Staff Software Engineer, Instacart
Core Shopping
CA$224-249k
+ New hire equity grant as well as annual refresh grants
More information about location
Online grocery marketplace & grocery tech platform
Open for applications
Online grocery marketplace & grocery tech platform
1001+ employees
Open for applications
CA$224-249k
+ New hire equity grant as well as annual refresh grants
More information about location
1001+ employees
Company mission
To create a world where everyone has access to the food they love and have more time to enjoy it together.
Role
Who you are
- Proven experience in a senior engineering role with a focus on architecture and system design
- Strong proficiency in coding and ability to engage in complex problem-solving
- Experience designing and working on systems utilized by more than 30 engineers
- Ability to lead engineering reviews and provide guidance to team members
- Exceptional communication skills to influence and drive technical strategy
- Previous experience in building scalable, reliable systems in a fast-paced environment
Desirable
- Bachelor's degree or equivalent in Computer Science or a related field
- Experience working alongside machine learning, product, and design teams
- Previous experience in Search, Recommendations and Personalization technologies and industry trends. Experiencing building platforms in this space supporting feature teams is a meaningful advantage
- Experience with Postgres/MySQL and OpenSearch is a plus
- A deep understanding of the online grocery or e-commerce sector
What the job involves
- Instacart has become a vital service for millions, and we're assembling a team to lead the future of online grocery shopping
- We're seeking a hands-on engineering leader to guide the redesign and re-platforming of our core systems, with a focus on Personalization, Content Platform, Recommender Systems, and Feeds
- Join us to play a crucial role in pushing the boundaries of innovation in the Instacart App and Website
- As the driving force behind key shopping functions that impact millions globally, you will work closely with the Home, Storefront, Search and Discovery teams
- If you're ready to do the best work of your life, come join our table and be part of our transformative journey
- As a Staff Engineer, you will play a pivotal role within our Core Shopping Team, driving engineering initiatives and architectural decisions across multiple teams in Instacart's Online Grocery Pillar
- You will engage in hands-on coding to design and develop the next generation serving stack and services supporting the Instacart product
- In this role, you’ll be expected to conduct engineering reviews to ensure high standards, and identify unifying patterns and systems to enhance architectural coherence
- Your leadership will influence teams across the organization towards a platform-oriented approach, fostering innovation and efficiency
- Working closely with cross-functional teams, including machine learning, product, and design, you will establish and drive our technical vision, ensuring alignment on product vision and delivering impactful solutions
- Join a dynamic team at the heart of Instacart's success, leading the core shopping experience that millions of users rely on
- This team owns the main Instacart customer facing products and all underlying systems powering it
- We are obsessive about perfecting every aspect of the customer shopping journey on the app, encompassing UX formats, feeds, algorithms, personalization, recommender engines, and ranking systems to deliver an exceptional experience
- Our team thrives on collaborative problem-solving in a fast-paced environment
- Conduct engineering reviews to ensure high standards across all projects
- Identify unifying patterns and systems, improving architectural coherence and efficiency
- Architect and implement service-oriented solutions to address systemic issues
- Mentor junior engineers, fostering growth and technical excellence
- Align and partner with cross-functional teams to deliver impactful solutions and drive technical strategy
Our take
Instacart is an online grocery marketplace that operates a pick-up and delivery system in the US and Canada. Unlike standard grocery shopping, Instacart sends a “personal shopper” to your local store to buy your products, who then delivers them straight to your door on the same day via their own car. The company also supplies the Instacart Platform, with services for stores encompassing eCommerce, fulfilment, in-store, ads, and insights.
The increased modernization of society has meant more than ever that consumers are looking to buy their groceries online, making space for apps like Instacart to become daily life staples for years to come. Although the company must compete with other grocery store delivery services, such as Walmart’s own, it has expanded to cover large percentages of US and Canadian households, and is now aligned with over 900 retail banners across more than 75,000 locations.
Instacart's software offerings signify the company's focus on tech, designed to move it away from its dependence on the gig economy. To this end, the company has acquired FoodStorm, an order management system that powers end-to-end order-ahead and catering, integrating its technology into its enterprise suite. Despite an IPO in September 2023, market downturns have necessitated a 7% workforce cut in 2024, focused on middle management and creating a flatter organisational structure. With a new streamlined workforce, here's to hoping Instacart can maintain its momentum.
Steph
Company Specialist at Welcome to the Jungle
Insights
7% employee growth in 12 months
Company
Funding (last 2 of 14 rounds)
Nov 2021
$232m
LATE VC
Mar 2021
$265m
LATE VC
Total funding: $2.9bn
Company benefits
- Wellness Tailored to You: Medical, dental, vision, retirement, life & disability coverage right alongside physical & mental wellness programs, memberships and stipends to keep you and your family feeling your best.
- Family Building Benefits: No matter where you are in your family journey, we support you. Our plans cover modern family planning for all. We offer leave for all parents, flexible working schedules and an active Parents@ community.
- Work From Home Stipend: We help outfit your WFH setup and offer reimbursements so you can be your most productive while at home.
- Flexible Time Off: We all recharge differently. Take the time you need with our flexible time off policy and company-wide Self-Checkouts where we encourage everyone to sign off.
- Learning & Development: Whether you're just starting your career or leading teams, we provide customized L&D programs to help you grow and an annual allowance to pursue your development.
- Future Planning: We have you covered as you plan for your future. 401(k) matching in the US and RRSP in Canada, student loan assistance through Peanut Butter, free Rocket Lawyer membership, SoFi & First Republic financial planning and more.
- Four Year Fill-Up: We encourage our tenured employees to take longer breaks and truly unplug by doing something they love – typically four consecutive weeks around the four year mark.
- Community Connection: Support the communities you care about with volunteer weeks and get involved with our social impact program, Instacart Serves.
- Instacart Express Membership: We help keep your fridge stocked. Unlock grocery discounts with our Instacart Beta app while testing our latest features.
Company HQ
The East Cut, San Francisco, CA
Leadership
Apoorva Mehta
(Co-Founder & Chairman)Studied Electrical Engineering at University of Waterloo. Worked in Fulfillment Optimisation SDE at Amazon.com before going on to co-found Instacart.
Brandon Leonardo
(Co-Founder)Interned at Cisco Systems as an IT Engineer. Later became a Senior Web Developer at Webs and then a Venture Hacker at Angel List.
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