Software Engineer, New Grad - Query Engines

Palantir is hiring a Software Engineer, New Grad - Query Engines in London, United Kingdom. Level rates it ; you can apply on Palantir.

Level's read on this job

Level rates this software engineer role Little AI ●○○○: aI is not part of the work.
The posting mentions Java, Scala and Rust among its tools and skills.
Level classes it as a junior role.
Palantir has 301 other open roles on Level.
Posted within the past two weeks.

AI in this role

New grad software engineer building and optimizing open-source data processing infrastructure and query engines at Palantir.

javascalarustpythonapache-sparkapache-datafusionapache-iceberggradle

distributed-systemsquery-optimizationdata-processing

A World-Changing Company Palantir builds the world’s leading software for data-driven decisions and operations. By bringing the right data to the people who need it, our platforms empower our partners to develop lifesaving drugs, forecast supply chain disruptions, locate missing children, and more.

The Role

We are a software engineering team applying open-source data technologies to some of the world's hardest and most important problems. We build the data processing infrastructure that underpins Palantir Foundry, supporting applications that help hospitals care for more patients, help clinical teams coordinate timely diagnoses, and keep essential supplies moving through global disruption. You will work deep inside the systems that make this possible: how computations are represented, how query plans are optimised, how operators execute, and how data is read and written efficiently. We build on and extend Apache Spark, Apache DataFusion, and Apache Iceberg, bringing advances in open-source engines and table formats into the demanding environments our customers operate in. Our work serves many products and workloads across Foundry, including no-code pipelines, interactive analysis, and the processing that keeps the Ontology up to date. Working alongside experienced engineers, you will take on real problems in our production systems. That could mean writing a new planning rule, adding a capability to a native execution engine, or making large tables faster to scan. You will see your work through design, code review, testing, and release. Correctness, compatibility, and predictable performance are central to everything we build, and you will learn how to deliver all three. Join us if you want to learn how modern data systems work from the inside and apply that knowledge to consequential problems.

Technologies We Use

Java, Scala, Rust, and Python
Apache Spark, Apache DataFusion, Apache Comet, and Velox for data processing and query execution
Apache Iceberg for table management and catalog interoperability
Apache Arrow and Apache Parquet for in-memory data processing and columnar storage
Gradle and Cargo for builds, and GitHub for collaboration

What We Value

Curiosity about how data systems work, from query optimisers and execution operators to file formats and distributed processing
A high bar for correctness and a willingness to dig until you understand why something behaves the way it does
Comfort following a problem across languages, services, and layers of the stack
A practical approach to performance, grounded in measurement rather than intuition
Eagerness to learn, ask questions, and incorporate feedback
Interest in applying deep systems engineering to real-world problems, with empathy for the people who depend on our software

What We Require

Currently pursuing or recently completed a Bachelor's, Master's, or PhD in Computer Science, Mathematics, Software Engineering, Physics, or a similar field, or equivalent practical experience
Proficiency in at least one language such as Java, Rust, Scala, C++, or C
Strong foundations in algorithms, data structures, and concurrency
Strong written and verbal communication skills
Coursework or projects in databases, compilers, operating systems, or distributed systems
Contributions to open-source projects

Life at Palantir We want every Palantirian to achieve their best outcomes, that’s why we celebrate individuals’ strengths, skills, and interests, from your first interview to your longterm growth, rather than rely on traditional career ladders. Paying attention to the needs of our community enables us to optimize our opportunities to grow and helps ensure many pathways to success at Palantir. Promoting health and well-being across all areas of Palantirians’ lives is just one of the ways we’re investing in our community. Learn more at Life at Palantir and note that our offerings may vary by region. In keeping consistent with Palantir’s values and culture, we believe employees are “better together” and in-person work affords the opportunity for more creative outcomes. Therefore, we encourage employees to work from our offices to foster connectivity and innovation. Many teams do offer hybrid options (WFH a day or two a week), allowing our employees to strike the right trade-off for their personal productivity. Based on business need, there are a few roles that allow for “Remote” work on an exceptional basis. If you are applying for one of these roles, you must work from the city and or country in which you are employed. If the posting is specified as Onsite, you are required to work from an office. If you want to empower the world's most important institutions, you belong here. Palantir values excellence regardless of background. We are committed to making the application and hiring process accessible to everyone and will provide a reasonable accommodation for those living with a disability. If you need an accommodation for the application or hiring process, please reach out and let us know how we can help. Please note that you will never be asked to submit a payment or share financial information to participate in our interview process. If you suspect that you've been contacted by a scammer, we recommend you cease all communication with the individual and consider reporting them to the relevant authorities, such as the US FBI Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3).

How we rate this

Software Engineer, New Grad - Query Engines at Palantir rates 10 out of 100 for how much of the daily work is AI. That makes it Little AI (AI Level 1 of 4). The level is about AI in the job, not seniority.

Classification

Little AI. AI is not part of the work.

●●●● Builds AI80 to 100
●●●○ Works on AI60 to 79
●●○○ Uses AI40 to 59
●○○○ Little AI0 to 39

Levels come from how often the tools, models and workflows of the role are named in the posting itself. Read the description and count the AI tools, models and workflows it names.

Key facts

Software Engineer, New Grad - Query Engines is an open job at Palantir.
Level rates this role AI Level 1 of 4: Little AI.
The role is based in London, United Kingdom.
The job was posted on October 19, 2026.
Seniority: junior.
Applications are handled by Palantir. Apply on Palantir

Prepare for this job

Built from this posting and from similar jobs on Level.

Skills and AI tools this role asks for

Distributed SystemsQuery OptimizationData ProcessingJavaScalaRustPythonApache Spark

Also common in software engineer jobs at this level

AWS Kubernetes TypeScript React Docker JavaScript

Pay

Typical software engineer job: $167k

This posting doesn't list pay. Use the typical software engineer figure when pay comes up. See software engineer jobs

Questions you could be asked

Tell me about a project where distributed systems was part of your work. What did you do?
Tell me about a project where query optimization was part of your work. What did you do?
Tell me about a project where data processing was part of your work. What did you do?
What's a project where you used Java hands-on?
Walk me through how you've used Scala in your day-to-day work.

Adapt your resume

List these exact terms on your resume: Distributed Systems, Query Optimization, Data Processing, Java, and Scala. An applicant tracking system matches the wording, not the idea.
Attach one line of real, concrete experience to at least one of them. A tool named with nothing behind it rarely survives a human read.

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