Senior Backend Engineer and Database Expert

Remote

PowerSync is an open-source and source-available sync engine designed for building synced, local-first and offline-first apps. It enables seamless synchronization between client-side SQLite databases and server-side backend databases such as Postgres, MongoDB, or MySQL. Having synced SQLite allows developers to create responsive, offline-capable apps with simplified state management and real-time data syncing, sidestepping what we call “the network tarpit”. Our sync service handles the server-side logic and solves one of the trickiest problems in sync: partial replication at scale. We’re committed to open-source development and are looking to expand our team to tackle server-side challenges in high-scale environments.

Role overview

In this role you will play a pivotal role in enhancing PowerSync’s core sync capabilities, with a strong focus on scaling, hardening, and performance. The PowerSync Service is the server-side component that connects to backend databases, and you’ll work on optimizing it for large TB+ datasets, fault tolerance for upstream systems, high concurrency and overall reliability. You will write production code, contributing primarily to our source-available repository and our hosted cloud infrastructure. You’ll collaborate with cross-functional teams to support global deployments at scale. We prefer candidates with expertise in both Postgres and MongoDB, given PowerSync’s direct integrations with these databases. A willingness to learn MySQL and SQL Server (support in PowerSync is WIP) is preferred, since our team is generally polyglot across stacks.

This is a full-time remote position, with opportunities to influence the project’s direction in a fast-paced, innovative environment.

Key responsibilities

• ** DevOps Is Not a Job Title, It’s a Culture **

• You will own the full lifecycle of writing & finalizing proposals to implementing, deploying and supporting large projects.

• ** Scaling Initiatives **

• Architect and implement scalable backend solutions to handle increasing data volumes and user loads. This includes designing sharding, load balancing, and horizontal scaling strategies.

• ** Core Protocol Improvements **

• The core PowerSync protocol has been battle-tested at scale but there are many enhancements you’ll help us with. You need to be comfortable working at the very lowest protocol layer and this requires strong systems engineering skills and a rigorous mindset. You can browse our proposals for an idea of what this entails.

• ** Stability Enhancements **

• Develop fault-tolerant mechanisms, such as automated failover, retry logic, and monitoring of integrations, to ensure high availability and minimize downtime during replication and sync operations.

• ** Performance Optimization **

• Profile and tune database queries, indexing, and replication processes to achieve low-latency syncing. Analyze bottlenecks in end-to-end data throughput and implement caching, batching, or asynchronous processing as needed.

• ** Database Integration and Expertise **

• Lead efforts in PowerSync’s backend database modules, with a primary focus on Postgres and MongoDB. Troubleshoot complex issues like CDC stream buffer overflows, consistency and DBMS-specific optimizations and quirks.

• ** Code Contribution **

• Maintain and extend the monorepo, including core service code, libraries (e.g., lib-mongodb for MongoDB-specific logic), and utilities for microservices. Work directly with teams at these database companies when bugfixes are required.

• ** Testing and Deployment **

• Extend our comprehensive test suites and support containerized deployments.

Required qualifications

• ** Experience **

• 7+ years in backend engineering, with at least 4 years focused on database-heavy systems. Proven track record in building and scaling production-grade services.

• ** Technical Skills **

• Expert-level knowledge of Postgres and/or MongoDB, preferably both. This includes advanced topics like query optimization, partitioning, replication (e.g., logical replication in Postgres, oplog in MongoDB), and performance tuning tools (e.g., EXPLAIN ANALYZE, MongoDB Profiler).

• Proficiency in Node.js and TypeScript, as the service is built in a JavaScript-based ecosystem.

• Experience with distributed systems, microservices architecture, and tools like Kubernetes and Pulumi for deployment.

• Strong understanding of relevant domains such as data synchronization protocols, real-time streaming (e.g., WebSockets and HTTP/2 streams), and handling consistency in distributed systems.

• Knowledge of our cloud stack (AWS, MongoDB Atlas, Kubernetes) for managed scaling.

• ** Problem-Solving **

• Demonstrated ability to diagnose and resolve performance issues in high-traffic environments, using metrics from tools like Prometheus, Grafana, or database-specific monitoring.

• ** Soft Skills **

• Excellent communication for collaborating on open-source projects, with a passion for stability and efficiency in software design. Must enjoy engaging with the open source community and “getting out of the building”.

Preferred qualifications

• Hands-on experience with MySQL or other relational/NoSQL databases, especially in hybrid setups.
• Familiarity with sync engines, CDC tools (e.g., Debezium), and/or local-first frameworks.
• Contributions to open-source projects, particularly in database or backend domains.
• Experience with additional libraries or tools relevant to PowerSync, such as utilities for microservices or data replication.

What we offer

• Competitive salaries.
• Opportunity to work on impactful open-source technology used by developers worldwide.
• Flexible remote work with a collaborative team. Team offsites.
• World-class engineering culture.
• Professional growth through challenging projects in scaling and database innovation.

If you’re a database wizard excited about powering the next generation of local-first apps, apply with your resume, GitHub profile, and examples of past work.

How to apply

Email us at join@powersync.com