Software Engineer III, Cloud Spanner Graph

Google's software engineers develop the next-generation technologies that change how billions of users connect, explore, and interact with information and one another. Our products need to handle information at massive scale, and extend well beyond web search. We're looking for engineers who bring fresh ideas from all areas, including information retrieval, distributed computing, large-scale system design, networking and data storage, security, artificial intelligence, natural language processing, UI design and mobile; the list goes on and is growing every day. As a software engineer, you will work on a specific project critical to Google’s needs with opportunities to switch teams and projects as you and our fast-paced business grow and evolve. We need our engineers to be versatile, display leadership qualities and be enthusiastic to take on new problems across the full-stack as we continue to push technology forward.

In this role, you will design and build the graph query engine within Cloud Spanner, enabling seamless execution of queries alongside standard SQL on globally distributed, petabyte-scale data. You will write high-performance C++ code to optimize graph traversals, query planning, and storage interaction, ensuring low latency and strict ACID guarantees. As an individual contributor, you are expected to drive projects such as path-finding algorithms or query interoperability from vague requirements to production deployment with high independence. Your work will directly enhance the scalability and reliability of Google’s flagship database, solving unique tests at the intersection of relational data and graph query workload.

Google Cloud accelerates every organization’s ability to digitally transform its business and industry. We deliver enterprise-grade solutions that leverage Google’s cutting-edge technology, and tools that help developers build more sustainably. Customers in more than 200 countries and territories turn to Google Cloud as their trusted partner to enable growth and solve their most critical business problems.

The US base salary range for this full-time position is $147,000-$211,000 + bonus + equity + benefits. Our salary ranges are determined by role, level, and location. Within the range, individual pay is determined by work location and additional factors, including job-related skills, experience, and relevant education or training. Your recruiter can share more about the specific salary range for your preferred location during the hiring process.

Please note that the compensation details listed in US role postings reflect the base salary only, and do not include bonus, equity, or benefits. Learn more about benefits at Google.

Responsibilities

• Design and develop ISO GQL query language new features (DML, DQL, DDL) on Spanner Graph.
• Design and develop query engine performance optimizations on Spanner Graph.
• Fix bugs of existing GQL product, on-call support product issues.
• Work with internal and external customers and the GTM team to enable successful deployment of production solutions.
• Partner with the SQL and Spanner execution teams to integrate graph capabilities deep into the Spanner stack without compromising ACID guarantees.

Minimum qualifications:

• Bachelor’s degree or equivalent practical experience.
• 2 years of experience with software development in one or more programming languages (e.g., C++, Java).
• 2 years of experience with developing large-scale infrastructure, distributed systems or networks, or experience with compute technologies, storage or hardware architecture.
• Experience with database internals, distributed systems, and compilers.

Preferred qualifications:

• Master's degree or PhD in Computer Science, or a related technical field.
• Experience with query compilers, plan generation, and execution engines.
• Knowledge of GQL or Cypher.
• Understanding of concurrency control, consensus algorithms (Paxos), and data replication strategies.