Senior Product Manager - Core Query Engine

Snowflake•Menlo Park, CA

About The Position

Snowflake is about empowering enterprises to achieve their full potential — and people too. With a culture that’s all in on impact, innovation, and collaboration, Snowflake is the sweet spot for building big, moving fast, and taking technology — and careers — to the next level. There is only one Data Cloud. Snowflake’s founders started from scratch and designed a data platform built for the cloud that is effective, affordable, and accessible to all data users. They engineered Snowflake to power the Data Cloud, where thousands of organizations unlock the value of their data with near-unlimited scale, concurrency, and performance. We are looking for a Senior Product Manager (IC3) to join Snowflake’s Core Analytics Platform team, focusing on the query compiler, optimizer, and execution engine. This role operates at the technical core of Snowflake, where database theory meets real-world production workloads. This is a high-impact role for a deeply technical PM who wants to work on some of the hardest problems in data systems—performance, efficiency, predictability, and scale—while partnering closely with senior product and engineering leaders who own the end-to-end query engine strategy. As a Senior Product Manager on the Core Query Engine team, you will own and drive major problem areas within Snowflake’s query compiler, optimizer, and execution engine. You will work in close partnership with product and senior engineering leaders, taking clear ownership of scoped areas while contributing meaningfully to broader strategy and direction. This role requires strong technical judgment, high agency, and the ability to independently drive execution in a complex, cross-functional environment. You will be trusted to lead initiatives end-to-end within your scope, from problem framing through delivery and iteration.

Requirements

3-5 years of product management experience, or equivalent experience as a senior engineer working on databases, compilers, or distributed systems.
Solid understanding of database internals, including query planning, optimization techniques, execution models, and performance trade-offs.
Experience working on large-scale data platforms, cloud infrastructure, or developer-facing systems.
A product mindset grounded in customer outcomes, with the technical depth to engage credibly with senior engineers.
A strong sense of ownership and urgency; comfortable operating autonomously within a larger strategy.
Resilient, low-ego, and comfortable with constructive conflict and “disagree and commit.”
Actively uses GenAI tools and has experience applying them to product development or delivery workflows.
A bachelor’s degree in Computer Science, Engineering, or a related field is required.

Nice To Haves

Hands-on experience with query optimizers, execution engines, compilers, or runtimes.
Familiarity with workload management, cost-based optimization, or adaptive execution techniques.
Experience with cloud data platforms across AWS, Azure, or GCP.
Background as a heavy SQL user, data engineer, or database architect.

Responsibilities

Own and drive key product areas within core query planning, optimization, and execution, from problem definition through launch and iteration.
Partner closely with senior product and engineering leaders to shape roadmap priorities,cross-functional initiatives, sequencing, and trade-offs for the broader query engine.
Work hand-in-hand with engineering to make principled decisions across performance, cost, complexity, and operability in a large-scale distributed system.
Translate deep engine capabilities into clear, compelling customer value—especially around workload performance, predictability, and ease of optimization.
Engage directly with customers, the field, and internal stakeholders to understand real-world workload patterns and performance pain points.
Contribute to Snowflake’s application of GenAI techniques for areas such as performance analysis, query understanding, and automated optimization.
Communicate plans, progress, and outcomes clearly to stakeholders and leadership.