Systems Research Engineer (PhD)

Granica is pioneering data optimization for large-scale AI and analytics. Our unified platform enables enterprises to dramatically reduce storage and compute costs while accelerating data pipelines - unlocking faster, more efficient access to intelligence at petabyte scale.
At the heart of Granica's mission is the belief that data is the foundation of modern AI. Realizing its full potential requires rethinking how data is managed, moved, and made useful. That's why we bring together world-class talent in AI research, distributed systems, and business to tackle the hardest challenges in data at scale.
Backed by leading investors including NEA and Bain Capital Ventures, Granica is helping the world's most forward-thinking organizations build a smarter, more cost-efficient data layer for the AI era.

Smarter Infrastructure for the AI Era

We make data efficient, safe, and ready for scale—think smarter, more foundational infrastructure for the AI era. Our technology integrates directly with modern data stacks like Snowflake, Databricks, and S3-based data lakes, enabling:

• 60%+ reduction in storage costs and up to 60% lower compute spend

• 3x faster data processing

• 20% platform efficiency gains

Trusted by Industry Leaders

Enterprise leaders globally already rely on Granica to cut costs, boost performance, and unlock more value from their existing data platforms.

A Deep Tech Approach to AI

We’re unlocking the layers beneath platforms like Snowflake and Databricks, making them faster, cheaper, and more AI-native. We combine advanced research with practical productization, powered by a dual-track strategy:

• Research: Led by Chief Scientist Andrea Montanari (Stanford Professor), we publish 1–2 top-tier papers per quarter.

• Product: Actively processing 100+ PBs today and targeting Exabyte scale by Q4 2025.

Backed by the Best

We’ve raised $60M+ from NEA, Bain Capital, A Capital, and operators behind Okta, Eventbrite, Tesla, and Databricks.

Our Mission

To convert entropy into intelligence, so every builder—human or AI—can make the impossible real.

We’re building the default data substrate for AI, and a generational company built to endure beyond any single product cycle.

WHAT YOU’LL DO

• Build intelligent, autonomous data infrastructure that makes storage feel free and analytics feel instant

• Design and implement adaptive layouts, zone maps, and columnar encodings that slash I/O and unlock true vectorized execution

• Invent and optimize exabyte-scale engines with self-tuning, zero-human-intervention workflows

• Apply deep research (PhD or equivalent) to real-world systems—drive adoption in production

• Evolve resource schedulers, query planners, and shuffle paths for high-throughput, multi-tenant environments

• Build self-healing reliability: chaos-resilient systems with fault injection, retries, and observability by default

• Code across the stack with whatever tool gets the job done: Rust, Go, Spark, CUDA, Java, Scala

WHAT WE’RE LOOKING FOR

• 4+ years engineering in distributed systems, databases, or low-latency infrastructure at companies like MongoDB, Snowflake, Databricks, or similar

• PhD in systems, distributed computing, storage, or adjacent field—or equivalent experience with published research or patents

• Deep fluency in query execution, compilers, compression, indexing, or vectorized computation

• Experience with data systems like Parquet, Delta Lake, Iceberg, Spark, Trino, or Flink

• Proven track record building production-grade infrastructure and making measurable performance gains

• Excellent communicator with a builder-first mindset and systems-level thinking

WHY JOIN GRANICA

This is an opportunity to help define the most fundamental layer of the AI infrastructure stack. At Granica, engineers own what they build—from research to implementation to real-world impact. You’ll ship foundational systems that are already reshaping how data is stored, queried, and secured at the world’s most innovative companies.

• Deep technical complexity at the intersection of systems, data, and machine learning

• A fast-moving team that ships weekly and publishes breakthroughs

• Extreme ownership and the chance to shape architecture—not just features

• Performance-driven culture with no red tape and real autonomy

• A track record of engineering excellence—not fluff or vaporware

COMPENSATION & BENEFITS

• Competitive salary and meaningful equity

• Flexible hybrid work (Bay Area HQ)

• Unlimited PTO + quarterly recharge days

• Premium health, vision, and dental

• Team offsites, deep tech talks, and learning stipends

Equal Opportunity

Granica is committed to building a diverse and inclusive team. We welcome applicants from all backgrounds and experiences.