Staff Software Engineer, Messaging Infrastructure
Job Summary
Reddit seeks a Staff Software Engineer with extensive experience in developing large-scale, internet infrastructure and distributed systems. The role focuses on engineering Kafka as a platform and promoting event-driven architectures, with tasks including automation, scaling, and promoting asynchronous communication. Candidates should have strong troubleshooting skills, Kubernetes experience, and the ability to work collaboratively within cross-functional teams. The position offers competitive benefits and opportunities to impact a global user base.
Required Skills
Benefits
Job Description
The Messaging Infrastructure team is looking to hire a Staff Software Engineer that thrives at the intersection of infrastructure and software development. This team’s challenges break into 2 domains, which we consider engineering Kafka as a platform and promoting event driven architectures.
Engineering Kafka as a platform: Higher-level orchestration of Kafka to support our multi-cloud, multi-region, deployments on top of Kubernetes. A subset of current focuses include:
- Software automation that creates, manages, and destroys stateful Kafka clusters in our stateless Kubernetes environments.
- APIs and controllers that support operation of kafka clusters at scale atop kubernetes
- Automation of replication and other cluster management concerns.
Promoting event driven architectures: Reddit is increasingly adopting geographically distributed, eventually consistent architectures. As part of this shift, many systems are shifting to event driven architectures, and the Messaging team is working to make this adoption simpler and faster. Current projects are:
- Schema Registries and enforcement
- Capacity management and ACLs through client enforced authentication
- GitOps and other developer experience tooling for Kafka interaction
As a member of the Messaging team, your work will span these 2 domains, which are rich with challenging infrastructure and software engineering problems. You will work with a team of engineers to develop a vision for asynchronous communication tooling. Your work will directly impact hundreds of millions of users around the world. Join us and help build the future of Reddit!
In your day-to-day, you can expect to:
- Work collaboratively with a team of software engineers to create and maintain the foundational platform for running Reddit’s infrastructure.
- Deliver software to improve the availability, scalability, latency, and efficiency of Kafka and other messaging components.
- Contribute feedback to the technical and strategic direction of eventing at Reddit.
- Automate critical aspects of the event driven development process
- Share on-call responsibilities.
You have:
- 7+ years of experience developing internet-scale software, preferably in the context of infrastructure.
- Experience with asynchronous communication patterns and solutions, bonus if familiar with Kafka specifically or experience building large-scale infrastructure.
- Experience developing on top of Kubernetes or similar distributed systems.
- Kubernetes controller or operator development experience is a huge plus.
- Strong troubleshooting capabilities surrounding both systems and software.
- Experience engineering large systems, tracking work, and being a self-starter on projects.
- Excellent communication skills to collaborate with a service-oriented team and company.
- Experience navigating cross-functional migrations
- Experience mentoring other engineers.
Benefits:
- Comprehensive Healthcare Benefits and Income Replacement Programs
- 401k Match
- Family Planning Support
- Gender-Affirming Care
- Mental Health & Coaching Benefits
- Flexible Vacation & Reddit Global Days off
- Generous paid Parental Leave
- Paid Volunteer time off
#LI-remote, #LI-JS5
Pay Transparency:
This job posting may span more than one career level.
In addition to base salary, this job is eligible to receive equity in the form of restricted stock units, and depending on the position offered, it may also be eligible to receive a commission. Additionally, Reddit offers a wide range of benefits to U.S.-based employees, including medical, dental, and vision insurance, 401(k) program with employer match, generous time off for vacation, and parental leave. To learn more, please visit https://www.redditinc.com/careers/.
To provide greater transparency to candidates, we share base pay ranges for all US-based job postings regardless of state. We set standard base pay ranges for all roles based on function, level, and country location, benchmarked against similar stage growth companies. Final offer amounts are determined by multiple factors including, skills, depth of work experience and relevant licenses/credentials, and may vary from the amounts listed below.
Reddit is proud to be an equal opportunity employer, and is committed to building a workforce representative of the diverse communities we serve. Reddit is committed to providing reasonable accommodations for qualified individuals with disabilities and disabled veterans in our job application procedures. If, due to a disability, you need an accommodation during the interview process, please let your recruiter know.
A social media platform where users create and participate in communities (subreddits) to discuss a wide range of topics, share content, and connect.
See more jobsSafe Remote Job Search Tips
Verify Employer Thoroughly
Research the company's identity thoroughly before applying. Check for a professional website with contacts, active social media, and LinkedIn profiles. Verify details across platforms and look for reviews on Glassdoor or Trustpilot to confirm legitimacy.
Never Pay to Get a Job
Legitimate employers never require payment for applications, training, background checks, or equipment. Always reject upfront payment requests or demands for bank details, even if they claim it's for purchasing necessary work gear on your behalf.
Safeguard Your Personal Information
Protect sensitive data like SSN, bank details, or ID copies. Share this only after accepting a formal, written job offer. Ensure it's submitted via a secure company system or portal, never through insecure channels like standard email attachments.
Scrutinize Communication & Interviews
Watch for communication red flags: poor grammar, generic emails (@gmail), vague details, or undue pressure. Be highly suspicious of interviews held only via text or chat apps; legitimate companies typically use video or phone calls.
Beware of Unrealistic Offers
If an offer's salary or benefits seem unrealistically high for the work involved, be cautious. Research standard pay for similar roles. Offers that appear 'too good to be true' are often scams designed to lure you into providing information or payment.
Insist on a Formal Contract
Always secure and review a formal, written job offer or employment contract before starting work or sharing final personal details. Ensure it clearly defines your role, compensation, key terms, and conditions to avoid misunderstandings or scams.