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Staff Database Engineer Jobs in California (NOW HIRING)

Trial Library

Staff Data Engineer

San Francisco, CA · On-site

About the Role We're hiring a Staff Data Engineer to own the pipelines that move patient data ... Strong systems thinking, encompassing backend architecture, APIs, databases, and scalability under ...

Centurum

Database Developer (AWS) - Depot

San Diego, CA · On-site

$55.32 - $64.04/hr

Provides SQL Server Database engineering expertise to support recommendations, designs, development ... Great team attitude and able to work comfortably with technical staff as well as business and non ...

Centurum, Inc

Database Developer (AWS) - Depot

San Diego, CA · On-site

$55.32 - $64.04/hr

Provides SQL Server Database engineering expertise to support recommendations, designs, development ... Great team attitude and able to work comfortably with technical staff as well as business and non ...

Centurum

Database Developer (AWS) - Depot

San Diego, CA · On-site

$55.32 - $64.04/hr

Provides SQL Server Database engineering expertise to support recommendations, designs, development ... Great team attitude and able to work comfortably with technical staff as well as business and non ...

CYNET SYSTEMS

Senior Data Engineer

San Jose, CA · On-site

$55 - $60/hr

Experience with other relational or NoSQL databases and cross-database migrations. * Background ... leading technology staffing and workforce solutions company serving Fortune 500 companies ...

CYNET SYSTEMS

Senior Data Engineer

San Jose, CA · On-site

$55 - $60/hr

Experience with other relational or NoSQL databases and cross-database migrations. * Background ... leading technology staffing and workforce solutions company serving Fortune 500 companies ...

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Staff Database Engineer information

See California salary details

$59.7K

$120.5K

$165.3K

How much do staff database engineer jobs pay per year?

As of Sep 10, 2026, the average yearly pay for staff database engineer in California is $120,513.00, according to ZipRecruiter salary data. Most workers in this role earn between $98,200.00 and $138,200.00 per year, depending on experience, location, and employer.

What does a staff database engineer do?

A Staff Database Engineer is responsible for designing, implementing, and maintaining complex database systems to ensure high performance, security, and reliability. They often lead database architecture decisions, optimize queries, and collaborate with software engineers to support application requirements. Additionally, they oversee data migrations, establish best practices, and may mentor junior engineers. Their expertise helps organizations manage large volumes of data efficiently and securely.

What are the key skills and qualifications needed to thrive as a staff database engineer?

To excel as a Staff Database Engineer, you need deep expertise in database architecture, SQL and NoSQL systems, performance tuning, and a degree in computer science or related fields. Familiarity with tools like MySQL, PostgreSQL, MongoDB, cloud database services, and certifications such as AWS Certified Database – Specialty are commonly expected. Strong problem-solving, collaboration, and communication skills help you effectively design solutions and coordinate with cross-functional teams. These skills ensure robust, scalable, and secure data infrastructures that support organizational goals and high system availability.

How does a staff database engineer typically collaborate with software development and DevOps teams?

As a Staff Database Engineer, you will frequently work alongside software developers to optimize database queries and ensure data models align with application requirements. Collaboration with DevOps teams is also common, especially for deploying database changes, automating backups, and maintaining high availability. Clear communication and documentation are essential, as you may lead database design reviews, help troubleshoot production issues, and establish best practices that support both rapid development and system stability.

What is the difference between Staff Database Engineer vs Database Administrator?

AspectStaff Database EngineerDatabase Administrator
Primary FocusDesigning, developing, and optimizing database systemsMaintaining, securing, and backing up databases
Skills & CertificationsSQL, data modeling, performance tuning, often with certifications like Oracle or Microsoft SQL ServerDatabase management, backup/recovery, security, often with certifications like Oracle DBA or Microsoft Certified Database Administrator
Work EnvironmentDevelopment teams, data engineering projects, cloud platformsIT operations, support teams, data security teams
Industry UsageTech companies, finance, healthcare, any data-driven organizationLarge enterprises, government agencies, organizations with extensive data management needs

The main difference is that Staff Database Engineers focus on designing and building database systems, while Database Administrators primarily manage and maintain existing databases. Both roles require strong SQL skills and certifications, but their responsibilities and work environments differ significantly.

How do you become a staff database engineer?

