About this role.
Supabase is hiring a senior Database Support Engineer to resolve complex developer issues across its Postgres-based backend platform. The role combines advanced technical support, database performance troubleshooting, incident communication, bug reproduction, and close escalation to engineering. The successful candidate needs deep PostgreSQL knowledge, including WAL, autovacuum, table bloat, transactions, query optimization, and migration recovery. This is a full-time, remote role restricted to candidates residing in EMEA time zones and requires comfort operating independently in a fast-paced asynchronous environment. The engineer will also identify recurring customer problems, improve documentation and tooling, and mentor junior support colleagues.
Role DNA
A quick view of the complexity, pace, ownership and collaboration implied by the job description.
Job Complexity
5/5Pace & Pressure
5/5Autonomy Level
5/5Communication Load
5/5Salary analysis
Estimated compensation compared with the broader US market for similar roles.
Core skills
Skills and capabilities most closely associated with this opportunity.
Sample interview questions
I would first confirm the growth pattern and inspect replication slots, long-running transactions, archival status, and checkpoint behavior. I would use PostgreSQL system views such as pg_stat_activity and pg_replication_slots to identify retained WAL, then determine whether the cause is an inactive slot, blocked replica, transaction, or configuration issue. I would communicate mitigation options with the customer, prioritizing data safety before removing or advancing any replication state.
I would gather the query, parameter patterns, table definitions, indexes, row estimates, and EXPLAIN ANALYZE output. I would compare the current plan with the expected access path, check statistics freshness and cardinality estimates, and identify whether an index, rewrite, vacuum/analyze action, or schema adjustment is appropriate. I would reproduce the behavior where possible and provide both an immediate safe workaround and a durable recommendation.
I ask targeted questions to establish the impact, expected and actual behavior, exact timestamps, project configuration, relevant logs, request identifiers, minimal reproduction steps, and recent changes. I then validate the issue independently, narrow the suspected component, and document reproducible steps, evidence, scope, and customer impact. This gives engineering a concise and testable case rather than an unstructured report.
I would first prevent additional writes or deployment changes when necessary and assess whether the migration was transactional, partially applied, or accompanied by application-version changes. I would inspect migration history, schema state, locks, error messages, and dependencies before recommending a rollback, forward fix, or controlled restore. Throughout the process, I would avoid destructive actions without backups and clearly explain risks, recovery options, and validation steps.
I triage cases by impact, urgency, and reversibility, acknowledge customers quickly, and set clear expectations about next steps. For recurring issues, I use structured investigation templates, known-workaround documentation, and automation to preserve quality while improving throughput. I also escalate early when an issue could indicate a platform-wide incident, while keeping stakeholders updated with concise, evidence-based communication.
About Supabase
Supabase is the Postgres development platform, built by developers for developers. We provide a complete backend solution including Database, Auth, Storage, Edge Functions, Realtime, and Vector Search. All services are deeply integrated and designed for growth.
About the Role
We’re looking for an experienced Database Support Engineer to join our Support Team and help developers unblock complex issues, build more reliably, and get the most out of the Supabase platform. You’ll work closely with customers and engineering, helping us improve product quality and developer experience based on real-world usage.
This role is ideal for someone who thrives in async, fast-paced environments and is excited about building developer tools that scale to millions.
What You’ll Be Responsible For
In this role, you’ll:
Investigate and resolve advanced customer issues across Postgres, Auth, RLS, Storage, Realtime, Edge Functions, and client libraries.
Provide consultative, proactive advice to optimize workloads, avoid common pitfalls, and offer tailored advice to our most advanced users.
Reproduce bugs, isolate root causes, propose workarounds, and escalate to engineering with solid reproduction steps.
Ask smart, targeted questions that turn incomplete reports into actionable cases.
Communicate clearly and empathetically with users of all levels—especially during high-impact or time-sensitive situations.
Spot patterns across tickets and recommend improvements to documentation, tooling, and the product itself.
Mentor junior team members and help raise the overall bar for support quality.
You Might Be a Good Fit If
Experience: You have 7+ years in technical support, databases, backend engineering, SRE, or a similar field.
Postgres Expertise: You know PostgreSQL deeply—autovacuum behavior, WAL growth, long-running transactions, table bloat, and other internals.
Performance: You’re strong in high-performance SQL and query optimization.
Troubleshooting: You’re comfortable troubleshooting complex setups, including multi-tenant schema patterns and distributed system behavior.
Technical Skills: * You can debug Edge Functions when failures get tricky.
You’ve handled data migration issues (pg_dump/restore, schema drift, failed migrations) and know how to recover safely.
You have hands-on experience with cloud hosting providers like AWS.
You’re comfortable in terminal and Linux environments.
Mindset: You thrive in high-volume situations and can form and test assumptions quickly.
Timezones & Logistics
Status: Full-time position.
Location: Required residency/location within EMEA time zones (we do not believe in the sustainability of overnight shifts).
What We Offer
Fully Remote
We hire globally. We believe you can do your best work from anywhere. There are no Supabase offices, but we provide a WeWork membership or co-working allowance you can use anywhere in the world.
ESOP
Every team member receives ESOP (equity ownership) in the company. We want everyone to share in the upside of what we’re building together.
Tech Allowance
Use this budget to set up your ideal work environment—laptop, monitor, headphones, or whatever helps you do your best work.
Health Benefits
Supabase covers 100% of health insurance for employees and 80% for dependents, wherever you are. Your wellbeing and your family’s health are important to us.
Annual Off-Sites
Once a year, the entire company gathers in a new city for a week of connection, collaboration, and fun. It’s a highlight of our year.
Flexible Work
We operate asynchronously and trust you to manage your own time. You know what needs to be done and when.
Professional Development
Every team member receives an annual education allowance to spend on learning—courses, books, conferences, or anything that supports your growth.
About the Team
Supabase was born-remote and open-source-first. We believe our globally distributed team is our secret weapon in building tools developers love.
~400 team members
60+ countries
20+ languages spoken
Over $1B raised (including our $500M Series F)
540,000+ community members
We move fast, build in public, and use what we ship. If it’s in your project, we probably use it in ours too. We believe deeply in the open-source ecosystem and strive to support—not replace—existing tools and communities.
Annual salary information is not provided for this position. Explore salary ranges for similar roles in our Salary Directory ›
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