Distinguished Systems Developer - SQL Engine

About the role

At InterSystems, we’re redefining the future of analytics and intelligent data platforms. Our high-performance, hyper-capacity engine supports a multi-model storage layer—blending structured, semi-structured, and unstructured data—to power a new generation of AI-native and real-time workloads.

We believe in technical craftsmanship, deep collaboration, and a culture where ambitious people can build bold systems. The SQL Engine group is the nerve center of our product—where query processing meets distributed intelligence. We consider engineering a science, an art, and a craft, and we cultivate an environment where the most talented minds can thrive, innovate, and make a lasting impact.

This is your chance to design the core foundations of a data platform trusted by the world's most mission critical systems and AI research teams.

What You’ll Do

As a Distinguished Developer in the SQL Engine group, you'll help build the next-generation query processing stack, optimizing across both traditional analytics and emerging AI-driven workloads. You’ll contribute to:

- Query parsing, validation, and transformation

- Logical/physical optimization over multi-model data (row, columnar, stream, document, vector)

- Plan generation and adaptive execution strategies

- Code generation and vectorized execution

- Compiler-accelerated storage access patterns for AI workflows

- Collaborative integration with our multi-model storage engine

You’ll design data processing abstractions and execution engines that enable AI-native features like fast vector search, graph traversal, and probabilistic joins—all within a familiar SQL interface.

Your Impact

- Architect and implement query optimization and execution components that scale across petabytes

- Design tooling and frameworks that make AI and analytics convergence seamless

- Collaborate with platform and storage teams to leverage multi-model indexing and caching strategies

- Contribute to building programmable, intelligent data pipelines that drive downstream ML model performance

- Mentor engineers, guide technical debates, and influence long-term system direction

- Champion a culture of quality, rigor, and innovation

What We’re Looking For

- 10+ years of experience in systems-level or database internals engineering

- Proven expertise in SQL query engines, optimizers, execution runtimes, or data compiler toolchains

- Experience with multi-model data systems (SQL + JSON, vector search, graph traversal)

- Expert in at least one systems programming languages, or LLVM-based codegen environments

- Strong grasp of relational algebra, compiler construction, and data-intensive workloads

- Familiarity with AI infrastructure or ML inference pipelines is a strong plus

- Experience using AI-assisted tools (e.g. copilots, summarisation tools, or chatbots) with an ability to critically evaluate and verify AI-generated outputs