Senior Software Engineer, Platform

Senior Software Engineers at Astronomer are integral to the development and design of the Astro platform. They focus on enhancing the platform's architecture, working collaboratively with cross-functional teams to implement features that improve usability and scalability. Their primary responsibilities include developing the Public API, authentication frameworks, and ensuring the overall reliability of the platform.

Candidates for the Senior Software Engineer role at Astronomer should possess 5+ years of engineering experience, skills in Golang and Typescript, and proficiency with SQL databases. Experience with distributed systems and software development best practices, such as CI/CD, is also essential. Bonus points are awarded for familiarity with Apache Airflow or similar orchestration tools.

At Astronomer, the Agile environment encourages collaboration and adaptability among teams. Senior Software Engineers work in rapid iterations, allowing them to respond quickly to user feedback and evolving requirements. This approach enables a dynamic development process that supports innovation, ultimately enhancing the quality of the Astro platform.

The Platform team at Astronomer is dedicated to managing and enhancing the Astro platform, with a keen focus on creating reliable, scalable, and maintainable systems. This includes building public APIs, authentication protocols, and continuously improving the platform to better serve the data team community.

The estimated salary range for a Senior Software Engineer at Astronomer typically falls between $180,000 and $210,000. This range is contingent upon factors like experience, skills, and location, and also includes an equity component as part of the comprehensive benefits package provided to employees.

When discussing your experience with distributed systems, highlight specific projects where you implemented or maintained distributed architectures. Focus on the challenges you faced, how you overcame them, and the technologies you used, such as cloud platforms or frameworks that enhanced system performance and reliability.

To ensure code quality, I emphasize best practices such as conducting regular code reviews, implementing rigorous testing protocols, and utilizing CI/CD pipelines. Discuss specific tools you use, such as versions control systems and automated testing frameworks, to maintain high-quality standards in software development.

In situations of disagreement, I believe in facilitating open discussions to seek a common understanding. I focus on active listening and encouraging team members to share their perspectives. Emphasizing constructive feedback often leads to collaborative solutions that respect everyone's input.

When describing a challenging problem, detail the specific issue, the technologies involved, and the impact it had on the project. Explain your thought process, the steps you took to diagnose the problem, and how your solution improved the system or aided the team’s goals.

My motivation to stay updated stems from a passion for technology and the continuous evolution of software development. I regularly engage in online courses, attend webinars, and participate in tech communities to learn about emerging technologies. Emphasizing this passion during an interview shows your proactive nature.

I prioritize tasks by assessing project deadlines, overall impact, and collaboration needs with team members. I often utilize frameworks like Agile or Kanban, which help visually track progress and adjust priorities effectively based on workload and emerging requirements.

To showcase your experience with Golang, discuss specific projects where you utilized the language. Highlight aspects like performance improvements, any microservices developed, and your understanding of concurrency. Mention libraries or frameworks that you’ve used to enhance your Golang applications.

Effective debugging involves systematic approaches such as replicating the issue, isolating code sections, and using debugging tools. I also leverage logging to trace the problem, as well as engaging team members for insights, which often leads to quicker resolutions while promoting collaboration.

Ensuring scalability starts during the design phase by opting for microservices architectures, using load balancers, and emphasizing database solutions that handle growth. I also prioritize testing under stress conditions post-deployment to verify that the application meets expected performance standards as usage grows.

Documentation is pivotal in ensuring that code is understandable and maintainable. I adhere to clear, concise documentation practices that outline functionality, architecture, and usage instructions. This not only aids current team members but also provides valuable resources for future developers joining the project.