Principal Data Systems Software Engineer

About the role:

Our team builds the tools and runs the tests that support Oracle Database patch releases, including RUs, PSUs, CPUs, MRPs, and CSPUs. The work spans multiple release lines and involves changes across a large, complex codebase.

In this hands-on role, you'll build and own test automation, investigate failures, and work with development and testing teams to resolve issues. You'll also use AI coding tools and explore ways to bring AI agents into day-to-day engineering workflows.

What will you do

• Build and maintain test frameworks and tools for database patch validation.
• Automate test runs, result collection, failure detection, and issue tracking across release lines.
• Investigate failures by examining test results, source code, logs, stack traces, and dumps.
• Debug programs that are part of the Oracle Database server.
• Turn customer use cases into tests and improve existing test applications.
• Work with development, testing, and release teams to understand issues and keep patch validation moving.
• Use AI coding tools for tasks such as exploring code, writing or updating tests, refactoring, and documentation. Review and test generated code before using it.
• Build AI agent workflows for tasks such as summarizing failures, grouping similar issues, and connecting test results with code changes or known bugs.
• Build connectors that let AI agents work with approved test systems, diagnostic data, and issue tracking tools.
• Evaluate AI workflows and make their results traceable, with engineers reviewing findings before action is taken.
• Track whether automation is improving test coverage, repeatability, and the time it takes to investigate failures.

Why the work matters

Each patch can include hundreds of fixes, and every fix needs to be checked for unintended effects. Several database releases are tested at the same time, while customers depend on patches arriving on schedule. Better automation and faster, clearer failure analysis can catch regressions earlier and make validation more predictable.

Required skills :

• Proficiency in Python, Java, SQL, and PL/SQL.
• Strong foundations in data structures and algorithms (DSA) and object-oriented programming (OOP).
• Experience developing software, test tools, or automation.

Preferred skills :

• Perl or JavaScript.
• Familiarity with Oracle Database concepts such as server architecture, background processes, instances, shared and dedicated servers, connectivity, and configuration.
• Experience reading alert logs, stack dumps, or other database diagnostics.
• Experience building test harnesses, automation frameworks, or workflow tools.
• Experience with AI coding assistants or integrating AI into software development.
• Familiarity with LLMs, AI agents, or connectors between agents and engineering tools.
• Experience testing AI workflows and making their results traceable and reviewable.
• Experience working across multiple operating systems and platforms.

What will you learn

You'll have opportunities to build knowledge of Oracle Database areas such as Consolidated Database, Grid Computing, Real Application Clusters (RAC), transaction management, query optimization, recovery, and data warehousing.