About this role.
Branch is hiring a Senior Database Reliability Engineer to own the reliability, performance, availability, security, and recovery of production MySQL CloudSQL and Google Cloud Spanner systems. The role partners closely with engineering, data, SRE, DevOps, and Cloud Ops teams to guide schema changes, automate testing and deployments, improve monitoring, and resolve production incidents. Candidates need at least five years managing MySQL/CloudSQL at scale, deep SQL and MySQL internals expertise, and experience operating Spanner at scale. This is a remote-first U.S. position with substantial ownership of database architecture, disaster recovery, and global scalability. The position is well suited to a senior infrastructure engineer who can balance hands-on database operations with cross-functional technical leadership.
Role DNA
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Job Complexity
5/5Pace & Pressure
4/5Autonomy Level
5/5Communication Load
4/5Salary analysis
Estimated compensation compared with the broader US market for similar roles.
Core skills
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Sample interview questions
I would first validate the scope through application, database, and infrastructure metrics, then inspect query latency, connection utilization, lock waits, CPU, memory, disk I/O, and replication health. I would identify expensive or newly changed queries using slow-query data and execution plans, mitigate safely through indexing, query changes, throttling, or capacity adjustments, and document the root cause and preventive monitoring afterward.
I would begin with a compatibility review involving application and data stakeholders, define an additive and backward-compatible migration sequence, and test it against production-like data. I would automate validation checks, deploy through controlled stages, monitor downstream consumers and replication or export jobs, and retain a clear rollback or forward-fix plan before removing deprecated fields.
I would define recovery point and recovery time objectives with the business, assess failure modes across regions and dependencies, and ensure backups are encrypted, retained appropriately, and regularly restored in tests. For distributed systems, I would also verify replication behavior, failover procedures, data consistency expectations, access controls, and runbooks through scheduled recovery exercises.
Write-heavy or inefficient queries can increase replication lag, create lock contention, and reduce failover readiness. I assess execution plans, indexes, transaction sizes, isolation behavior, and replica capacity, then optimize queries and schema design while monitoring lag and applying changes in a way that minimizes production risk.
I would evaluate transactional consistency requirements, geographic distribution, write scalability, relational access patterns, operational constraints, cost, and application migration complexity. Spanner can be compelling for globally distributed, strongly consistent workloads, while MySQL may remain the better fit for established workloads where its operational model, performance characteristics, and ecosystem meet requirements efficiently.
About us:
Branch is on a mission to empower workers with financial freedom. We do this by helping companies accelerate payments and providing working Americans with accessible, free financial services. We’re committed to building and delivering more inclusive, transparent, and frictionless financial products.
Our goal of empowerment extends to our own employees, too. Have a great idea? Share it today and it might just get implemented tomorrow. As a member of our team, your voice and creativity matter—and they can directly impact our products, company, and culture.
We not only focus on attracting great talent from across the country, but also on building teams that help that talent thrive. That means valuing a diversity of opinions and working styles, while creating a shared belief in innovation, initiative, and winning together.
Come join our team as we develop new ways to improve the lives of working Americans.
About the role:
This Senior Database Reliability Engineer is responsible for supporting all production database systems so that they run smoothly. We run MySQL 8.4 on Google Cloud Platform’s CloudSQL, alongside Google Cloud Spanner for globally distributed workloads.
Responsibilities include, but are not limited to
- Lead, and take ownership of our core database systems to ensure high levels of performance, availability, and security
- Communicate critical data changes to the data warehousing team
- Work alongside both engineering teams and data teams to shepherd schema changes from design to deployment to ensure architectural and downstream compatibility
- Build and maintain automated test and deployment data pipelines, including production level data testing at scale, with SRE and DevOps teams
- Proactively work on detecting weak areas and incorporate into automated monitoring and production alerting with our Cloud Ops teams
- Document and automate processes to eliminate time spent on recurring tasks
- Evaluate new database features (and products if needed) to meet scalability and global uptime requirements
- Own database backup and recovery, and help establish disaster recovery targets and practices as the systems scale
- Support, debug, and perform RCA on production database issues, and participate in incident response as needed
Qualifications:
- 5+ years of experience managing MySQL/CloudSQL at scale
- Expert at SQL and MySQL specifics including schema design
- Deep knowledge of MySQL internals
- Solid understanding of MySQL replication, SQL tuning, and database optimization while minimizing downtime
- Experience operating Google Cloud Spanner at scale, including schema design and query optimization
- BS in Computer Science or equivalent program
- Bonus points for:
- Payments experience (or related industry)
- Experience with the GCP toolset
- Experience with infrastructure as code
- Experience with Redis
- Experience with global, multi-region deployments including sharding
Compensation:
The base salary range for this role is $175-185k. The salary range displayed reflects an average base salary range for the position across all the U.S. The base salary offered to an applicant could be higher or lower based on each applicant’s specific skill set, depth of experience, relevant education or training, etc.
Location:
This position is classified as REMOTE within the United States of America.
We are unable to hire candidates located outside of the domestic U.S.
Benefits:
- Market-leading medical, dental, and vision insurance
- Stock options
- Free Premium-Tier Origin Financial Wellness subscription
- Monthly home-office stipend
- 401k (TransAmerica)
- 12-weeks paid parental leave for birthing and non-birthing parents
- Flexible time off + sick and safe time
- 11 paid company holidays
- Branch@Branch Same Day Pay Option
Identity Verification
As part of our application process, you’ll receive a separate email from Greenhouse shortly containing a unique identity verification link. This step, powered by Persona, helps us confirm applicant identities and keep our hiring process secure for everyone.
Upon identity verification, all biometric data is deleted. If you need support completing this application, please reach out to Careers@branchapp.com
Working at Branch
A remote-first company with employees located throughout the U.S., Branch emphasizes transparency, accountability, and trust to create a collaborative environment where our product, engineering, marketing, customer support, customer success, and sales teams can all thrive together. Learn more about what we do in this video!
Our collaborative spirit has helped us become an award-winning FinTech company, with Branch’s innovation and workplace recognized across industries. Branch has been honored by Inc., the Webby Awards, Benzinga FinTech Awards, FinTech Breakthrough Awards, Top Workplaces USA, Great Places to Work, and EY Entrepreneur of the Year, Heartland, among others.
Learn more about our culture, approach, technology, and people here: https://www.branchapp.com/about
Branch is an equal opportunity employer and we value diversity at our company. We do not discriminate on the basis of race, religion, color, national origin, gender, sexual orientation, age, marital status, veteran status, or disability status.
Must be currently authorized to work in the USA without sponsorship or transfer.
No third-parties, please.
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