Are you an experienced Software Design Engineer with a desire to excel? If so, then Talent Software Services may have the job for you! Our client is seeking an experienced Software Design Engineer to work at their company in Redmond, WA.

Primary Responsibilities/Accountabilities:

• This contractor will be a part of the MS SQL performance team working on on-prem and AzureSQL software, focused on ensuring performance is optimal and competitive.
• The contractor must have a bachelors degree in computer science, preferably a masters degree (an information science degree is not enough). Degrees from tier 1 universities like University of Washington are a plus.
• They should be familiar with data structures and understand what makes a program optimal and performance oriented (they will not write code but should be able to understand the code and know which questions to ask to determine how it works).
• The contractor should be very familiar with databases. They should understand structured query language (SQL), tables, indexes, kinds of logic, locks & spinlocks, etc. Some experience with hardware and processors is needed, the contractor will do low level testing and benchmarking for machines that will be added to Azure to ensure they work as intended.
• The contractor doesn't need to know any specific coding language, but should have a strong understanding of coding logic and ideally be comfortable writing in at least one of the following: C#, Bash, C, C , PowerShell, Python, etc. They should be able to read a function, understand what is does, and know how to change the function. This role will involve implementing automation in PowerShell.
• The contractor will primarily work with windows systems, however Linux skills would be a plus.
• The best candidate has great problem solving, communication, and presentation skills and is able to explain what they've found while testing. They should be vocal about what they understand and what they don't understand, and are willing to ask questions to learn more. The second-round interview will focus on their technical knowledge of SQL servers and tuning them.
• Candidates should be prepared to expand on what is included in their resumes and rate their ability with the programming languages listed on their resumes. The sponsor's team will ask candidates about their coding experience, explain different data types if they understand database-related info such as concurrency and which kinds of locking are best for certain scenarios, and ensure they know how their code works instead of just being able to write code.
• Develops/executes performance tools and scripts. Collect and report the performance data to the performance team and other stakeholders. Analyze automated performance tool results and report results to the performance team. Be familiar with physical computer technologies and configuration as well as cloud-based technologies. Will work under the supervision of more senior Performance Engineers.
• Looking for candidates interested in pursuing a Software Database Engineer role in the future, as this role is essentially for a very junior SDE candidate who is willing to be trained on the job

Qualifications:

• General knowledge of personal and server-class computers, applications software, and operating systems required. Knowledge of PowerShell and other scripting languages a must. Database skills are highly desirable. Demonstrated investigative and problem-solving skills required. Familiarity with product lifecycle preferred.
• Must have the ability to use, at a basic level, word processing and spreadsheet applications.
• Must have the ability to learn new information quickly.
• A bachelor's degree in computer science (Master's a plus) is required.
• Years of Experience Required – 1-3 years
• Degrees or certifications required – Bachelor's degree in computer science Required (Master's degree preferred)
• Disqualifiers - : not looking for people that have only worked with apps – need development experience that goes beyond the scope of apps
• Best vs. Average – the best candidate has a willingness to learn new things. They are outgoing and inquisitive, ready to ask questions and learn! A broad range of experience is a plus
• Performance Indicators – Performance will be measured by communication with the engineering team, and ensuring that processes are running smoothly
• SQL proficiency – knowledgeable about basic server and database interactions (the more they know about SQL databases the better) | 2 years of experience
• Strong understanding of coding logic - ideally be comfortable writing in at least one of the following: C#, Bash, C, C , PowerShell, Python, etc | 2 years of experience
• Basic understanding of the different components that make up a computer and how those components interact