Staff Infrastructure Software Engineer, Developer Infrastructure

Dropbox

  • Seattle, WA San Francisco, CA
  • Permanent
  • Full-time
  • 1 day ago
Role DescriptionThe Developer Infrastructure team at Dropbox builds and maintains the foundational systems that enable our engineers to deliver innovative features and services to millions of users worldwide. You will be at the heart of architecting and advancing the critical tools and infrastructure that accelerate engineering excellence across the company.The Developer Infrastructure team at Dropbox is seeking a Staff Engineer to lead initiatives at the intersection of developer productivity and AI. In this role, you'll architect and drive large-scale infrastructure that empowers ~1,000 engineers to build and ship software faster, safer, and with higher quality. You'll focus on reducing friction across the software development lifecycle-improving build/test systems, streamlining workflows, and integrating AI-powered tools for code reviews, debugging, and documentation. As a technical leader, you'll set strategy, mentor engineering leaders across multiple sub-teams, and partner closely with application engineers and cross-functional stakeholders. This is a highly visible, company-wide impact role with direct S-team exposure, ideal for someone who thrives on solving complex infrastructure challenges at scale while shaping the future of AI-driven developer productivity.
This is a high-impact role with strong visibility, ideal for someone who enjoys building foundational systems, experimenting with new technologies, and helping engineers do their best work.Join us in redefining the future, where your passion for building scalable, reliable systems will drive meaningful change on a global scale.Our Engineering Career Framework is and describes what's expected for our engineers at each of our career levels. Check out our blog post on this topic and more .Responsibilities
  • Define and drive technical strategy for developer infrastructure, with a focus on improving productivity and velocity across ~1,000 engineers.
  • Architect and build large-scale backend systems that support the full software development lifecycle in a complex monorepo environment.
  • Leverage AI-powered tools to automate and enhance workflows including code reviews, testing, debugging, and documentation.
  • Evaluate, pilot, and integrate emerging AI and developer productivity technologies into Dropbox's engineering ecosystem.
  • Set and track measurable success metrics (e.g., velocity improvements, reduced toil, faster build/test cycles) to guide roadmap and measure impact.
  • Mentor and uplevel technical leaders across Dev Infra, fostering a culture of reliability, customer empathy, and data-driven decision-making.
  • Collaborate closely with application engineering teams, AI Tools team, and cross-functional stakeholders to identify bottlenecks and deliver impactful solutions.
  • Promote best practices for reliability, scalability, and observability in developer infrastructure and AI-enhanced tooling.
  • Represent Dropbox externally by engaging in the developer productivity and infrastructure community through talks, conferences, and peer collaboration.
Many teams at Dropbox run Services with on-call rotations, which entails being available for calls during both core and non-core business hours. If a team has an on-call rotation, all engineers on the team are expected to participate in the rotation as part of their employment. Applicants are encouraged to ask for more details of the rotations to which the applicant is applying.Requirements
  • 10+ years of professional software development experience
  • BS, MS, or PhD in Computer Science or related technical field involving coding (e.g., physics or mathematics), or equivalent technical experience
  • Proficient in programming and debugging across a range of languages such as Python, Go, C/C++, or Java
  • Experience designing and building internal tools, developer platforms, or productivity systems that scale across large engineering organizations
  • Comfortable operating in ambiguity and fast-changing environments; proactively brings clarity, structure, and direction when faced with uncertainty
  • Excellent communication and collaboration skills, with a proven ability to gather feedback, influence cross-functional stakeholders, and work directly with engineers to iterate on solutions
  • Proven track record of defining & delivering well-scoped milestones/projects
  • Ability to independently define right solutions for ambiguous, open-ended problems
Preferred Qualifications
  • Experience in Developer Infrastructure
  • Experience with monorepo scale
  • Experience with both going broad and deep to set strategy or dive into difficult technical issues
  • Familiarity with modern AI-powered developer tools, frameworks, and APIs.
  • Experience driving initiatives in the developer productivity space
