Principal Software Engineer - Backend + Postgres

Veeva is a pioneer in building the industry cloud for life sciences, helping companies speed medicines to patients, and we are expanding into new markets. As one of the fastest-growing SaaS companies in history, we surpassed $2B in revenue in our last fiscal year, with significant growth potential ahead. 
At the heart of Veeva are our values: Do the Right Thing, Customer Success, Employee Success, and Speed. We’re not just any public company – in 2021, we made history by becoming a public benefit corporation (PBC), legally committed to balancing the interests of customers, employees, society, and investors.
As a Work Anywhere company, you can work from home or in the office on any given day, choosing to work where you are most productive.
The Role
We’re kicking off a brand-new enterprise platform and need a Principal Engineer who’s built and scaled real-world applications and is an expert with Postgres. You’ve tackled big architectural challenges, made tough calls, and know what it takes to keep things fast and reliable. Deep PostgreSQL expertise is a must—you’ll shape the database from the ground up, making sure it scales smoothly as we grow. If you love greenfield projects and want to build something that lasts, let’s talk. Be a founding member of the platform!

What You'll Do

• Start by building on and enhancing the foundations of the application we've established, then transition into leading new, greenfield development
• Take full ownership of key subsystems (e.g. user management, workflow engines, job queues, etc.), evolving them from early-stage implementation to mature, scalable solutions in a multi-tenant enterprise application
• Through design and code reviews, ensure that PostgreSQL is used with scalability in mind. Avoiding decisions that won't hold up long-term
• Establish database observability and automation, setting up monitoring, troubleshooting, backups, upgrades, and deployments
• Ensure high-quality, low-drama production with comprehensive testing
• Mentor junior engineers, fostering technical excellence and a strong engineering culture

Requirements

• Extensive experience building multi-tenant SaaS enterprise applications
• Strong background in systems software development, using C, C++, Rust, or Java.  If Java, some experience focused on low-level systems work
• Deep Postgres expertise, including query optimization, indexing strategies, and scalability best practices
• Strong understanding of Postgre internals, such as MVCC, vacuuming, and how queries are executed
• Hands-on experience with operational tasks, including backups, upgrades, replication, and high availability
• Comfortable taking on multiple roles and adapting to shifting priorities in a fast-moving environment
• Skilled at aligning technical execution with business priorities to drive product success
• We are looking for strong mentors with a proven record of making your team better

Nice to Have

• Some MySQL experience
• The new platform is being written in Rust, so some Rust experience would be helpful

Learn More

• Engineer Perspective: 3 Reasons to Consider Veeva
• Engineering at Veeva

Perks & Benefits

• Medical, dental, vision, and basic life insurance
• Flexible PTO and company paid holidays
• Retirement programs
• 1% charitable giving program

Compensation

• Base pay: $150,000 - $300,000
• The salary range listed here has been provided to comply with local regulations and represents a potential base salary range for this role. Please note that actual salaries may vary within the range above or below, depending on experience and location. We look at compensation for each individual and base our offer on your unique qualifications, experience, and expected contributions. This position may also be eligible for other types of compensation in addition to base salary, such as variable bonus and/or stock bonus.

#LI-Remote
Veeva’s headquarters is located in the San Francisco Bay Area with offices in more than 15 countries around the world.
Veeva is an equal-opportunity employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, religion, national origin or ancestry, age, disability, marital status, pregnancy, protected veteran status, protected genetic information, political affiliation, or any other characteristics protected by local laws, regulations, or ordinances. If you need assistance or accommodation due to a disability or special need when applying for a role or in our recruitment process, please contact us at talent_accommodations@veeva.com. Apply