Staff Software Engineer, Cloud SQL, MySQL

Google's software engineers develop the next-generation technologies that change how billions of users connect, explore, and interact with information and one another. Our products need to handle information at massive scale, and extend well beyond web search. We're looking for engineers who bring fresh ideas from all areas, including information retrieval, distributed computing, large-scale system design, networking and data storage, security, artificial intelligence, natural language processing, UI design and mobile; the list goes on and is growing every day. As a software engineer, you will work on a specific project critical to Google’s needs with opportunities to switch teams and projects as you and our fast-paced business grow and evolve. We need our engineers to be versatile, display leadership qualities and be enthusiastic to take on new problems across the full-stack as we continue to push technology forward.

Cloud SQL for MySQL is a vital growth engine for the Google Cloud Platform (GCP) ecosystem. Our team is responsible for evolving MySQL into an industry-leading platform capable of managing the world’s most demanding workloads with minimal operational overhead.

In this role, you will architect next-generation capabilities and operational enhancements, integrating agentic AI to help customers offload complex backend management. You will act as a partner to Product Management, transforming enterprise demands into high-velocity engineering roadmaps. You will serve as a key technical authority within the MySQL community, delivering product innovations to a massive global customer base.

Google Cloud accelerates every organization’s ability to digitally transform its business and industry. We deliver enterprise-grade solutions that leverage Google’s cutting-edge technology, and tools that help developers build more sustainably. Customers in more than 200 countries and territories turn to Google Cloud as their trusted partner to enable growth and solve their most critical business problems.

The US base salary range for this full-time position is $207,000-$300,000 + bonus + equity + benefits. Our salary ranges are determined by role, level, and location. Within the range, individual pay is determined by work location and additional factors, including job-related skills, experience, and relevant education or training. Your recruiter can share more about the specific salary range for your preferred location during the hiring process.

Please note that the compensation details listed in US role postings reflect the base salary only, and do not include bonus, equity, or benefits. Learn more about benefits at Google.

Responsibilities

• Lead the architectural design and execution of projects for the Managed MySQL service, ensuring extreme reliability, performance, and scalability.
  
• Contribute to shaping the long-term goal and technical roadmap for Cloud SQL MySQL, balancing feature delivery with long-term infrastructure health.
  Collaborate with Product Management to define requirements and translate customer needs into actionable engineering milestones.
• Act as a technical consultant across GCP Databases, driving alignment and best practices across product areas and global geographic locations.
  
• Foster a high-performance engineering culture by mentoring junior engineers and establishing standards for technical excellence and teamwork.
  
• Drive operational excellence by overseeing complex backend systems and resource planning to minimize operational overhead for customers at scale.

Minimum qualifications:

• Bachelor's degree or equivalent practical experience.
  
• 8 years of experience in software development.
• 5 years of experience building and developing large-scale infrastructure, distributed systems or networks, or experience with compute technologies, storage, or hardware architecture.
  
• 3 years of experience with software design and architecture.
• Experience with MySQL, distributed databases, and relational database management systems.
  

Preferred qualifications:

• Master’s degree or PhD in Engineering, Computer Science, or a related technical field.
  
• 8 years of experience with data structures and algorithms.
• Experience with MySQL, MariaDB, or other databases, and database internals.
• Experience designing and developing performance-intensive systems.
• Experience building managed services (e.g., databases or storage) and working with cloud platforms.