Senior Database Engineer

About the role

Crunchyroll is growing and changing, presenting unique challenges and opportunities to support millions of anime fans around the world. The Data Engineering team provides seamless help to our internal stakeholders, ensuring an exceptional experience for all Crunchyroll fans. As a Database Engineer for the Data Engineering team, you will be responsible for maintaining and enhancing the reliability of our data infrastructure. Your work will directly impact the availability and performance of our data services, enabling the organization to make data-driven decisions.

• Partner with tech leadership to raise the collective database expertise of the team.
• Drive deep application performance analysis. Own the identification, debugging, and elimination of query execution bottlenecks, optimizing raw SQL, missing indexes, execution plans, and data models to maximize throughput and minimize latency.
• Design, scale, and evaluate schemas leveraging AWS-native database services, including Amazon RDS, Aurora (MySQL/PostgreSQL), and NoSQL engines (DynamoDB), ensuring systems adhere strictly to rigorous scalability benchmarks.
• Execute deep-dive performance forensics into database engine behaviors, memory structures, replication lag, locking mechanisms, and OS/hardware saturation metrics (such as Disk/IO performance) to preemptively address platform degradation.
• Partner closely with internal application development and data teams to review data access patterns, optimize application-level database interaction layers, and establish organizational standards around indexing and schema configurations.
• Partner with Database SRE specialists to ensure highly optimized query layouts, correct database configuration and schemas translate seamlessly into platform automation and IaC frameworks.

Responsibilities

• Database Strategy & Technical Leadership: Act as the strategic subject matter expert for database engine best practices, storage engines, and long-term data placement strategy across the broader engineering organization.
• SQL Optimization & Application Performance: Drive deep application performance analysis. Own the identification, debugging, and elimination of query execution bottlenecks, optimizing raw SQL, missing indexes, execution plans, and data models to maximize throughput and minimize latency.
• Cloud Database Architecture & Scale: Design, scale, and evaluate schemas leveraging AWS-native database services, including Amazon RDS, Aurora (MySQL/PostgreSQL), and NoSQL engines (DynamoDB), ensuring systems adhere strictly to rigorous scalability benchmarks.
• Database Internals & Systems Analysis: Execute deep-dive performance forensics into database engine behaviors, memory structures, replication lag, locking mechanisms, and OS/hardware saturation metrics (such as Disk/IO performance) to preemptively address platform degradation.
• Engineering Mentorship & Advisory: Partner closely with internal application development and data teams to review data access patterns, optimize application-level database interaction layers, and establish organizational standards around indexing and schema configurations.
• Cross-Functional Collaboration: Partner with Database SRE specialists to ensure highly optimized query layouts, correct database configuration and schemas translate seamlessly into platform automation and IaC frameworks.

Requirements

• Bachelor's degree in Computer Science, Information Technology, or a related field.
• 8+ years of experience in database operations, or a related role with a focus on data platforms, data stores, data operations.
• Extensive experience with AWS cloud platform and their data-related services.
• Proficiency in monitoring tools (e.g., Datadog, CloudWatch, DevOps Guru, DB Performance Insights).
• Proficiency in one or more programming languages (e.g. Python, Java).
• Strong understanding of various performance metrics both at a high level and at a low level like Disk/IO saturation.
• Experience in identifying and eliminating the bottlenecks in the system.
• Strong understanding of database internals like types of indexes, schemas, query plans.
• Strong understanding of database systems (e.g., SQL, NoSQL) and experience in managing large-scale data infrastructures.
• Basic knowledge and some hands-on implementation of CI/CD pipelines and DatabaseOps practices.
• Experience with data governance, compliance, and lifecycle management.
• Strong problem-solving skills and a proactive approach to identifying and addressing issues.
• Able to independently own and execute projects while effectively collaborating with the team to influence and shape the vision of the data engineering organization.
• Strong communication skills and the ability to mentor and guide junior engineers.

Qualifications

• Deep experience in AWS RDS, Aurora and NoSQL is a must.
• Experience with data governance, compliance, and lifecycle management.
• Strong problem-solving skills and a proactive approach to identifying and addressing issues.
• Able to independently own and execute projects while effectively collaborating with the team to influence and shape the vision of the data engineering organization.
• Strong communication skills and the ability to mentor and guide junior engineers.

Skills

• Strong understanding of database internals like types of indexes, schemas, query plans.
• Strong understanding of database systems (e.g., SQL, NoSQL) and experience in managing large-scale data infrastructures.
• Experience with data governance, compliance, and lifecycle management.
• Strong problem-solving skills and a proactive approach to identifying and addressing issues.
• Able to independently own and execute projects while effectively collaborating with the team to influence and shape the vision of the data engineering organization.
• Strong communication skills and the ability to mentor and guide junior engineers.

Benefits

Receive a great compensation package including salary plus performance bonus earning potential, paid annually.

Flexible time off policies allowing you to take the time you need to be your whole self.

Generous medical, dental, vision, STD, LTD, and life insurance.

Health Saving Account HSA program.

Health care and dependent care FSA.

401(k) plan, with employer match.

Employer paid commuter benefit.

Pet insurance and some of our offices are pet friendly!

Pay

The Pay Range for this position is listed. Actual pay will vary based on factors including, but not limited to location, experience, and performance.

The range listed is just one component of Crunchyroll’s Total Rewards offerings for employees. Other rewards may include performance bonuses, employer matched retirement savings, time-off programs, and progressive health benefits and perks.