ServiceNow

Staff Data Platform Software Engineer

ServiceNow • $176K — $308K *
Santa Clara, CA 95051In-Person
Information Technology
8 - 10 years of experience
Today
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Job Overview by Ladders

Qualifications

  • 10+ years of professional backend software development experience in scalable distributed systems and identity/security domains
  • Strong understanding of distributed systems fundamentals like consistency models and failure modes
  • Deep knowledge of graph database internals and algorithms
  • Proficiency in Go at a systems-programming level with experience in backend services
  • Experience with designing RESTful APIs in microservice architectures and familiarity with cloud platforms like AWS or GCP

Responsibilities

  • Act as the technical expert for the Veza Access Graph and lead initiatives
  • Resolve complex problems with innovative solutions from architecture to implementation
  • Define coding standards and engineering best practices for the team
  • Set roadmap and prioritize workstreams, driving planning and design
  • Coach and mentor team members while fostering collaboration and conflict resolution

Benefits

  • Health plans, including flexible spending accounts
  • 401(k) plan with company match
  • Employee Stock Purchase Plan (ESPP)
  • Flexible time away plan
  • Family leave programs
Full Job Description
Job Description

We are looking for a passionate Staff Software Engineer to join Veza's Graph Data Platform team. You will play a key role in designing, improving, and maintaining the robust and scalable code behind the Veza Access Graph, collaborating closely with cross-functional teams to shape the future of our products and deliver exceptional identity and access management experiences to our customers. This is an exciting opportunity to contribute to the growth and success of a high-impact team while working on cutting-edge technologies.

What You Will Do

Technical Leadership
  • Act as the technical expert for the Veza Access Graph, identifying broad challenges - technical, functional, or business - and parsing them into initiatives the org can execute against
  • Solve complex problems with no established precedent in the org or the field, from architecture through implementation
  • Serve as the dependable subject-matter expert (SME) for your area; define coding standards and engineering best practices for the team
  • Identify opportunities to simplify systems, reduce redundancy, and drive large-scale simplification across the platform
  • Deliver significant direct technical contributions while independently driving workstream-level design reviews
  • Set the bar for code quality, testing, documentation, and support - and share best practices with teammates in a consumable format

Roadmap & Execution
  • Set roadmap and prioritization for workstreams in your area; drive planning, design, and delegation of key components to ICs and stakeholders
  • Identify gaps, dependencies, and unresolved problems; partner with customers and stakeholders to close them
  • Proactively refine technical requirements in alignment with key stakeholders
  • Operate autonomously, consistently delivering high-quality work on time

Collaboration & Mentorship
  • Break complex roadmaps into clear workstreams, milestones, and timelines, driving alignment and buy-in across PMs, TPMs, EMs, TLs, ICs, and dependency teams
  • Represent your team's roadmap and dependencies in company-wide initiatives
  • Coach and mentor team leads and ICs; help define interview loops, identify talent gaps, and build coaching plans to close them
  • Drive collaboration, conflict resolution, and stakeholder buy-in to unblock projects and ensure successful delivery
  • Model ServiceNow's core values and contribute feedback to improve team culture


Qualifications

  • 10+ years of professional backend software development experience, with a focus on scalable distributed systems, data management, identity, security, or related domains
  • Distributed systems fundamentals - consistency models, partitioning/sharding, replication, consensus, failure modes at scale
  • Graph database internals - traversal algorithms, query planning/optimization, indexing strategies (not just querying an existing graph API)
  • Go at a systems-programming level - concurrency patterns, memory/performance tuning, and production experience building and testing backend services
  • Large-scale data modeling - schema design for graphs handling high cardinality/fan-out
  • Experience designing and implementing RESTful APIs in microservice architectures
  • Experience with cloud platforms (AWS, Azure, or GCP) and containerization / orchestration (Docker, Kubernetes)
  • Familiarity with caching mechanisms in distributed systems
  • Track record of technical decisions with org-wide blast radius - not just execution within an assigned mandate
  • Experience setting technical direction or standards adopted by multiple teams
  • Systems design for correctness and rollback safety in high-stakes infrastructure (access/identity data qualifies)
  • Fluency with AI-assisted engineering - using LLM-based tools (Claude Code, Copilot, or similar) to accelerate design exploration, code review, debugging, and documentation, while knowing when to trust generated output versus verifying it against source, tests, or runtime behavior

Nice to have:
  • Storage engine or query engine experience - having built or deeply modified one (Neo4j internals or a comparable engine)
  • Deep knowledge of relational algebra and graph algorithms, with experience across OLTP and OLAP systems
  • Track record of using AI tools to multiply personal and team output on complex, large-codebase work - beyond autocomplete-level usage
  • Identity and access management concepts (RBAC/ABAC, permission graphs, entitlement modeling)
  • Security or compliance-adjacent engineering background
  • Graduate degree

