Software Engineer (Cassandra)

NetApp, Inc.•Durham, NC

6d•$170,000 - $253,000

About The Position

NetApp is pioneering StorageGRID object storage—AWS cloud-compatible software that helps power the exponential growth of AI data lakes. As a Software Engineer, Cassandra at the MTS 4 level, you will focus primarily on Java-based Cassandra development for the distributed database layer that underpins StorageGRID metadata services, scale-out reliability, upgradeability, and enterprise customer workloads. This role is ideal for an experienced hands-on engineer who enjoys working deep in distributed systems, database internals, open-source technologies, product integration, performance, and reliability engineering within a mission-critical object storage product. As a Software Engineer, Cassandra on the StorageGRID team, you will operate as a strong independent contributor focused primarily on Java Cassandra development. You will design and implement Cassandra-related features, improve product integration, and strengthen scale, upgrade, and operational behavior for enterprise deployments. At the Software Engineer, the role requires strong technical depth, end-to-end ownership, sound design judgment, and the ability to influence peers through high-quality code, thoughtful reviews, and clear technical communication.

Requirements

8–12 years of experience in backend, systems, database, storage, or distributed systems engineering
Strong programming skills in Java, with experience in Python, Go, C/C++, or similar languages a plus
Hands-on experience with Apache Cassandra or comparable distributed database / NoSQL systems, preferably at the internals or platform integration level
Practical knowledge of open-source development practices, including code reviews, design discussions, patch quality, testing expectations, and community collaboration
Solid understanding of replication, consistency, partitioning, failure handling, node lifecycle, and cluster coordination
Experience designing and debugging complex software systems in Linux-based, scale-out, or storage-oriented environments
Ability to independently drive feature development, technical investigations, root-cause analysis, and problem resolution
Strong communication skills with the ability to write clear designs, explain trade-offs, and collaborate across distributed teams
Bachelor’s or Master’s degree in Computer Science, Computer Engineering, or related field, or equivalent practical experience

Nice To Haves

Deep experience with Cassandra internals such as storage engine, compaction, repair, indexing, schema evolution, upgrades, or release management
Experience integrating Cassandra or similar distributed databases into enterprise storage, object storage, cloud, or scale-out infrastructure products
Experience with performance optimization, benchmarking, observability, and large-scale production troubleshooting
Experience contributing to or working with open-source database, storage, or distributed systems projects
Familiarity with StorageGRID, object storage concepts, S3, Kubernetes, containerized services, CI/CD pipelines, and modern development workflows
Exposure to AI-assisted development tools and workflows for code generation, review, debugging, testing, or documentation

Responsibilities

Design and implement Java-based Cassandra features and improvements with end-to-end ownership
Translate product, scale, upgrade, supportability, and customer requirements into clear Cassandra technical designs
Make sound trade-offs across availability, data protection, consistency, performance, maintainability, and operational simplicity in large-scale distributed database systems
Develop high-quality, efficient, and maintainable code in Java and related database/system technologies
Troubleshoot complex StorageGRID issues involving Cassandra storage, compaction, repair, replication, consistency, node lifecycle, and cluster behavior
Build deep expertise in how Cassandra supports StorageGRID metadata, availability, and customer operations
Participate in Cassandra and StorageGRID design reviews and propose improvements to database architecture, product integration, and operational behavior
Influence component-level design in areas such as metadata services, observability, repair, upgradeability, node lifecycle, and cluster operations
Apply practical knowledge of open-source development models, code review practices, issue tracking, and community-driven engineering workflows
Work with upstream-style development expectations, including clear design rationale, high-quality patches, maintainable tests, and constructive technical discussion
Balance product needs with broader distributed database ecosystem considerations while following company contribution, legal, and compliance processes
Deliver Cassandra changes that meet StorageGRID product requirements and release-quality standards
Contribute to code reviews, issue triage, root-cause analysis, and test strategy for Cassandra-related StorageGRID work
Optimize Cassandra for StorageGRID scale, throughput, resiliency, node expansion, and failure recovery
Lead performance analysis, benchmarking, capacity planning, and system tuning across StorageGRID Cassandra deployments
Improve diagnostics, fault tolerance, upgrade safety, and operational debuggability for Cassandra within StorageGRID
Drive medium-to-large Cassandra initiatives from design through implementation, validation, and release readiness
Identify risks, dependencies, and technical trade-offs early, and communicate clearly with stakeholders
Collaborate closely with the existing senior Cassandra developer, StorageGRID engineering, QA, product management, supportability, support, and field teams
Provide backup support for Cassandra orchestration, troubleshooting, testing, supportability, and release readiness workflows as needed