To become a staff database engineer, candidates typically need extensive experience in database design, management, and optimization, often 8+ years in related roles. Advanced knowledge of SQL, data modeling, and familiarity with database management systems like Oracle, SQL Server, or PostgreSQL are essential, along with strong problem-solving and leadership skills. Earning relevant certifications and demonstrating the ability to lead complex projects can also support career advancement to this senior level.

How much money does a staff database engineer make?

A staff database engineer typically earns between $120,000 and $180,000 annually, depending on experience, location, and company size. They often have advanced skills in database management, SQL, and cloud platforms, which can influence salary levels.

What is a staff database engineer?

A staff database engineer is a senior technical role responsible for designing, developing, and maintaining large-scale database systems. They often lead complex projects, optimize database performance, and collaborate with engineering teams, typically requiring expertise in SQL, data modeling, and database management tools.
Staff Database Engineer jobs near you
Infographic showing various Staff Database Engineer job openings in California as of August 2026, with employment types broken down into 1% As Needed, 74% Full Time, 18% Part Time, 1% Temporary, and 6% Contract. Highlights an 93% Physical, 1% Hybrid, and 6% Remote job distribution, with an average salary of $120,513 per year, or $57.9 per hour.

Staff Data Engineer

San Francisco, CA • On-site

Trial Library
Scientific Research and Development Services • 11 - 50 employees
Learn more about Trial Libraryexternal

Full-time

Medical, Dental, Vision, Life, Retirement, PTO

Posted 22 days ago

Job description

Trial Library is an AI-native research platform with a mission to improve healthcare outcomes by expanding access to precision medicine. 
 
About Trial Library

Trial Library is an AI-native enrollment and care navigation platform that accelerates access to precision medicine. In collaboration with biopharmaceutical manufacturers, payers, and health systems, Trial Library enables the delivery of clinical trials as a standard care option - improving patient access, advancing oncology outcomes, and reducing the total cost of care. Backed by leading healthcare venture capital firms, Trial Library's platform is currently deployed in 840+ clinics and 3,000+ providers nationwide.


About the Role

We're hiring a Staff Data Engineer to own the pipelines that move patient data through our platform, from EMR systems to the workflows our teams use to identify eligible patients for clinical trials and help them enroll.

This is the center of a major architectural shift for us: moving from narrow, human-assisted data pulls to robust, automated integrations that ingest complete patient records. The clean, complete, and trustworthy data you'll manage powers our AI-assisted patient-trial matching. If healthcare data at HIPAA-grade stakes, messy real-world inputs, and pipelines that genuinely change patient outcomes sound like the right problem space, please keep reading.

Our engineering culture values direct communication, strong ownership, and low-ego collaboration. We laugh a lot and use a ton of Slack emojis. We make decisions quickly, give open feedback, and have a strong bias toward action.

How We Build with AI

AI is deeply embedded in how we work, in our product, and in our SDLC. Our embrace of it didn't come from a mandate but from our own desire as engineers to do more, safely. We use it for coding, testing, measuring, and iterating, and we treat it as a genuine competitive advantage. We're looking for someone who shares that instinct: excited to question long-standing processes and think ambitiously about what's possible when you pair strong engineering fundamentals with AI tooling. If you're already building that way, you'll fit right in.

Underneath it all is a modern platform built on AWS (Lambda, Fargate, SQS, RDS, Bedrock) with Pulumi-managed infrastructure. Our backend is primarily TypeScript, and our data layer centers on PostgreSQL and Drizzle. We care about pragmatic architecture, developer velocity, and systems that evolve as fast as our product and AI capabilities do.

Your Responsibilities

You will own the ingestion and transformation pipelines that bring patient records into our platform and shape them into data our matching systems and human experts can trust.

That means designing for reliability in compute-intensive, long-running workflows: the kind of problems where serial processing breaks under load, timeouts become production incidents, and the right architecture (async pipelines, message queues, container-based compute) separates a working feature from a failing one. You'll own data quality end-to-end: schema design, validation, transformation logic, and the monitoring that catches problems before a clinician does.

You'll partner closely with our AI engineers on the data foundations for patient-trial matching and with our product engineers on how ingested data flows into the workflows our users depend on. You'll monitor production, triage issues quickly, and exercise pragmatic judgment by matching technology to business needs.

Your Qualifications

We are looking for a data engineer with 8 or more years of experience, with at least a couple of years operating at staff scope or equivalent impact. Beyond tenure, what matters most is whether you have demonstrated the kind of high-impact ownership this role requires.

