We're transforming the grocery industry
At Instacart, we invite the world to share love through food because we believe everyone should have access to the food they love and more time to enjoy it together. Where others see a simple need for grocery delivery, we see exciting complexity and endless opportunity to serve the varied needs of our community. We work to deliver an essential service that customers rely on to get their groceries and household goods, while also offering safe and flexible earnings opportunities to Instacart Personal Shoppers.
Instacart has become a lifeline for millions of people, and we’re building the team to help push our shopping cart forward. If you’re ready to do the best work of your life, come join our table.
Instacart is a Flex First team
There’s no one-size fits all approach to how we do our best work. Our employees have the flexibility to choose where they do their best work—whether it’s from home, an office, or your favorite coffee shop—while staying connected and building community through regular in-person events. Learn more about our flexible approach to where we work.
Overview
About the Role
We are seeking a Senior Backend Engineer with strong ownership and a passion for user-facing products. In this crucial role, you will directly enhance the shopper experience and service quality, contributing to transformative changes in the grocery delivery industry. Your work will significantly impact critical systems and affect millions of end-users, underpinning our platform's success.
About the Job
- Backend System Development: Architect, design, and implement robust systems that improve shopper metrics and engagement. Your innovation will drive core enhancements across the platform.
- Collaborative Project Leadership: Lead cross-functional projects, including Product Managers, Mobile Engineers, and Data Scientists, to set clear project objectives, devise scalable solutions, and ensure timely execution.
- Mentorship: Actively mentor junior engineers, promoting a culture of quality and innovation, while instilling best practices in software development.
- Continuous Improvement: Proactively drive enhancements in system performance and code quality, streamlining the software development process to boost scalability.
About the Team
The Shopper Engagement Team is a dynamic, cross-functional group dedicated to innovating at the intersection of technology and user insight. With a diverse team of nine engineers across backend, Android, and iOS, our efforts focus on enriching shopper quality and fulfillment efficiency through strategic touchpoints:
- Shopper Positioning: We provide clear, actionable data that demystifies work access, helping shoppers understand where and when to work and what to expect.
- Shopper Earnings & Work Evaluation: Our systems enable shoppers to evaluate work effectively and maximize earnings by presenting insightful, data-driven job choices.
- Shopper Motivation: We develop reward systems that incentivize top-tier service, enhancing both customer experience and shopper satisfaction.
Operating within Instacart's broader Shopper organization, our team plays a critical role in enhancing marketplace performance, ensuring that our strategies lead to high-quality shopper engagements and efficient fulfillment solutions.
What We Offer:
- Impact: Make a direct positive impact on the earnings and satisfaction of thousands of shoppers, influencing the customer experience profoundly.
- Growth: Handle high-leverage projects that enhance your career growth, providing opportunities for significant domain ownership and leadership in engineering solutions.
- Learning and Development: Work alongside industry-leading engineers and leaders who are at the forefront of online grocery innovation.
- Team Culture: Thrive in an environment that values collaboration, support, and innovation, with a strong focus on speed, quality, and efficiency.
About You
Minimum Qualifications:
- Experience: 5+ years of experience in backend development, preferably with high-volume transaction systems.
- Technical Skills: Expertise in backend languages, specifically Ruby, Solid understanding of Rails, with a strong grasp of software architecture and system design.
- Problem-Solving: Ability to tackle complex technical challenges and deliver scalable and efficient solutions.
- Communication and Leadership: Strong leadership skills coupled with excellent communication abilities to manage projects and mentor team members effectively.
- Bachelor's or Master's degree in Computer Science, Software Engineering, or a related field, or equivalent practical experience.
Preferred Qualifications:
- Experience working in Marketplace problems
- Experience in developing mobile applications
- Experience with monitoring and observability tools like Datadog
- Experience working with databases, especially PostgreSQL and DynamoDB
