Quizlet
Senior Staff Platform Engineer - Database Systems
Quizlet, San Francisco, California, United States, 94199
About Quizlet
At Quizlet, our mission is to help every learner achieve their outcomes in the most effective and delightful way. Our $1B+ learning platform serves tens of millions of students every month, including two-thirds of U.S. high schoolers and half of U.S. college students, powering over 2 billion learning interactions monthly. We blend cognitive science with machine learning to personalize and enhance the learning experience for students, professionals, and lifelong learners alike.
About the Role We’re hiring a
Senior Staff Platform Engineer – Database Systems
to lead the design, strategy, and evolution of Quizlet’s database and data infrastructure. You’ll architect large‑scale systems that power Quizlet’s most critical services, ensuring reliability, performance, and scalability across millions of global learners. You’ll partner closely with other platform and product engineering teams, setting the technical direction for database systems, caching, and data access layers across the company.
This role reports to the
Senior Director of Technical Infrastructure
and is an onsite position in our San Francisco office. Employees are required to be onsite a minimum of three days per week: Monday, Wednesday, and Thursday.
In this role, you will
Architect and evolve Quizlet’s database ecosystem, including Cloud Spanner, PlanetScale MySQL, BigQuery, and Redis, ensuring low latency, strong consistency, and high availability
Set technical direction for database reliability, observability, and disaster recovery patterns across all product teams
Lead large‑scale modernization initiatives, including performance tuning, connection management optimization, and query efficiency improvements
Drive platform‑wide resilience, building self‑healing, automated systems that maintain 99.95% availability across critical services
Mentor and guide engineers in best practices for database design, caching, and operational excellence
Partner with leadership to define SLOs, shape roadmap priorities, and align platform strategy with Quizlet’s product and AI initiatives
Contribute to architecture reviews and company‑wide infrastructure standards for data storage, access, and security
What You Bring To The Table
10+ years of backend or platform engineering experience, with 5+ focused on large‑scale database systems
Proven experience architecting high‑throughput, low‑latency database infrastructures in production environments
Deep expertise in MySQL and PlanetScale; strong proficiency with Cloud Spanner, Postgres, or BigQuery
Experience building and leading platform‑level automation and self‑service tooling using Terraform, Kubernetes (GKE), and Python or Go
Expertise in observability, monitoring, and incident management for distributed data systems
Ability to collaborate cross‑functionally with engineering, SRE, and product leadership
Passion for building systems that are secure, resilient, and developer‑friendly
Bonus Points If You Have
Experience running multi‑tenant or hybrid database architectures at global scale
Knowledge of Vitess, Kafka, or Pub/Sub for distributed data access
Familiarity with service mesh (Istio) or database proxy management
Compensation, Benefits & Perks
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 $258,000 – $314,000, 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 that we expect you to take!
Competitive health, dental, and vision insurance (100% employee and 75% dependent PPO, Dental, VSP Choice).
Employer‑sponsored 401(k) plan with company match.
Access to LinkedIn Learning and other resources to support professional growth.
Paid Family Leave, FSA, HSA, commuter benefits, and wellness benefits.
40 hours of annual paid time off to participate in volunteer programs of choice.
Why Join Quizlet?
Massive reach: 60M+ users, 1B+ interactions per week
Cutting‑edge tech: Generative AI, adaptive learning, cognitive science
Strong momentum: Top‑tier investors, sustainable business, real traction
Mission‑first: Work that makes a difference in people’s lives
Inclusive culture: Committed to equity, diversity, and belonging
In Closing At Quizlet, we’re excited about passionate people joining our team—even if you don’t check every box on the requirements list. We value unique perspectives and believe everyone has something meaningful to contribute. Our culture is all about taking initiative, learning through challenges, and striving for high‑quality work while staying curious and open to new ideas. We believe in honest, respectful communication, thoughtful collaboration, and creating a supportive space where everyone can grow and succeed together.
Quizlet’s success as an online learning community depends on a strong commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion. 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!
#J-18808-Ljbffr
About the Role We’re hiring a
Senior Staff Platform Engineer – Database Systems
to lead the design, strategy, and evolution of Quizlet’s database and data infrastructure. You’ll architect large‑scale systems that power Quizlet’s most critical services, ensuring reliability, performance, and scalability across millions of global learners. You’ll partner closely with other platform and product engineering teams, setting the technical direction for database systems, caching, and data access layers across the company.
This role reports to the
Senior Director of Technical Infrastructure
and is an onsite position in our San Francisco office. Employees are required to be onsite a minimum of three days per week: Monday, Wednesday, and Thursday.
In this role, you will
Architect and evolve Quizlet’s database ecosystem, including Cloud Spanner, PlanetScale MySQL, BigQuery, and Redis, ensuring low latency, strong consistency, and high availability
Set technical direction for database reliability, observability, and disaster recovery patterns across all product teams
Lead large‑scale modernization initiatives, including performance tuning, connection management optimization, and query efficiency improvements
Drive platform‑wide resilience, building self‑healing, automated systems that maintain 99.95% availability across critical services
Mentor and guide engineers in best practices for database design, caching, and operational excellence
Partner with leadership to define SLOs, shape roadmap priorities, and align platform strategy with Quizlet’s product and AI initiatives
Contribute to architecture reviews and company‑wide infrastructure standards for data storage, access, and security
What You Bring To The Table
10+ years of backend or platform engineering experience, with 5+ focused on large‑scale database systems
Proven experience architecting high‑throughput, low‑latency database infrastructures in production environments
Deep expertise in MySQL and PlanetScale; strong proficiency with Cloud Spanner, Postgres, or BigQuery
Experience building and leading platform‑level automation and self‑service tooling using Terraform, Kubernetes (GKE), and Python or Go
Expertise in observability, monitoring, and incident management for distributed data systems
Ability to collaborate cross‑functionally with engineering, SRE, and product leadership
Passion for building systems that are secure, resilient, and developer‑friendly
Bonus Points If You Have
Experience running multi‑tenant or hybrid database architectures at global scale
Knowledge of Vitess, Kafka, or Pub/Sub for distributed data access
Familiarity with service mesh (Istio) or database proxy management
Compensation, Benefits & Perks
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 $258,000 – $314,000, 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 that we expect you to take!
Competitive health, dental, and vision insurance (100% employee and 75% dependent PPO, Dental, VSP Choice).
Employer‑sponsored 401(k) plan with company match.
Access to LinkedIn Learning and other resources to support professional growth.
Paid Family Leave, FSA, HSA, commuter benefits, and wellness benefits.
40 hours of annual paid time off to participate in volunteer programs of choice.
Why Join Quizlet?
Massive reach: 60M+ users, 1B+ interactions per week
Cutting‑edge tech: Generative AI, adaptive learning, cognitive science
Strong momentum: Top‑tier investors, sustainable business, real traction
Mission‑first: Work that makes a difference in people’s lives
Inclusive culture: Committed to equity, diversity, and belonging
In Closing At Quizlet, we’re excited about passionate people joining our team—even if you don’t check every box on the requirements list. We value unique perspectives and believe everyone has something meaningful to contribute. Our culture is all about taking initiative, learning through challenges, and striving for high‑quality work while staying curious and open to new ideas. We believe in honest, respectful communication, thoughtful collaboration, and creating a supportive space where everyone can grow and succeed together.
Quizlet’s success as an online learning community depends on a strong commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion. 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!
#J-18808-Ljbffr