Job Description
Scale is powering this generative AI wave by providing the data and infrastructure for companies to build large-scale foundation models. AI is rapidly changing the world and Scale is growing to meet that rapid demand. Our customers include OpenAI Microsoft Adept Stability AI and many more major players in this space!
The Platform team is responsible for building the core abstractions and infrastructure on which the products can be built and iterated rapidly. The team owns how data flows throughout the Scale platform. We’re looking for a database engineer with deep experience building and scaling both structured and unstructured database platforms supporting distributed systems data-intensive applications and machine learning infrastructure. You have a growth mindset and are comfortable learning new technologies.
You will:
- Build and mature database foundations for Scale leveraging industry-standard platforms.
- Collaborate with stakeholders across the organization such as software developers platform engineers machine learning scientists customer operations etc.
- Own services or systems and define their long-term health goals while also improving the health of surrounding components.
- Mentor other engineers and become deeply involved in architectural design and database best-practices.
- Improve our high engineering standards tooling and process.
- Work directly with our engineering and sales teams to create backend database solutions to meet their challenging data and security needs.
- Work with our Security Team on security compliance pen tests and mitigations that improve security across Scale.
- Build systems capable of handling millions of frames of data every day making it available to both our workforce and our internal teams with high availability.
This role could be a fit if you have:
- 5+ years of industry experience as a database engineer post graduation.
- Engineering experience with building real-time and distributed system architecture.
- Experience designing and self hosting databases on industry standard public cloud platforms
- Deep familiarity with design architecture optimization and tuning multiple database platforms such as MongoDB Postgres MySQL DynamoDB Redis
- Deep familiarity with SQL query optimization database indexing scalability (partitioning/sharding) and replication
- Experience developing and optimizing backup and restore functionality to meet RTO goals
- Intermediate experience in at least one coding language: Typescript Python Go Java C++ (note that we are mostly language-agnostic and are open to using whatever is the best tech for the problem at hand).
- Experience working with Docker Kubernetes and Infra-as-Code (e.g. Terraform); bonus points for experience supporting GPU/ML workloads.
Nice to haves:
- Prior startup experience to help us grow responsibly.
- Experience with AWS Datadog ElasticSearch
- Experience with cloud-based data warehouse solutions like Snowflake or Databricks.
- Experience with cost optimization strategies and techniques for database platforms.
- Experience developing and designing intermediary data abstraction layers.
- Mentored and grown members of your team or been a tech lead on large projects.
Compensation packages at Scale for eligible roles include base salary equity and benefits. The range displayed on each job posting reflects the minimum and maximum target for new hire salaries for the position determined by work location and additional factors including job-related skills experience interview performance and relevant education or training. Scale employees in eligible roles are also granted equity based compensation subject to Board of Director approval. Your recruiter can share more about the specific salary range for your preferred location during the hiring process and confirm whether the hired role will be eligible for equity grant. You’ll also receive benefits including but not limited to: Comprehensive health dental and vision coverage retirement benefits a learning and development stipend and generous PTO. Additionally this role may be eligible for additional benefits such as a commuter stipend.
PLEASE NOTE: Our policy requires a 90-day waiting period before reconsidering candidates for the same role. This allows us to ensure a fair and thorough evaluation of all applicants.
About Us:
At Scale our mission is to develop reliable AI systems for the world's most important decisions. Our products provide the high-quality data and full-stack technologies that power the world's leading models and help enterprises and governments build deploy and oversee AI applications that deliver real impact. We work closely with industry leaders like Meta Cisco DLA Piper Mayo Clinic Time Inc. the Government of Qatar and U.S. government agencies including the Army and Air Force. We are expanding our team to accelerate the development of AI applications.
We believe that everyone should be able to bring their whole selves to work which is why we are proud to be an inclusive and equal opportunity workplace. We are committed to equal employment opportunity regardless of race color ancestry religion sex national origin sexual orientation age citizenship marital status disability status gender identity or Veteran status.
We are committed to working with and providing reasonable accommodations to applicants with physical and mental disabilities. If you need assistance and/or a reasonable accommodation in the application or recruiting process due to a disability please contact us at [email protected]. Please see the United States Department of Labor's Know Your Rights poster for additional information.
We comply with the United States Department of Labor's Pay Transparency provision.
PLEASE NOTE: We collect retain and use personal data for our professional business purposes including notifying you of job opportunities that may be of interest and sharing with our affiliates. We limit the personal data we collect to that which we believe is appropriate and necessary to manage applicants’ needs provide our services and comply with applicable laws. Any information we collect in connection with your application will be treated in accordance with our internal policies and programs designed to protect personal data. Please see our privacy policy for additional information.
Top Skills
What We Do
Scale accelerates the development of AI applications by helping machine learning teams generate high-quality ground truth data. Our advanced LiDAR image video and NLP annotation APIs allow machine learning teams at companies like OpenAI Lyft Pinterest and Airbnb focus on building differentiated models vs. labeling data.
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Date Posted
04/24/2026
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