.

The Expectations

Within the first month, you'll make initial code contributions and set up your development environment. By 60 days, you'll be actively engaging in more complex engineering tasks, collaborating with customer-facing teams, and starting to support customer projects. At the 90-day mark, you'll be expected to lead small-scale projects independently, provide peer guidance, and deepen your expertise in performance optimization.

Beyond the first 90 days, you’ll consistently contribute impactful code, act as a technical advisor to customers, and influence product direction by sharing insights from the field with the R&D team.

You Have

• 5+ years of hands-on software engineering experience, ideally with distributed systems or complex infrastructure projects.
• Exposure to customer-facing or field engineering roles, providing technical guidance and support to clients.
• Proficiency in at least one programming language; Go is preferred, but not required.
• Strong understanding of containerization (Docker) and orchestration (Kubernetes).
• Familiarity with CI/CD pipelines, version control (Git), and Infrastructure as Code (Terraform, Ansible, etc.).
• Experience working with at least one major public cloud provider (AWS, GCP, or Azure).
• Proven ability to diagnose and resolve complex technical issues in production environments.
• Strong written and verbal communication skills, capable of tailoring information to both technical and non-technical audiences.
• Comfortable partnering with cross-functional teams—such as Solutions Engineers and Enterprise Architects—to gather requirements and drive customer success.
• Willingness to adapt to changing priorities and customer needs in a fast-paced, innovative environment.

Cockroach Labs is proud to be an Equal Opportunity Employer building a diverse and inclusive workforce. If you need additional accommodations to feel comfortable during your interview process, please email us at [email protected].

Cockroach Labs has a hybrid work model, with Roachers that are local to one of our offices coming in on Mondays, Tuesdays, and Thursdays and working flexibly the rest of the week. While we’ve learned valuable lessons working remotely, nothing can replace the connection, creativity, and fun that occurs when Roachers get together and we are committed to fostering a workplace that encourages collaboration and allows us all to do our best work.

Benefits

• Stock Options
• Medical Insurance
• Vision Insurance
• Dental Insurance
• Life and Disability Insurance
• Professional Development Funds
• Flexible Time Off
• Paid Holidays
• Paid Sick Days
• Paid Parental Leave
• Retirement Benefits
• Mental Wellbeing Benefits
• And more!

The annual anticipated base salary range for U.S. candidates for this role is listed in USD below. This role is also eligible for commission. Salary is one component of the Cockroach Labs’ Total Rewards package, which also includes, for each employee: stock options, medical insurance, vision insurance, dental insurance, life and disability insurance, funds towards professional development resources, flexible paid time off, 11 paid holidays a year, 10 paid sick days a year, paid parental leave, a 401(k) plan, and wellbeing benefits.

We set standard ranges for all U.S.-based roles based on function, level, and geographic location, benchmarked against similar stage growth companies. Actual salaries may vary and fall outside of this range depending on factors such as a candidate’s qualifications, geographic location, skills, experience, and competencies. In addition, we are often open to a wide variety of profiles, and recognize that the person we hire may be less experienced (or more senior) than this job description as posted.

Salaries for candidates outside the U.S. will vary based on local compensation structures.

This position will remain posted until filled. Applicants should apply via our Careers Page.