Himalayas logo
dbt LabsDL

Staff Software Engineer, Compute

dbt Labs is on a mission to empower data practitioners to create and disseminate organizational knowledge.

dbt Labs

Employee count: 201-500

Salary: 200k-275k USD

United States only

About Us

dbt Labs is the pioneer of analytics engineering, helping data teams transform raw data into reliable, actionable insights. Since 2016, we’ve grown from an open source project into the leading analytics engineering platform, now used by over 50,000 teams every week.

As of February 2025, we’ve surpassed $100 million in annual recurring revenue (ARR) and serve more than 5,400 dbt Cloud customers, including JetBlue, HubSpot, Vodafone New Zealand, and Dunelm. We’re backed by top-tier investors including Andreessen Horowitz, Sequoia Capital, and Altimeter. At our core, we believe in empowering data practitioners:

  • Code-based data transformations unlock transparency, flexibility, and collaboration
  • Analysts should adopt software engineering best practices to build trusted data products
  • Core analytics infrastructure should be open source and user-controlled
  • Analytic code—not just tools—should be shared and community-driven
dbt is now synonymous with analytics engineering, defining the modern data stack and serving as the data control plane for enterprise teams around the world. And we’re just getting started. We’re growing fast and building a team of passionate, curious people across the globe. Learn more about what makes us special by checking out our values.

At dbt Labs, we’re building the future of the modern data stack—and we need your help.

We’re looking for a Staff Software Engineer to play a key role in building our platform from zero to one. You’ll partner across teams and disciplines to design and deliver solutions that shape the future of data, while mentoring others and influencing our technical direction.

This position is a unique opportunity to shape the future of dbt’s Compute platform—a new type of analytical query engine. By leveraging dbt’s ability to anticipate and optimize query execution from ingestion to consumption, you’ll help build a truly differentiated system that sets us apart from other database technologies.

This role is perfect for engineers who are excited about query engines, database systems, and large-scale distributed compute—and who want to make a meaningful impact on how data practitioners work every day.

What You’ll Do

  • Design, build, and maintain the Compute layer that powers dbt’s ability to optimize queries across ingestion, transformation, and consumption.
  • Lead technical architecture discussions with a focus on query engines, storage systems, and distributed database design.
  • Collaborate with Product, Design, Operations, and Security to deliver well-architected, scalable compute solutions.
  • Build services, APIs, and experiences that support user delight, quality, high availability, and performance.
  • Tackle ambiguous, open-ended technical challenges with strategic thinking, balancing technical constraints with user needs and product goals.
  • Define and drive best practices in testing, observability, and system reliability.
  • Mentor engineers across the company, fostering technical growth and collaboration.
  • Champion a culture of technical excellence and innovation, influencing engineering direction across multiple teams or domains.

What We’re Looking For

  • 10+ years of experience in software engineering, with expertise in database systems, query engines, or storage systems.
  • Strong coding skills at the systems level C++, Rust, Go, Python, or Java.
  • Experience designing and scaling distributed systems or SaaS platforms.
  • Expertise with cloud infrastructure (AWS, GCP, Azure, Kubernetes, Terraform).
  • Proven ability to lead complex projects and collaborate across functions.
  • Excellent problem-solving skills, clear communication, and a strong sense of ownership.

Bonus Points If You Have

  • Contributions to open source database technologies projects such as Apache Arrow, DuckDB, MongoDB Runtime, or other analytical data systems.
  • Experience with performance optimization, observability, or large-scale query engines.
  • Exposure to data engineering tools or modern frontend frameworks (React, TypeScript).
  • Background in distributed, remote-first teams.

Why You’ll Love Working Here

  • The chance to work on hard, technical problems that push the boundaries of database and compute systems.
  • A culture that values curiosity, inclusivity, and collaboration.
  • The opportunity to make a real impact on thousands of data teams around the world.

Compensation Benefits

  • Annual Salary: $200,000 - $275,000 USD
  • Equity Stake
  • Benefits - dbt Labs offers:
    • Unlimited vacation (and yes we use it!)
    • 401k
    • Pension Plan
    • 16 weeks Paid Parental Leave
    • Wellness stipend
    • Home office stipend, and more!

*Equity or comparable benefits may be offered depending on the legal limitations

What to expect in the hiring process (all video interviews unless accommodations are needed):

  1. Interview with Talent Acquisition Partner
  2. Interview with Hiring Manager
  3. Team Interviews
  4. Final Round Values Interview

dbt Labs is an equal opportunity employer, committed to building an inclusive team that welcomes diverse perspectives, backgrounds, and experiences. Even if your experience doesn’t perfectly align with the job description, we encourage you to apply—we value potential just as much as a perfect resume.

