Staff Backend Product Software Engineer, Core Sync

Job description

Role Description

At Dropbox, we believe in simplifying the way people work together.

Our engineers build the technology that powers seamless collaboration for hundreds of millions of users worldwide.

As a Staff Engineer focused on Dropbox Sync, you will play a pivotal role in shaping the reliability, scalability, and future direction of one of Dropbox’s most critical systems.

You will partner with Product Managers, Engineering Managers, and other senior technical leaders to deliver platform improvements that directly impact customers and enable future innovation.

You’ll balance short-term execution with long-term architectural investments, ensuring Dropbox’s sync experience continues to set the standard for simplicity and trust.

As a Staff Engineer, you’ll thrive if you love tackling ambiguity, operating with autonomy, and driving technical strategy across teams.

This role offers the opportunity for substantial technical ownership, senior leadership exposure, and the chance to leave a lasting mark on Dropbox’s core product experience.

Our Engineering Career Framework is viewable by anyone outside the company and describes what’s expected for our engineers at each of our career levels.

Check out our blog post on this topic and more here.

Responsibilities

Architect and deliver high-impact technical solutions that scale to millions of daily active users.

Shape technical direction by evaluating tradeoffs between speed, quality, and long-term maintainability across projects.

Partner cross-functionally with Product, Design, and Engineering peers to align on priorities and execute against critical business objectives.

Lead technical initiatives that modernize core sync systems, improve performance, and reduce customer-reported issues.

Mentor and elevate other engineers through design reviews, code reviews, and sharing best practices.

Influence org-wide engineering standards by advocating for high-quality systems design, operational excellence, and pragmatic decision-making.

Contribute to culture by participating in hiring, onboarding, and company-wide technical forums.

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

12+ years of software engineering experience with proven success in large-scale, user-facing systems.

BS in Computer Science or related technical field involving coding (e.g., mathematics, physics), or equivalent technical experience.

Demonstrated ability to design and ship technically complex products used at scale.

Deep expertise in at least one systems-level area (e.g., sync, distributed systems, OS internals, file systems).

Strong communication and collaboration skills, with experience influencing across multiple teams and functions.

Comfortable balancing short-term delivery with long-term strategic investments.

Willingness to participate in on-call rotations where required.

Preferred Qualifications

Advanced proficiency in Rust or C++, with strong debugging and performance optimization skills.

Familiarity with operating system internals, compilers, databases, or distributed storage systems.

Knowledge of Python and/or Go a plus.

Track record of setting technical direction across teams and driving adoption of new technologies.

Experience building developer platforms or infrastructure that accelerates product delivery.

Compensation

US Zone 1

This role is not available in Zone 1

US Zone 2$216,500—$292,900 USDUS Zone 3$192,400—$260,400 USD

The 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

Company Description

Dropbox 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 Description

The 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.

Benefits

Dropbox 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 Gable.to, 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 AI philosophy.

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.

Required Skill Profession

Computer Occupations