Senior/Staff Software Engineer, Database Team

Pinecone is the trusted AI knowledge company, providing a database platform and marketplace that serves over 10,000 customers and 1 million developers worldwide. The company's mission centers on making AI knowledgeable through fast, accurate, and cost-effective applications built on its core infrastructure.

Pinecone has grown rapidly as AI adoption accelerates across enterprises and developers. The company operates at the intersection of database technology and artificial intelligence, where distributed systems reliability directly impacts how AI applications perform in production. With AI/ML engineer vacancies growing 94.5% year over year and database engineering roles increasingly critical to AI infrastructure, Pinecone is investing heavily in its engineering team to support this expansion.

This is a Senior or Staff Software Engineer position on Pinecone's R&D database team in New York City, working on a hybrid schedule. You'll help build and improve the real-time distributed systems that power AI applications at scale.

What you'll do

• Design and build database features that enable AI applications to run faster and more reliably
• Optimize performance across distributed systems, focusing on metrics like tail latency, throughput, cache efficiency, and operational costs
• Ensure Pinecone's infrastructure runs smoothly across major cloud platforms
• Take ownership of significant technical projects and continuously develop your engineering skills
• Collaborate closely with teammates to solve complex technical problems

What you'll bring

• At least 5 years of professional software engineering experience using Rust, Go, C++, or similar systems programming languages
• Genuine curiosity about how distributed systems work and the willingness to dig into technical challenges
• A creative approach to problem-solving paired with persistence when facing difficult questions
• Openness to learning from feedback and mentorship as you grow in the role
• Strong communication skills and the ability to ask thoughtful questions when clarifying requirements

Nice to have

• Hands-on experience with AWS, GCP, Azure, or a demonstrated ability to pick up new tools quickly
• Familiarity with asynchronous or multi-threaded programming patterns
• A track record of optimizing systems for performance, reliability, or cost efficiency

What they offer

• Comprehensive health coverage including medical, dental, vision, and mental health resources
• 401(k) plan with company match and equity awards
• Flexible time off and paid parental leave
• Annual company retreat and work-from-home equipment stipend