Want to learn more about our focus on Diversity, Equity and Inclusion at dbt Labs? Check out our DEI page.

dbt Labs reserves the right to amend or withdraw the posting at any time. For employees outside the United States, dbt Labs offers a competitive benefits package. Equity or comparable benefits may be offered depending on the legal or country limitations.

About the job

Apply before

Posted on

Job type

Full Time

Experience level

Senior

Salary

Salary: 200k-275k USD

Location requirements

Hiring timezones

United States +/- 0 hours

About dbt Labs

Learn more about dbt Labs and their company culture.

View company profile

dbt Labs is on a mission to empower data practitioners to create and disseminate organizational knowledge.

Our values

Initially penned before the company was even founded, our values have been the foundation on which we've built a company, and a movement.

We are a mission-driven company. We believe that profits are an important tool in the pursuit of our mission, but they are not the mission itself.

We contribute to the knowledge loop. The highest goal of any human is to produce new knowledge that can subsequently be built upon by others. This is the process upon which every good thing in human society has been built. We participate in this most fundamental of human endeavors by thinking in public and defaulting to open source.

We are more concerned with value creation than value capture. We will only succeed if we create value in the world. If we optimize for that first, commercial success will follow.

Work done well is its own end. We do great work because it is an expression of who we are, a contribution of our unique talents and perspectives to a purpose larger than ourselves. Work done well creates ripples in the pond.

Transparency always wins. There are countless examples of choices that we all have in our professional lives of just how honest we want to be. We choose to be completely honest, even when that is uncomfortable, or even when it would lead to short-term negative consequences. We believe that transparency is a north star, and that acting transparently is always in the long-term best interests of achieving our mission.

We value diversity. People with different mindsets and experiences, working together, create better outcomes. This includes diversity of race and gender, as well as the diversity of academic backgrounds, socio-economic backgrounds, geographic backgrounds, ideologies, and interests.

Users are our best advocates. We market our products and services by working with amazing humans, making them incredibly happy, and asking them to spread the word. We go above and beyond for our clients / users to invest in our future growth.

We are humble. While we believe that we are building something exceptional, that knowledge does not make us feel proud, it makes us feel humble. It imbues us with a deep sense of responsibility towards our clients, coworkers, and the community at large.

We optimize for the long-term. While we pursue the mission with intense focus, we recognize that creating the change in the world that we wish to see will not happen overnight. We think, plan, and act for the long-term.

We work hard and go home. We take our responsibilities as parents, citizens, individuals, family members, and members of our various communities just as seriously as we take our commitments at work. When we are on, we are focused. When we are off, we are free to be fully disconnected.

We are human. We are human beings innovating in a shared service to a mission. We structure our compensation and benefits, work hours and location policies, work and management styles, and employee agreements to support this fundamental human-ness. We bring our whole selves to work, and we recognize that our identities extend beyond the work that we do.

We believe in moving up the stack. We believe that all team members should seek to replace themselves on an ongoing basis by building processes, technology, and documentation that obviate their existing work. We have an abundance mindset: there is always more, and more valuable, work to do. Moving up the stack presents growth opportunities for both the individual and the team.

Values are more important than success. We are not interested in success absent the values in this document. We have strongly held opinions on how a company should be built and these are non-negotiable. We do not believe that these opinions are an absolute truth, but they are an absolute truth for us.

Employee benefits

Learn about the employee benefits and perks provided at dbt Labs.

View benefits

Disability insurance

We provide long term and short term disability coverage to all US-based employees at no cost.

Healthcare benefits

We provide high-quality medical, dental, and vision benefits to all employees and their dependents.

Flexibility

We’re a distributed team and place a premium on trust. Communicate. Get your work done. Live your life.

Unlimited vacation

Take a spontaneous trip or plan a dream staycation. Unlimited vacation means that you can stop budgeting your PTO.

View dbt Labs's employee benefits
Claim this profiledbt Labs logoDL

dbt Labs

View company profile

Similar remote jobs

Here are other jobs you might want to apply for.

View all remote jobs

24 remote jobs at dbt Labs

Explore the variety of open remote roles at dbt Labs, offering flexible work options across multiple disciplines and skill levels.

View all jobs at dbt Labs

Remote companies like dbt Labs

Find your next opportunity by exploring profiles of companies that are similar to dbt Labs. Compare culture, benefits, and job openings on Himalayas.

View all companies

Find your dream job

Sign up now and join over 100,000 remote workers who receive personalized job alerts, curated job matches, and more for free!

Sign up
Himalayas profile for an example user named Frankie Sullivan
dbt Labs hiring Staff Software Engineer, Compute • Remote (Work from Home) | Himalayas