Staff Software Engineer, Unified Data Store

Airbnb Airbnb · Consumer · Brazil · Software Engineering

Staff Software Engineer for Airbnb's Unified Data Store (UDS) team in Brazil. This role focuses on designing, building, and operating a modern distributed infrastructure service that serves as Airbnb's global system-of-record for critical data like user profiles, listings, reservations, and financial transactions. The engineer will define technical strategy, architect for scale, drive engineering excellence, empower developers, and collaborate globally. Requires deep expertise in large-scale distributed systems, technical leadership, and a platform mindset. Interest in emerging technologies like Applied AI for data management and observability is a plus.

What you'd actually do

  1. Define Technical Strategy: Lead the multi-year roadmap and long-term architecture for the UDS client stack, balancing immediate execution with systemic platform evolution.
  2. Architect for Scale: Design and operate a high-performance data access layer that abstracts complexities like indexing, replication, and global consistency models.
  3. Drive Engineering Excellence: Lead deep-dive design reviews and establish best practices for building fault-tolerant distributed systems across the organization.
  4. Empower Developers: Act as a bridge between infrastructure and product, creating a unified interface that simplifies how engineers interact with complex data systems.
  5. Collaborate Globally: Partner with UDS and Data Infrastructure teams globally to align architecture, drive adoption, and deliver high-impact solutions.

Skills

Required

  • 9+ years of relevant industry experience
  • Deep expertise in large-scale distributed systems, including storage internals, networking, and consistency models.
  • Demonstrated ability to lead complex technical initiatives, influence architectural decisions across multiple teams, and mentor senior talent.
  • Exceptional ability to articulate complex infrastructure challenges to both technical partners and internal customers.

Nice to have

  • Experience operating at a Senior or Staff level in a high-growth environment.
  • A passion for building high-performance infrastructure services that prioritize developer experience and system reliability at scale.
  • A strong interest in leveraging emerging technologies, including Applied AI, to optimize data management and system observability.

What the JD emphasized

  • Technical North Star
  • Distributed Systems Mastery
  • Technical Leadership
  • Platform Mindset
  • Applied AI