Join Airbnb as a Staff Engineer to lead the development of a high-performance data access layer for the Unified Data Store.
Posted by employer 6 months ago
First seen on Joblaze 2 months ago
Last verified on the company career page 1 day ago
Skills & Technologies
Role intensity
40% coding
AI in the day-to-day
A strong interest in leveraging emerging technologies, including Applied AI, to optimize data management and system observability.
Requirements
- Experience
- 9+ years
Not disclosed in this posting: compensation, visa sponsorship.
Joblaze summary
In the role of Staff Software Engineer for the Unified Data Store at Airbnb, the individual will focus on architecting and enhancing a robust data access layer that supports the company's extensive user base. Key skills include expertise in distributed systems and a strong background in technical leadership, particularly in high-growth environments. This position is ideal for seasoned professionals with a passion for building scalable infrastructure and mentoring others. The team emphasizes operational excellence and collaboration across global engineering efforts.
Joblaze insights
- Listed about 2 months ago — first seen on Joblaze September 3, 2026. Last confirmed on Airbnb's careers page November 2, 2026.
Quick facts
- Is the Staff Software Engineer, Unified Data Store role remote?
- No — this is an on-site role in Brazil.
- How much experience is required?
- At least 9 years of relevant experience for this Staff Software Engineer, Unified Data Store role.
- Where is the role based?
- Airbnb is hiring for this position in Brazil.
- What's the tech stack?
- Joblaze extracted these technologies from the posting: data access layer, distributed systems, infrastructure.
- What seniority level is this role?
- Airbnb targets staff-level candidates for this position.
- Is this full-time or contract?
- Full-time for this Staff Software Engineer, Unified Data Store role at Airbnb.
From the original posting
Airbnb was born in 2007 when two hosts welcomed three guests to their San Francisco home, and has since grown to over 5 million hosts who have welcomed over 2 billion guest arrivals in almost every country across the globe. Every day, hosts offer unique stays and experiences that make it possible for guests to connect with communities in a more authentic way.
The Community You Will Join:
The Unified Data Store (UDS) team is the architect of Airbnb’s global system-of-record. We design, build, and operate the mission-critical storage platform that powers every user profile, listing, reservation, and financial transaction on the platform. Supporting over 150 million users worldwide, our work is the bedrock of Airbnb’s reliability and efficiency.
As a Staff Engineer in our Brazil Engineering Hub, you will join a high-impact group of technical leaders who value craft and operational excellence. You won't just be managing data; you will be building a modern distributed infrastructure service that enables hundreds of product teams to ship features with total confidence.
The Difference You Will Make:
We are looking for a hands-on technical leader who thrives on solving deep architectural challenges and leading through ambiguity. As a Staff Engineer, you will serve as the Technical North Star for the UDS Client Stack, ensuring our data access layer is seamless, high-performance, and future-proof.
A Typical Day:
- Define Technical Strategy: Lead the multi-year roadmap and long-term architecture for the UDS client stack, balancing immediate execution with systemic platform evolution.
- Architect for Scale: Design and operate a high-performance data access layer that abstracts complexities like indexing, replication, and global consistency models.
- Drive Engineering Excellence: Lead deep-dive design reviews and establish best practices for building fault-tolerant distributed systems across the organization.
- Empower Developers: Act as a bridge between infrastructure and product, creating a unified interface that simplifies how engineers interact with complex data systems.
- Collaborate Globally: Partner with UDS and Data Infrastructure teams globally to align architecture, drive adoption, and deliver high-impact solutions.
Your Expertise:
- Experience: 9+ years of relevant industry experience, with a proven track record of operating at a Senior or Staff level in a high-growth environment.
- Distributed Systems Mastery: Deep expertise in large-scale distributed systems, including storage internals, networking, and consistency models.
- Technical Leadership: Demonstrated ability to lead complex technical initiatives, influence architectural decisions across multiple teams, and mentor senior talent.
- Platform Mindset: A passion for building high-performance infrastructure services that prioritize developer experience and system reliability at scale.
- Communication: Exceptional ability to articulate complex infrastructure challenges to both technical partners and internal customers.
- Innovation: A strong interest in leveraging emerging technologies, including Applied AI, to optimize data management and system observability.
Standard company text repeated across Airbnb's postings is omitted here.