Staff Database Engineer

As a Staff Database Engineer at Procore, your primary responsibilities include designing and implementing our next-generation data platform tailored for the construction industry. You will support the development, roll-out, and ongoing maintenance of distributed NoSQL and SQL databases, ensuring that our engineering team excels in all phases of the software development lifecycle. Additionally, your role will involve identifying technical gaps, proposing innovative solutions, and collaborating with various teams to enhance our product offerings.

To be successful in the Staff Database Engineer role at Procore, candidates should bring at least 8 years of experience working with RDBMS databases such as PostgreSQL or MySQL, and also possess experience with NoSQL databases like Elasticsearch, DynamoDB, or Mongo. A deep understanding of cloud infrastructure, especially within AWS, along with expertise in managing databases at scale, is crucial. Proficiency in infrastructure as code tools is also highly valued.

Teamwork is pivotal in the Staff Database Engineer role at Procore. You will work closely with engineers, product managers, and UX teams to collaboratively build and enhance our next-generation data platform. Your input will be instrumental in shaping the product roadmap, thus fostering a collaborative environment where innovation can thrive. Regular interaction and brainstorming sessions with different departments ensure that everyone's expertise contributes to the project's success.

At Procore, the company culture is centered around collaboration, innovation, and inclusivity. As a Staff Database Engineer, you will find yourself in a supportive environment that encourages the sharing of ideas and experimentation. Procore values diverse perspectives and fosters a culture where every employee feels empowered to take ownership of their work, leading to a more satisfying and productive work experience.

Procore is committed to the growth of its employees, and as a Staff Database Engineer, you'll have access to numerous professional development opportunities. Whether through formal training, mentorship programs, or leadership initiatives, you can gain new skills, tackle exciting projects, and potentially advance into senior engineering roles or product leadership positions as the company's growth continues.

When discussing your experience in the interview, highlight specific RDBMSs you've worked with, such as PostgreSQL or MySQL, and provide examples of projects where you implemented or optimized database structures. Focus on challenges you faced and how your solutions improved performance or efficiency.

Your answer should encompass your design methodology, including considerations like scalability, resilience, and data consistency. Talk about your experience with specific architectures, design patterns, and tools, and ensure to mention any trade-offs you've made to achieve the desired outcomes.

Discuss a systematic approach for troubleshooting, such as performing root cause analysis, monitoring performance metrics, and using logging tools. Providing a real-life example where you identified a critical issue and successfully resolved it will add weight to your response.

Outline your experience with cloud services and database management in AWS, focusing on specific services such as RDS, DynamoDB, or S3. Discuss how you've leveraged these services in past projects and any pertinent challenges you overcame while ensuring high availability and security.

Share how you stay current with emerging technologies, whether through online courses, attending industry conferences, participating in webinars, or following key thought leaders on social media platforms related to database technologies. Mention any recent learnings you’ve applied in your work.

Provide a list of tools like Terraform or CloudFormation that you have experience with. Discuss specific instances where you applied these tools to provision or manage databases, and highlight the benefits you achieved regarding efficiency and error reduction.

In your response, talk in detail about NoSQL databases you've worked with, such as MongoDB, Cassandra, or Neo4j. Highlight projects where you chose a NoSQL solution over an RDBMS, and provide reasons for that choice based on data structure or scalability.

Discuss your approach to data migration planning, emphasizing the importance of data integrity, downtime minimization, and stakeholder communication. Provide an example where you successfully executed a data migration and what you learned from that experience.

Share a specific scenario where your insights or expertise on database architecture had a significant impact on the team’s direction. Detail how you communicated your ideas, supported them with data or case studies, and ultimately how it fostered team consensus.

Discuss your approach to database security, which should cover access controls, encryption, backup strategies, and regular audits. Highlight any specific standards or frameworks you adhere to in your work, and mention experiences where you were proactive in enhancing database security.