You Are:
  • A rigorous problem-solver who instinctively verifies assumptions rather than guessing - you dig into logs, code, and system behavior before proposing a fix, and you're comfortable being wrong in public if it gets the team to the right answer faster.
  • Someone who thrives with ambiguity: you can take a vague mandate ("make the graph queries faster," "harden this for scale") and turn it into a scoped plan with clear tradeoffs, then execute it independently - while knowing exactly when to loop others in.
  • A systems thinker who considers blast radius and reversibility before making changes to critical infrastructure - especially in a domain like ours, where a subtle bug in the access graph has real security consequences.
  • A strong communicator who can explain why a traversal algorithm is O(n²) to another engineer and why that matters for customer-facing latency to a product manager - without losing precision or condescending to either audience.
  • Fluent with AI as a working tool, not a crutch - you use it to move faster through exploration, boilerplate, and first drafts, but you still own the correctness of what ships, and you can tell the difference between "the model sounds confident" and "this is actually verified."
  • Someone who treats AI-assisted output the same way you'd treat a junior engineer's PR - useful, often good, but reviewed with the same rigor as anything else before it touches production.
  • A mentor who multiplies the team's effectiveness, not just your own - you review code like you're teaching, you pair when it helps someone level up, and you measure your impact partly by how the engineers around you grow.
  • Someone who leaves things better than you found them: documentation, test coverage, runbooks, and team practices all improve because you touched them.
  • Low-ego and high-trust - you can disagree strongly in a design review and still buy the team a round after it's decided.
  • A pleasure to work with - even at 2am during an incident.

For positions in this location, we offer a base pay of $176,100 - $308,200, plus equity (when applicable), variable/incentive compensation and benefits. Sales positions generally offer a competitive On Target Earnings (OTE) incentive compensation structure. Please note that the base pay shown is a guideline, and individual total compensation will vary based on factors such as qualifications, skill level, competencies, and work location. We also offer health plans, including flexible spending accounts, a 401(k) Plan with company match, ESPP, matching donations, a flexible time away plan and family leave programs. Compensation is based on the geographic location in which the role is located and is subject to change based on work location.

Additional Information

Work Personas

We approach our distributed world of work with flexibility and trust. Work personas (flexible, remote, or required in office) are categories that are assigned to ServiceNow employees depending on the nature of their work and their assigned work location. Learn more here. To determine eligibility for a work persona, ServiceNow may confirm the distance between your primary residence and the closest ServiceNow office using a third-party service.

About ServiceNow

ServiceNow provides cloud-based solutions that define, structure, manage, and automate services for enterprise operations in North America, Europe, the Middle East, Africa, the Asia Pacific, and other countries. The company offers service management solutions, including incident, problem, change, request, and cost management as well as service catalogs; and IT, HR, facilities, and field service management solutions. It also provides IT operations management solutions covering service mapping, delivery, and assurance solutions; business management solutions such as financial management, project portfolio suite, vendor performance management, and performance analytics as well as governance, risk, and compliance; and application development services.

ServiceNow Careers

Join the dynamic team at ServiceNow, a global leader in digital workflow solutions, where innovation and leadership converge to shape the future of work. At ServiceNow, we offer more than just job opportunities; we provide a platform for professional growth and a chance to be part of a culture that values diversity, creativity, and continuous learning.

Work You’ll Do

Embark on a career journey with ServiceNow and contribute to the world’s leading enterprises' digital transformation. Our team is at the forefront of developing cutting-edge technologies that improve how people work. With ServiceNow, you will use your skills to impact businesses and industries profoundly, driving efficiency and innovation.

Join Our Market-Leading Team

ServiceNow is not just another technology company. We are a team that thrives on diversity and leadership, fostering an inclusive environment that promotes growth and development. Our commitment to diversity training ensures that every team member can achieve their potential.

Innovative Work

ServiceNow is home to more than 10,000 dedicated professionals who lead the charge in digital workflows and enterprise solutions. As part of our team, you will engage in projects that merge technology with practical applications, creating revolutionary products that advance how services are delivered and managed.

Career Development

At ServiceNow, your career trajectory is filled with boundless opportunities. We support your growth with robust training programs, leadership development courses, and access to global challenges. Whether you are looking for an internship, full-time position, or leadership role, ServiceNow equips you with the tools to excel.

Be Part of a Great Team

Working at ServiceNow means being part of a community that values teamwork and innovation. Our collaborative environment encourages networking and sharing ideas, making our workplace vibrant and dynamic. The benefits of joining ServiceNow extend beyond comprehensive health and wellness; they include fostering professional connections and friendships that last a lifetime.

Explore Job Opportunities and Internships

Whether you’re a seasoned professional or a recent graduate, ServiceNow offers a range of employment options to suit your career goals. From internships that provide real-world experience to full-time positions that challenge you to leverage your expertise, we are committed to hiring the best talent.

Stay Connected

Join Our Team Search open positions that match your skills and interests. At ServiceNow, we look for passionate, curious, and solution-driven team players. Explore the possibilities that await you at a company that is committed to your professional success.

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ServiceNow Careers

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Learn more about ServiceNow
Size
16,881 employees
Market Cap
$76.5 billion
Industry
Information Technology
Net Income
$118.5 million
Founded
2004
5 Year Trend
+33.5%
Revenue
$4.5 billion
NASDAQ
NOW
* Ladders Estimates

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