Backend Engineer, ClickHouse at Aiven36

We’re a global team of over 400 people, working together to push the boundaries of open-source technology and multi-cloud solutions. Our vision is to help developers, builders, and creators bring their ideas to life with speed and simplicity, by providing a cloud data platform that makes open-source databases, search, streaming, and application infrastructure easily accessible to everyone. The Role We're looking for a Backend Engineer to join our small, focused ClickHouse team. You'll work on the systems that power our managed ClickHouse service – building, scaling, and operating infrastructure that thousands of customers depend on daily. You'll write Python that orchestrates database lifecycle operations, dig into Linux internals when things get interesting, and ship features through a well-established CI/CD pipeline. You'll work in a modern async-first Python codebase alongside engineers who care about code quality, type safety, and automation. If you have experience with ClickHouse internals or C++ – even better. But what matters most is strong backend fundamentals and a genuine interest in databases and distributed systems. What You'll Do • Design, build, and maintain backend services in Python (FastAPI, asyncio, psycopg2) that manage the ClickHouse service lifecycle • Work with CI/CD pipelines (Buildkite, GitHub Actions) to ship code reliably and often • Investigate and resolve production issues across the stack – from Python application code down to Linux system behavior • Contribute to technical planning within a small team where your input directly shapes the roadmap • Write well-tested, type-checked code and participate in thorough code reviews • Use AI coding tools as part of your daily workflow to accelerate development What We're Looking For Must have: • Solid Python development skills -- you write clean, production-grade Python and understand async patterns (asyncio, aiohttp) • Strong understanding of databases -- you know how relational and analytical databases work under the hood, not just how to query them • Deep Linux knowledge (Fedora preferred) -- comfortable with systemd, process management, filesystem internals, and debugging at the OS level • CI/CD experience -- you've built and maintained delivery pipelines, not just used them • Familiarity with automated testing -- unit, integration, and system tests are part of how you work • Experience with AI coding tools -- you actively use AI-assisted development in your workflow and understand how to get the most out of it • Distributed systems awareness -- you understand the challenges of running services across multiple nodes and regions • Fluent English -- written and verbal Nice to have: • ClickHouse experience -- operational knowledge, query optimization, or contributions to the project • C++ or C -- ability to read and contribute to database engine code • Cloud infrastructure experience (AWS, GCP, Azure) with Terraform or similar IaC tools • PostgreSQL operational experience • Software and network security knowledge Why This Role • Small team, big impact. You're not a cog -- you'll shape the technical direction of a product used at scale. • Real engineering problems. Database orchestration, distributed systems, performance at scale -- not CRUD apps. • Modern tooling. Strict type checking, automated formatting, security scanning, and AI-assisted development are the norm, not aspirations. • Berlin-based, hybrid. The team is in the office 3 times per week. Amazing! What’s next: If you think Aiven is the place for you and that our Values align with yours, send us your resume and we’ll get in touch! Global Benefits: Our global benefits are designed to help you thrive and grow, personally and professionally: • Participate in Aiven’s equity plan. • Balance work and life with our hybrid work policy. • Choose the equipment you need to set yourself up for success. • Use your Professional Development Plan budget for learning opportunities. • Receive holistic wellbeing support through our global Employee Assistance Program. • Inquire about our Global Time Off Commitment (Parental and Sick Leave, as well as Personal Time) • Enjoy country-specific benefits for our global cast. How to Recognize and Avoid Employment Scams: There has been a rise in fake job postings used by scammers to get personal information. At Aiven, all of our emails relating to recruitment come from an @aiven.io, @greenhouse.io or @eu.greenhouse.io domain and all of our interviews are conducted by video call or in person. Our interviews will never occur via text or chat. If you’re unsure of the legitimacy of a job opportunity/offer pertaining to Aiven, please don’t hesitate to reach out to us at [Upgrade to PRO to see contact]. Equal Opportunities: Aiven provides equal employment opportunities to all qualified employees and applicants for employment without regard to age, gender identity, national or ethnic origin, religion, sexual orientation, physical and mental ability, marital and family status or without regard to any other similar personal attributes. Aiven complies with applicable local laws governing non-discrimination in employment in every location in which the company operates. This policy applies to all terms and conditions of employment, including recruiting, hiring, placement, promotion, termination, layoff, transfer, leaves of absence, compensation, training and any other terms and conditions related to employment. At Aiven we are committed to providing reasonable accommodations for qualified individuals with disabilities or special needs in our working environment and job application procedures. We make all reasonable accommodations for persons with disabilities or who otherwise need support to thrive in the workplace. We are committed to continuously improving workplace accessibility. There is an option to request a discussion in the application process but if you have any questions before applying please write to us at [Upgrade to PRO to see contact].