Sr. Database Reliability Engineer

About Quizlet:

Inspired by our belief that anyone can learn anything and powered by our own curiosity, we build the smartest tools we can imagine to help students learn.  

Quizlet is the popular, global learning platform and app that millions of students, teachers and everyday people use to study any subject imaginable for school, work or as part of their personal interests -- including two-thirds of high school students and half of all college students in the US. Combining cognitive science and machine learning, Quizlet guides students through adaptive study activities to confidently reach their learning goals. We’re on track to become the undisputed leader in user-generated learning content and engagement, at the scale of YouTube.  

Valued at $1 billion, Quizlet has raised over $60 million in venture capital from investors including Icon Ventures, Union Square Ventures, General Atlantic, Costanoa Ventures, Owl Ventures, and Altos Ventures.  

To serve our global community of learners, our teams tackle lofty technical challenges and design for use cases across cultures and languages. We work hard, act like owners, and collaborate every chance we get. We’re energized by the potential to power more learners through multiple approaches and various tools.

About the Team:

The Data Engineering team is growing fast. Apart from traditional Data Engineering responsibilities for OLAP functions, we also own the OLTP and streaming databases that power Quizlet’s learning platform.  Some projects this team involved include building database load test framework, MemoryStore migration, ProxySQL kubernetes implementation, and moving to distributed database architecture.

About the Role:

A reliable data layer is the bedrock of running large-scale services at Quizlet.  We work closely with product and other technical infrastructure teams to implement data technologies that scale.   A Database Reliability Engineer (DBRE)  has the opportunity to make an enormous impact on our next phase of growth.

This is a hybrid role based out of our Denver, Los Angeles, New York, Seattle, and San Francisco office hubs.

• Plan, manage and scale our data layer to be resilient and performant
• Collaborate with engineering teams to make architectural decisions and advise on data modeling
• Apply best practices to raise database reliability awareness
• Provide database expertise to analyze query for optimization and database tuning
• Improve our load testing and capacity planning frameworks
• Take charge of our object relational mapping (ORM) code in applications
• Monitor and support the use of our data layer which consists of both RDBMS and streaming technologies
• Handle operational challenges through on-call rotation and provide production incident assistance
• Enhance our visibility into data layer workflows and workloads, help us maintain database SLOs
• Work on database infrastructure automation and self-service tools

• 5+ years of experience in systems and infrastructure engineering or software development
• 5+ years of experience building and maintaining data services on RDBMS and distributed databases with 3+ years of work on data modeling
• Familiarity with design and maintaining high availability cloud-based database systems in GCP or another cloud platform
• Solid knowledge of SQL and experience working in distributed production environment
• A great understanding of how complex systems work and not afraid to dive deep into each component 
• Comfortable with coding in Python, PHP, Hacklang, Go, or similar languages to automate repetitive tasks and the ability to rewrite application code to enhance our data management strategy
• Experience working with Kubernetes and IAC tools like Terraform and Helm
• Passion for learning and technology, keen on sharing not just the wins but lessons learned

• Quizlet is an equal opportunity employer. We celebrate diversity and are committed to creating an inclusive environment for all employees. Salary transparency helps to mitigate unfair hiring practices when it comes to discrimination and pay gaps.  Total compensation for this role is market competitive, including a starting base salary of $130,000 - $185,000, depending on location and experience, as well as company stock options
• Collaborate with your manager and team to create a healthy work-life balance
• 20 vacation days (and we expect you to take them!)
• Competitive health, dental, and vision insurance (100% employee and 75% dependent PPO, HMO, VSP Choice)
• Employer-sponsored 401k plan with company match
• Access to LinkedIn Learning and other resources to support professional growth
• Paid Family Leave, FSA, HSA, Commuter benefits, Wellness benefits
• 40 hours of annual paid time off to participate in volunteer programs of choice

We strive to make everyone feel comfortable and welcome! 

We work to create a holistic interview process, where both Quizlet and candidates have an opportunity to view what it would be like to work together, in exploring a mutually beneficial partnership.

We provide a transparent setting, that gives a comprehensive view of who we are!  

In Closing:

We hope you are excited about everything you read so far. We highly encourage you to apply for this position, even if you feel you do not meet all the requirements. Quizlet is always looking for amazing folks that believe in our mission and can contribute to our team in various ways - not merely candidates that fit a certain mold.

We have a bias for action, take initiative, and take pride in delivering results. We make informed decisions whenever possible but are unafraid to take calculated risks on great ideas to promote learning. We embrace challenges and see effort as the path to mastery. We’re constantly seeking opportunities to learn and we embrace curiosity. Quality matters at Quizlet, and we hold the bar high on everything we do.

We treat each other with honesty and respect, encourage vigorous debate, and seek critical feedback. We value diversity, humility, transparency, and collaboration as the best paths to our success — as individuals, as a team, and as a company.

Quizlet’s success as an online learning community depends on a strong commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion. We are actively working to build a team that is representative of the diverse communities we serve, and an open, inclusive work environment where all employees can thrive. As an equal opportunity employer and a tech company committed to societal change, we welcome applicants from all backgrounds. Women, people of color, members of the LGBTQ+ community, individuals with disabilities, and veterans are strongly encouraged to apply. Come join us!

To All Recruiters and Placement Agencies:

At this time Quizlet does not accept unsolicited agency resumes and/or profiles. 

Please do not forward unsolicited agency resumes to our website or to any Quizlet employee. Quizlet will not pay fees to any third-party agency or firm nor will it be responsible for any agency fees associated with unsolicited resumes. All unsolicited resumes received will be considered the property of Quizlet.