Software Engineer, Superhuman Database Infrastructure

Job Description

Company: Superhuman
Location: Seattle, WA
Workplace Type: Hybrid
Employment Type: Full-time
Pay / Compensation: $163.5K – $284K

About the Role

Superhuman is an AI productivity platform (including Grammarly) on a mission to unlock superhuman potential. This role is on the Platform team within Superhuman Docs, focusing on the structured data storage layer that powers every table, grid, and view on the platform.

What You’ll Do / Key Responsibilities

• Contribute to the structured data storage layer, including cell storage, row ordering, index management, and view materialization.
• Work on server-side query planning for database-backed tables, pushing operations closer to the data layer.
• Drive improvements in handling large, complex tables at scale: lazy hydration strategies, data compaction, and cache invalidation.
• Ensure correctness under concurrency across the sync pipeline, formula engine, and client-side rendering.
• Raise the technical bar by reviewing designs and mentoring engineers on database internals.

Requirements & Qualifications

• 8+ years of industry experience, with at least 5 focused on storage or database internals.
• Deep experience building or contributing to internals of a storage system, specifically in systems like PostgreSQL, MySQL, RocksDB, or SQLite.
• Understands data layout, serialization, and access patterns beyond API usage-making decisions on how data is stored and retrieved under the hood.
• Has operated storage-layer systems where correctness under concurrency is non-negotiable (read/write ordering, invalidation hazards).
• Understands write-ahead logging, crash recovery, and checkpoint strategies for durability.
• Brings strong instincts for performance engineering and cost-aware design at scale.

Preferred / Bonus Qualifications (if applicable)

• Experience designing storage systems for unpredictable, variable workloads.
• Experience with encryption at the storage layer, particularly multi-tenant or per-customer key isolation schemes.
• Familiarity with collaborative/distributed systems requiring eventual consistency (OT, CRDT).
• Full stack experience optimizing Typescript (client and server).

Benefits & Perks (if applicable)

• Excellent health care (medical, dental, vision, mental health, fertility)
• Disability and life insurance options
• 401(k) and RRSP matching
• Paid parental leave
• 20 days of paid time off per year, 12 days of paid holidays
• Generous stipends (caregiving, pet care, wellness, home office)
• Annual professional development budget

We encourage all candidates, especially those whose identities are traditionally underrepresented in tech organizations, to apply. Superhuman is an equal opportunity employer.