Founded by fans, Crunchyroll delivers the art and culture of anime to a passionate community. We super-serve over 100 million anime and manga fans across 200+ countries and territories, and help them connect with the stories and characters they crave. Whether that experience is online or in-person, streaming video, theatrical, games, merchandise, events and more, it’s powered by the anime content we all love.
Join our team, and help us shape the future of anime!
Crunchyroll is growing and changing, presenting unique challenges and opportunities to support millions of anime fans around the world. The Data Engineering team provides seamless help to our internal stakeholders, ensuring an exceptional experience for all Crunchyroll fans.
As a Database Engineer for the Data Engineering team, you will be responsible for maintaining and enhancing the reliability of our data infrastructure. Your work will directly impact the availability and performance of our data services, enabling the organization to make data-driven decisions. You will collaborate closely with data engineers, and software engineers to develop and drive 100% automation, best practices for deep monitoring and alerting.
Key Areas of Responsibility- Database Strategy & Technical Leadership: Act as the strategic subject matter expert for database engine best practices, storage engines, and long-term data placement strategy across the broader engineering organization. Partner with tech leadership to raise the collective database expertise of the team.
- SQL Optimization & Application Performance: Drive deep application performance analysis. Own the identification, debugging, and elimination of query execution bottlenecks, optimizing raw SQL, missing indexes, execution plans, and data models to maximize throughput and minimize latency.
- Cloud Database Architecture & Scale: Design, scale, and evaluate schemas leveraging AWS-native database services, including Amazon RDS, Aurora (MySQL/PostgreSQL), and NoSQL engines (DynamoDB), ensuring systems adhere strictly to rigorous scalability benchmarks.
- Database Internals & Systems Analysis: Execute deep-dive performance forensics into database engine behaviors, memory structures, replication lag, locking mechanisms, and OS/hardware saturation metrics (such as Disk/IO performance) to preemptively address platform degradation.
- Engineering Mentorship & Advisory: Partner closely with internal application development and data teams to review data access patterns, optimize application-level database interaction layers, and establish organizational standards around indexing and schema configurations.
- Cross-Functional Collaboration: Partner with Database SRE specialists to ensure highly optimized query layouts, correct database configuration and schemas translate seamlessly into platform automation and IaC frameworks.
We get excited about candidates, like you, because...
- Bachelor's degree in Computer Science, Information Technology, or a related field.
- 8+ years of experience in database operations, or a related role with a focus on data platforms, data stores, data operations.
- Deep experience in AWS RDS, Aurora and NoSQL is a must.
- Extensive experience with AWS cloud platform and their data-related services.
- Proficiency in monitoring tools (e.g., Datadog, CloudWatch, DevOps Guru, DB Performance Insights).
- Proficiency in one or more programming languages (e.g. Python, Java)
- Strong understanding of various performance metrics both at a high level and at a low level like Disk/IO saturation.
- Experience in identifying and eliminating the bottlenecks in the system.
- Strong understanding of database internals like types of indexes, schemas, query plans.
- Strong understanding of database systems (e.g., SQL, NoSQL) and experience in managing large-scale data infrastructures.
- Basic knowledge and some hands-on implementation of CI/CD pipelines and DatabaseOps practices.
- Experience with data governance, compliance, and lifecycle management.
- Strong problem-solving skills and a proactive approach to identifying and addressing issues.
- Ability to independently own and execute projects while effectively collaborating with the team to influence and shape the vision of the data engineering organization.
- Strong communication skills and the ability to mentor and guide junior engineers.
The Database Engineering team is dedicated to ensuring the reliability, scalability, and performance of our data infrastructure. We focus on standardizing and implementing monitoring and alerting across all datastores to track key metrics like errors, latency, and throughput, and to ensure critical systems are covered. Our team also leads efforts to keep databases up-to-date, implements Infrastructure as Code (IaC) for high availability and performance, and automates key processes to enhance operational efficiency.
We lead and evangelize the principle of 100% automation. Additionally, we define and document operational requirements, develop incident response processes, and automate monitoring and compliance checks to maintain a secure and reliable data environment. By continuously improving load testing and optimizing data governance practices, we support the overall health and efficiency of our data systems.
Why you will love working at CrunchyrollIn addition to getting to work with fun, passionate and inspired colleagues, you will also enjoy the following benefits and perks:
- Receive a great compensation package including salary plus performance bonus earning potential, paid annually.
