Staff Backend Product Software Engineer, Core

Dropbox is a Virtual First company. For this role, we are hiring in Zones 2 and 3. Please refer to our Compensation section below to see what neighborhoods fall under each Zone. Role Description Dropbox, we believe in simplifying the way people work together. We provide a range of innovative cloud-based solutions to empower individuals and businesses to share, access, and collaborate on their files seamlessly. Staff Engineers are pivotal in shaping our mission of building a more enlightened way of working where everyone can unleash its creative potential without constraints. This role owns large, ambiguous problem spaces directly tied to company metrics and translates them into a clear six-month technical roadmap, leading delivery for 15–20 engineers across team boundaries. The leader collaborates on ideas that shape area-level decisions, communicates effectively at all levels, and continuously integrates evolving business context into product and platform direction. They set and model high standards for engineering and operational excellence—driving reliability, scalability, execution rigor, and long-term maintainability across foundational systems—while remaining deeply hands‑on through daily coding, design authorship, critical reviews, and architectural leadership. The role influences Core Engineering roadmaps, establishes technical direction, and brings strong instincts for high‑quality consumer‑facing experiences. They mentor senior talent, raising the technical bar through coaching and example, and extend their impact through org‑level technical leadership. Over time, this leader grows from a cross‑team technical driver into an org‑level technical strategist, optimizing for the company as a whole rather than a single scope. This team will own project Optimize Activation and Engagement Flows for Team Users. Lead a multi‑year plan to modernize onboarding and activation, clean up core Dropbox surfaces, and build intelligent, adaptive systems that boost team activation, invites, and long‑term engagement across platforms. Opportunity for large impact on the business helping Teams users activate on the right features to drive down churn. 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 Lead the technical delivery of a team of 12 engineers to deliver high‑impact business and customer outcomes. Shape technical direction and partner with Product Management as the DRI for critical company‑wide objectives. Own massive, ambiguous technical and product problems that create company‑wide opportunity. Be a prolific, hands‑on coder who owns and implements the most critical, complex, and foundational components of the system. Influence roadmaps across orgs, breaking silos and steering decisions that change how Dropbox builds. Architect foundational systems that enable new product capabilities and operate reliably at the scale of hundreds of millions of users. Demonstrate senior technical leadership and maintain high engineering standards in a virtual‑first environment. 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 BS, MS, or PhD in Computer Science or a related technical field involving coding (e.g., physics or mathematics) or equivalent technical experience. Minimum of 12 years of experience as a software engineer. Must have worked in a consumer user‑facing team (versus a platform team, a developer‑facing API‑based product, etc). Must have a strong mix of skills and depth across multiple areas, including three or more of frontend, mobile, search, databases, storage, concurrency, and modern ML and LLM‑based APIs and agentic frameworks. Preferred Qualifications Experience working on a consumer‑facing product onboarding flow on web. Compensation US Zone 1 This role is not available in Zone 1 US Zone 2

$223,400—$302,200 USD

US Zone 3

$198,600—$268,600 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 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 Read more about our Benefits. Dropbox isn’t just a workplace—it’s a living lab for designing a more enlightened way of working. We’re a global community of bold visionaries and resourceful doers shaping the future of Dropbox and, in turn, the future of work. Our Virtual First model combines the autonomy of a distributed workplace with the power of human connection, creating space for meaningful work and lasting relationships. With a startup mindset and enterprise‑level opportunities, we expect Dropbox employees to think critically, stay curious, and use modern tools, including AI, to improve how work gets done. Here, you can be who you are and grow into who you’re meant to be. You own your impact, helping make work more intuitive, joyful, and human for yourself and hundreds of millions of people worldwide. If you’re ready to push boundaries and challenge yourself, Dropbox is ready for you. Team Description The Dropbox Engineering Team develops the technology, platforms, and products that create more enlightened ways of working for hundreds of millions of people. Customers rely on Dropbox to manage, share, and collaborate on content seamlessly—our engineering makes that easier and more intuitive than ever before. Our platform features a robust systems software layer that stores and processes exabytes of data, and a suite of growing services that enhance core products like our sharing and sync engine. We’re also driving innovation with new offerings such as Dash, our AI‑powered knowledge management engine. Our infrastructure spans high‑performance servers and cutting‑edge components across multiple data centers worldwide, ensuring reliability, speed, and scalability at a global scale. 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. Virtual First Dropbox’s Virtual First way of working is designed to help people do their best work with flexibility, autonomy, and connection. Day to day, teams work remotely with nonlinear schedules and core collaboration hours that support deep focus and individual working styles. We prioritize asynchronous communication to improve clarity, respect deep work time, and reduce unnecessary meetings. While remote work is the primary experience for our employees, we also prioritize intentional, in‑person connection. We bring teams together through regular team gatherings, on‑demand workspaces, and Dropbox Neighborhood events in order to strengthen team cohesion, foster creativity, and enhance momentum. Virtual First is built to provide the same access to opportunity, growth, and impact for everyone, regardless of location. This role requires travel to offsites and various other team gatherings (approximately 5‑10% of the year or 2‑3 days per quarter). We provide advance notice when possible and encourage candidates to discuss any accommodation needs during the interview process. Dropbox supports responsible use of AI for preparation, but misrepresentation of skills or experience is not permitted. See our AI Principles. 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. #J-18808-Ljbffr Dropbox