Senior Software Engineer, Streaming Platform

As a Senior Software Engineer at Robinhood Markets, you will design, build, and maintain distributed systems, with a particular focus on Kafka infrastructure. You will enhance system reliability and scalability while driving initiatives that optimize performance and data management.

The Senior Software Engineer position at Robinhood requires at least 5 years of software engineering experience, with expertise in building scalable distributed systems. Candidates should also have experience debugging Linux systems and creating robust asynchronous messaging architectures.

In the Senior Software Engineer role at Robinhood, you'll work with cutting-edge technologies such as Kafka, Flink, and Debezium. You will also be involved in open source contributions, enhancing frameworks, and developing tools that aid Kafka adoption.

At Robinhood, you can expect a lively work environment that fosters collaboration and innovation. The offices are equipped with fully stocked kitchens and catered meals, promoting a healthy work-life balance and a community-centered culture.

Robinhood provides a competitive compensation package that includes 100% paid health insurance for employees, an annual lifestyle wallet, mental health support, generous paid time off, and opportunities for personal wellness and continuous learning.

Robinhood is committed to building a diverse team by embracing various backgrounds and perspectives. They ensure equal opportunities for all applicants and strive to create an inclusive work environment that nurtures creativity and collaboration.

At Robinhood, Senior Software Engineers have ample opportunities for professional development through cross-functional collaboration, participation in open-source projects, and involvement in innovative initiatives that push the boundaries of technology.

In your response, highlight specific projects where you've built or maintained distributed systems. Discuss the complexity you faced, the technologies used, such as Kafka or Flink, and how you ensured reliability and performance.

Share a structured approach to debugging in Linux, emphasizing your experience with live machine code troubleshooting. Detail the tools you use, your diagnostic methods, and any specific challenges you overcame.

Discuss aspects such as scalability, fault tolerance, message ordering, and performance. Reference your past experiences where you implemented these considerations, potentially using technologies like Kafka.

Talk about how you have implemented Kafka in past roles, focusing on setup, configuration, and scaling aspects. Mention any challenges faced and how you solved them, as well as your familiarity with Kafka’s ecosystem.

Provide a specific example, detailing the project scope, the metrics you aimed to improve, the changes you made, and the outcomes. Be sure to emphasize your role in the collaboration and implementation processes.

Elaborate on the methodologies you’ve employed for CDC, detailing technologies like Debezium. Mention how you ensured data integrity, minimized latency, and utilized CDC in your past projects.

Discuss your approach to designing reliable systems, including redundancy, load balancing, and failover mechanisms. Use examples from your experience where these practices led to improved uptime.

Share examples of how you’ve engaged with product engineers, data scientists, or other teams. Highlight communication strategies you’ve used and how those collaborations resulted in successful project outcomes.

Talk about any past involvement with open-source projects, particularly those related to the technologies used at Robinhood. Discuss your contributions, the communities you engaged with, and the impact of your work.

Express your passion for technology and finance, detailing what draws you to fintech specifically. Highlight your commitment to Robinhood’s mission of democratizing finance and how you align with the company’s values and vision.