Senior Database Performance Engineer - Remote at PayNearMe

Santa Clara, California, United States

PayNearMe Logo
Not SpecifiedCompensation
Senior (5 to 8 years)Experience Level
Full TimeJob Type
UnknownVisa
Fintech, PaymentsIndustries

Requirements

  • Deep expertise with Ruby on Rails, able to craft elegant and minimal solutions to complex problems
  • Deep expertise with ActiveRecord MySQL query optimization — must go way beyond standard ActiveRecord use
  • Strong understanding of SQL execution and query optimization at the engine level
  • 6–10+ years of professional experience (senior level)
  • Proven ability to read, understand, and improve complex application code across large systems
  • Experience tuning queries, adding indexes, and interpreting execution plans
  • Comfortable partnering with DBAs and other technical teams to debug and resolve performance issues
  • Clear communicator who’s unafraid to ask questions or seek domain input when needed
  • Bachelor’s degree (BA or BS) or equivalent experience
  • Preferred: Familiarity (with additional technologies implied, e.g., related to performance tools/systems)

Responsibilities

  • Work hands-on to identify, analyze, and resolve slow ActiveRecord queries across the Rails monolith
  • Optimize query performance through indexing, query rewriting, and schema improvements
  • Collaborate with DBAs and other technical teams to diagnose and remediate database bottlenecks
  • Validate all performance improvements through testing, and performance measurement at high load
  • Use Datadog to analyze query performance and identify high-impact optimization opportunities
  • Implement selective caching in Redis where appropriate to reduce database load
  • Document findings and share best practices for performant query design
  • Contribute to long-term performance and scalability efforts across MySQL, TiDB, Elasticache, and Opensearch

Skills

Key technologies and capabilities for this role

MySQLRailsDatadogTiDBElasticacheOpensearchDatabase PerformanceQuery OptimizationProfiling

Questions & Answers

Common questions about this position

Is this position remote?

Yes, this is a fully remote position.

What skills are required for the Senior Database Performance Engineer role?

The role requires expertise in MySQL performance optimization, Ruby on Rails with ActiveRecord for generating performant queries, and experience building highly performant OLTP systems. Proficiency with tools like Datadog for query analysis, indexing, query rewriting, schema improvements, and selective caching in Redis is also essential.

What does the Performance and Scale team do?

The Performance and Scale team ensures systems remain fast, reliable, and efficient as the company grows, focusing on database performance issues in the Rails monolith and expanding to other data systems like TiDB, Elasticache, and Opensearch.

What is the salary for this position?

This information is not specified in the job description.

What makes a strong candidate for this role?

A strong candidate has built highly performant OLTP systems, deeply understands efficient MySQL at scale, and is a Rails expert skilled in performant ActiveRecord queries, with a passion for database efficiency and ability to identify high-impact optimizations.

PayNearMe

Flexible payments platform for diverse transactions

About PayNearMe

PayNearMe provides a payments platform that allows customers to pay in various ways, including cards, ACH transactions, cash, and mobile payment methods like PayPal and Venmo. The platform is designed to enhance the payment experience for both customers and businesses, making it easy for clients such as consumer lenders and online gaming companies to collect payments. PayNearMe stands out by offering a secure cash payment service at over 60,000 retail locations, which simplifies the payment process for users who prefer cash. Additionally, the platform utilizes artificial intelligence to personalize customer experiences and improve bill pay. The company's goal is to create a seamless and user-friendly payment experience while generating revenue through fees charged to businesses for processing payments.

Santa Clara, CaliforniaHeadquarters
2009Year Founded
$156.1MTotal Funding
SERIES_DCompany Stage
Fintech, AI & Machine LearningIndustries
201-500Employees

Benefits

Professional Development Budget

Risks

Emerging fintech startups could erode PayNearMe's market share with similar solutions.
Regulatory scrutiny may increase compliance costs for PayNearMe.
Partnership with Trustly exposes PayNearMe to open banking data privacy risks.

Differentiation

PayNearMe offers a wide range of payment options, including cash and digital wallets.
The platform integrates AI to enhance personalized customer experiences and improve payment solutions.
Partnerships with companies like Trustly and PayPal expand PayNearMe's payment capabilities.

Upsides

The rise of BNPL services presents an opportunity to expand PayNearMe's payment options.
Increasing mobile wallet usage allows PayNearMe to enhance its mobile-first payment methods.
Open banking regulations in the US offer new integration opportunities for PayNearMe.

Land your dream remote job 3x faster with AI