CompensationUS Zone 1$240,600-$325,500 USDUS Zone 2$216,500-$292,900 USDUS Zone 3$192,400-$260,400 USDThe range(s) listed above is the expected annual salary/OTE (On-Target Earnings) for this role, subject to change.Please note, OTE are for sales roles only.Salary/OTE is just one component of Dropbox's total rewards package. All regular employees are also eligible for the corporate bonus program or a sales incentive (target included in OTE) as well as stock in the form of Restricted Stock Units (RSUs).Dropbox takes a number of factors into account when determining individual starting pay, including job and level they are hired into, location/metropolitan area, skillset, and peer compensation. We target most new hire offers between the minimum up to the middle of the range.Dropbox uses the zip code of an employee's remote work location to determine which metropolitan pay range we use. Current US Zone locations are as follows:
  • US Zone 1: San Francisco metro, New York City metro, or Seattle metro
  • US Zone 2: California (outside SF metro), Colorado, Connecticut (outside NYC metro), Delaware, Illinois (Chicago metro), Indiana (Chicago metro), Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan (Chicago metro), New Hampshire, New Jersey (outside NYC metro), New York (outside NYC metro), Oregon, Pennsylvania (D.C. metro), Pennsylvania (outside NYC or DC metro), Texas (Austin metro) Virginia (DC metro), Washington (outside Seattle metro), Washington DC metro, West Virginia (DC metro), Wisconsin (Chicago metro)
  • US Zone 3: All other US locations
Dropbox is a Virtual First company and is open to hiring candidates in all authorized locations.Company DescriptionDropbox isn't just a workplace-it's a living lab for more enlightened ways of working. We're a global community of bold visionaries and resourceful doers who are shaping the future of Dropbox-and with it the future of work. Our Virtual First model combines the autonomy of a distributed workplace with the power of human connection, making space for both meaningful work and meaningful relationships. With our start-up mindset and enterprise-level opportunities, you can be who you are and grow into who you're meant to be. Here, you can own your impact to make work more intuitive, joyful, and human-for you as a Dropboxer and for hundreds of millions of people worldwide. If you're ready to push boundaries-and yourself- Dropbox is ready for you.Team DescriptionThe Dropbox Engineering Team builds the technology that creates more enlightened ways of working for hundreds of millions of people. Every day, our platforms-including Dropbox Dash, Dropbox Sign, and our core sync engine-handle over a billion files for users worldwide, creating engineering challenges as great as the opportunity for impact. Our software engineering team uses a range of technologies to solve interesting problems, including Python, React, Node.js, JavaScript, MongoDB, PostgreSQL, and Android development. We think like a startup but build for an enterprise, exploring new possibilities that transform how people work. If you're excited about turning complex technical challenges into intuitive solutions at scale, join our Engineering team. Areas of work include Machine Learning Engineers, Infrastructure Engineer, Product SWE Frontend and Backend, Mobile Software Engineers (iOS and Android), Engineering Manager, Data Engineer, Software Development Engineer in Test, Security Engineering, Site Reliability Engineer, Technical Program Managers, Network Engineer, Datacenter Engineer, Technical Supply Chain Manager and more.BenefitsDropbox is committed to investing in the holistic health and wellbeing of all Dropboxers and their families. Our benefits and perks programs include, but are not limited to:
  • Competitive medical, dental, and vision coverage
  • 401(k) plan with a generous company match and immediate vesting
  • Flexible PTO/Paid Time Off, paid holidays, Volunteer Time Off, and more, allowing you time to unplug, unwind, and refresh
  • Income Protection Plans: Life and disability insurance
  • Business Travel Protection: Travel medical and accident insurance
  • Perks Allowance to be used on what matters most to you, whether that's wellness, learning and development, food and groceries, and much more
  • Parental benefits including: Parental Leave, Child and Adult Care, Day Care FSA, Fertility Benefits, Adoption and Surrogacy Support, and Lactation Support
  • Access to over 10,000 global co-working spaces through
, making it easy to book flexible workspaces for collaboration or individual work * Quarterly Cell phone and internet allowance
  • Mental health and wellness benefits
  • Disability and neurodivergence support benefits
Additional benefit details are available upon request.Dropbox supports responsible use of AI for preparation, but misrepresentation of skills or experience is not permitted. See our .Dropbox is an equal opportunity employer. We are a welcoming place for everyone, and we do our best to make sure all people feel supported and connected at work. A big part of that effort is our support for members and allies of internal groups like Asians at Dropbox, BlackDropboxers, enABLE, TODOS (Latinx), Pridebox (LGBTQ), Vets at Dropbox, and Women at Dropbox.

Dropbox