OrioleDB Developer

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 engineer to drive the evolution of OrioleDB and its collaboration with the upstream PostgreSQL community. OrioleDB is a next-generation storage engine for PostgreSQL, and this role sits at the intersection of database internals, open source community work, and Supabase's managed Postgres platform.

This role requires strong working overlap with Americas time zones due to production support and on-call responsibilities.

What you'll work on

• New OrioleDB features. Design and implement new capabilities in OrioleDB — for example, native index access methods (GiST, GIN, HNSW for pgvector), disaster recovery tooling, and other storage-engine-level features that expand what OrioleDB can do.

• Stability. Strengthen OrioleDB's reliability through deeper test coverage, fault injection, crash and recovery testing, and improvements to CI infrastructure. Ensure regressions are caught early and that OrioleDB behaves predictably under stress, replication, and failure scenarios.

• Upstream collaboration. Contribute changes directly to PostgreSQL core. Part of OrioleDB lives as a patch on top of PostgreSQL — moving the right pieces upstream shrinks what we maintain ourselves and benefits the wider community. This happens through PostgreSQL's open development process: the pgsql-hackers mailing list, public code review, and commitfests.

• Supabase integration. Work with Supabase's Postgres team to ensure OrioleDB fits naturally into Supabase's managed offering and roadmap.

You Will:

• Design, implement, and test new OrioleDB features and integrate them cleanly with PostgreSQL's planner, executor, and surrounding subsystems.

• Build out and maintain test infrastructure: regression suites, fuzzing, randomized testing, crash and recovery testing, and CI pipelines.

• Identify and prepare patches suitable for upstreaming to PostgreSQL core.

• Improve performance, resilience, monitoring, and operational tooling for production use.

• Debug and resolve complex issues in low-level C code, including in storage, replication, indexing, and query execution paths.

• Participate in design discussions, architecture reviews, and code reviews — both inside Supabase and in the PostgreSQL community.

• Write clear technical documentation, design notes, and upstream proposals.

• Have co-responsibility for troubleshooting, analyzing, supporting and maintaining oriledb postgres and bundled extensions in production deployments. This can include answering support ticket requests, an on-call rotation, and supporting our team members in troubleshooting and fixing live customer production databases.

You Are:

• An existing PostgreSQL core contributor or have equivalent experience in Database internals.

• An expert C programmer with 8+ years of production experience with focus on low-level systems programming

• Deeply familiar with PostgreSQL’s codebase, build system, and extension APIs.

• Have experience designing or implementing database storage engines, index structures, or query execution components.

• Comfortable contributing to community‑driven, upstream open source projects.

• Proficient in debugging and profiling complex C code in a database context.

• Able to write clear technical documentation and explain design trade‑offs.

• A strong communicator, committed to an open and collaborative development process.

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.

• Highlight your C programming skills: Ensure your portfolio or resume clearly showcases your expertise in C, especially in low-level systems programming.
• Understand PostgreSQL internals: Familiarize yourself with PostgreSQL’s codebase, build system, and extension APIs to increase your chances of success in this role.
• Prepare for open-source collaboration: Be ready to work in an open-source environment, understanding the processes and community norms of contributing to projects like PostgreSQL.
• Develop your testing and debugging skills: Practice comprehensive testing, fault injection, and debugging techniques to strengthen your ability to handle complex issues in OrioleDB.
• Emphasize your communication skills: As a remote role, effective communication is key. Highlight your ability to write clear documentation and engage in collaborative discussions.
• Be ready for a dynamic environment: This role involves working on a next-generation storage engine and contributing to PostgreSQL. Be prepared for a fast-paced, innovative environment that requires adaptability and a willingness to learn.