- Flexible time off policies allowing you to take the time you need to be your whole self.
- Generous medical, dental, vision, STD, LTD, and life insurance
- Health Saving Account HSA program
- Health care and dependent care FSA
- 401(k) plan, with employer match
- Employer paid commuter benefit
- Support program for new parents
- Pet insurance and some of our offices are pet friendly!
#LifeAtCrunchyroll #LI-Hybrid
We want to be everything for someone rather than something for everyone and we do this by living and modeling our values in all that we do. We value
Courage. We believe that when we overcome fear, we enable our best selves.
Curiosity. We are curious, which is the gateway to empathy, inclusion, and understanding.
- Kaizen. We have a growth mindset committed to constant forward progress.
Service. We serve our community with humility, enabling joy and belonging for others.
Our mission of helping people belong reflects our commitment to diversity & inclusion. It's just the way we do business.
We are an equal opportunity employer and value diversity at Crunchyroll. Pursuant to applicable law, we do not discriminate on the basis of race, religion, color, national origin, gender, sexual orientation, age, marital status, veteran status, or disability status.
Crunchyroll, LLC is an independently operated joint venture between US-based Sony Pictures Entertainment, and Japan's Aniplex, a subsidiary of Sony Music Entertainment (Japan) Inc., both subsidiaries of Tokyo-based Sony Group Corporation.
Questions about Crunchyroll’s hiring process? Please check out our Hiring FAQs: https://help.crunchyroll.com/hc/en-us/articles/360040471712-Crunchyroll-Hiring-FAQs
Please refer to our Candidate Privacy Policy for more information about how we process your personal information, and your data protection rights: https://tbcdn.talentbrew.com/company/22978/v1_0/docs/spe-jobs-privacy-policy-update-for-crpa-dec-21-22.pdf
Please beware of recent scams to online job seekers. Those applying to our job openings will only be contacted directly from @crunchyroll.com email account.
Skills Required
- Bachelor's degree in Computer Science, Information Technology, or related field
- 8+ years experience in database operations or data platform roles
- Deep experience with AWS RDS and Amazon Aurora (MySQL/PostgreSQL)
- Experience with NoSQL databases, specifically DynamoDB
- Extensive experience with AWS cloud platform and data-related services
- Proficiency with monitoring tools (Datadog, CloudWatch, DevOps Guru, DB Performance Insights)
- Proficiency in one or more programming languages (e.g., Python, Java)
- Strong understanding of database internals, query plans, indexes, and schema design
- Demonstrated ability to identify and eliminate system bottlenecks and optimize performance
- Strong knowledge of performance metrics including Disk/IO saturation and system-level forensics
- Basic knowledge and hands-on implementation experience with CI/CD pipelines and DatabaseOps practices
- Experience with automation, Infrastructure as Code (IaC), and 100% automation best practices
- Experience with data governance, compliance, and data lifecycle management
- Strong communication skills and ability to mentor and guide junior engineers
- Ability to independently own and execute projects while collaborating cross-functionally
What the Team is Saying
What We Do
At Crunchyroll, we deliver what anime fans love—anytime, anywhere. With the world’s largest anime streaming library, we connect fans to the stories, characters, and creators they love. But Crunchyroll is more than just a destination to watch anime—it's a global ecosystem where anime lives and breathes beyond the screen. From streaming and theatrical releases to merch, games, news, events, and music, we offer fans immersive experiences that celebrate anime culture in all its forms. Headquartered in the U.S. with teams and reach across the globe, Crunchyroll is an independently operated joint venture between Sony Pictures Entertainment and Aniplex of Japan. This unique partnership gives us the power to scale globally while staying rooted in anime’s cultural origins, ensuring authenticity and access for fans everywhere. We believe anime is more than entertainment—it’s a way of life. And we’re here to champion that passion every day.
Why Work With Us
We take the People Experience seriously here at Crunchyroll. Join a diverse team of talented, ambitious people who treat each other well and believe that how we win is just as important as winning.
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Crunchyroll Offices
Hybrid Workspace
Employees engage in a combination of remote and on-site work.
Three in-person days per week. Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays are the company-wide days for ALL team members to be in the office, and individuals may choose to come in more if they please.