  • Strong pipeline engineering: ingestion, transformation, and orchestration of data at meaningful scale, with real attention to data quality and reliability.

  • Deep SQL and PostgreSQL fluency, including schema design and query performance

  • Solid Python and comfort working in a codebase with TypeScript.

  • Deep AWS experience (Lambda, Fargate, SQS, RDS, and the surrounding ecosystem) and the ability to choose the right service for the right job.

  • Proven track record of leveraging AI coding tools creatively and effectively to build production systems.

  • Demonstrated ability to take autonomous ownership, identifying and resolving systemic issues independently.

  • Startup experience, where you have built from scratch at an early-stage company and treated ambiguity as an opportunity rather than an obstacle.

  • Strong systems thinking, encompassing backend architecture, APIs, databases, and scalability under real-world constraints.

  • Clear communication and influence, with the ability to explain trade-offs to both engineers and non-engineers to earn trust through honesty.

  • Healthcare alignment with a genuine interest in improving clinical trial access and health equity; HIPAA experience a strong plus.

Nice to Have
Familiarity with IaC tooling (Terraform, Pulumi, etc), clinical or healthcare data standards (EHR/EMR, HL7/FHIR), and API design patterns are all additive. Experience in a regulated industry is a plus.
$168,000 - $230,000 a year
Compensation & On-Site Requirement

This is a hybrid role based in San Francisco, CA, with a requirement of three days per week in the office; Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday. The salary range for this position is $168,000-$230,000 per year and reflects a good faith estimate of base pay for candidates working in this location. Final compensation will be based on experience, skills, and qualifications.

Why Trial Library
  • Meaningful impact - helping patients access clinical trials faster through better technology and workflows
  • High ownership environment - autonomy to build, test, and influence strategy across the business
  • Collaborative team culture - low ego, high trust, and close partnership across functions
  • Opportunity for growth - join at an early stage with meaningful exposure to company-building and decision-making
Our Core Values
  • Ally is our favorite moniker
  • The broadest reach is worth the effort
  • Celebrate measurable improvements in access and  outcomes
  • Fearless advocates for representation in research
  • Incentives matter to stakeholders choosing our products
  • Taking initiative is actually giving
  • We are accountable for the experience of patients and providers
  • Empathy and humility are the real dynamic duo
Our Benefits & Perks
  • Health & Wellness: Comprehensive medical, dental, and vision coverage for employees and eligible dependents, along with disability, life, and supplemental insurance options designed to support your overall well-being.
  • Time Off & Workplace Support: Flexible paid time off, observed company holidays, and a one-time home office stipend to help you create a productive and comfortable remote workspace within our hybrid environment.
  • Financial & Lifestyle Benefits: 401(k) program, pre-tax HSA and FSA options, commuter benefits, financial wellness resources, and access to legal protection plans to support both short- and long-term planning.
  • Additional Support & Voluntary Benefits: Access to voluntary benefit offerings including pet wellness support, domestic partner coverage, and additional programs that support the diverse needs of our team members and their families.
Our Interview Process

Our interview process typically includes four stages, followed by reference checks and an offer. Depending on the role, particularly for technical or senior positions, the process may vary slightly and can include a technical assessment, case study, presentation, practical exercise, additional interview conversations, or conversations with members of our leadership team and investors.

 
 
Trial Library, Inc. is an equal opportunity employer committed to building an inclusive workplace. We provide equal employment opportunities to all employees and applicants and prohibit discrimination and harassment of any kind without regard to race, color, religion, sex (including pregnancy, childbirth, or related medical conditions), sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, national origin, ancestry, age, disability, genetic information, marital status, veteran status, military status, medical condition, family or medical leave status, political affiliation, or any other characteristic protected by applicable federal, state, or local law.
 
Trial Library, Inc. is committed to providing reasonable accommodations for qualified individuals with disabilities throughout the recruiting process. If you require assistance or accommodation, please contact [email protected]
We may use artificial intelligence (AI) tools to support parts of the hiring process, such as reviewing applications, analyzing resumes, or assessing responses and identifying potential inconsistencies or verification signals in application materials based on available information. These tools assist our recruitment team but do not replace human judgment. Final hiring decisions are ultimately made by humans. If you would like more information about how your data is processed, please contact us.
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