Staff Software Engineer, Core Experience

Instacart; Calgary; Remote; CAD 224,000 - 249,000; Full time

Job summary

Instacart is seeking a Staff Software Engineer to enhance the customer shopping journey through innovative engineering solutions. This role involves hands-on coding, architectural decisions, and collaboration with cross-functional teams. The ideal candidate will have a strong background in system design and a passion for mentoring others. Enjoy a flexible work environment and competitive compensation.

Qualifications

• Experience in senior engineering roles focusing on architecture and system design.
• Strong coding and problem-solving skills.

Responsibilities

• Drive engineering initiatives and architectural decisions.
• Collaborate with cross-functional teams for technical alignment.
• Mentor peers to foster learning and improvement.

Skills

Problem Solving

Communication

Mentoring

Education

Bachelor's degree in Computer Science

Job description

Staff Software Engineer, Core Experience

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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. We see exciting complexity and endless opportunity in serving our community's varied needs. We deliver an essential service relied upon for groceries and household goods, while also providing safe and flexible earnings opportunities to Instacart Personal Shoppers.

We're a Flex First team

Employees can choose where they work—home, office, or coffee shop—and stay connected through in-person events. Learn more about our flexible work approach.

Overview

About the Role

As a Staff Engineer, you will drive engineering initiatives and architectural decisions across our Shopping Experience Team within Instacart's Online Grocery Pillar. Your responsibilities include hands-on coding, engineering reviews, identifying patterns to improve architecture, and leading teams towards a platform-oriented approach. You will collaborate with cross-functional teams to align on technical and product visions and deliver impactful solutions.

About The Team

Join a dynamic team focused on perfecting the customer shopping journey—UX, algorithms, personalization, recommender engines, and ranking systems—to deliver an exceptional experience. We value collaborative problem-solving in a fast-paced environment.

About The Job

• Contribute to rearchitecting FoodStorm’s platform for scalability and maintainability.
• Implement high-quality software for system integration.
• Engage in coding, problem-solving, and system optimization.
• Collaborate with engineers, product managers, and designers for technical alignment.
• Partner with the Australia-based team, ensuring effective collaboration (~2 hours overlap daily).
• Mentor peers to foster learning and improvement.
• Identify and implement best practices to enhance efficiency and performance.

About You

• Conduct engineering reviews ensuring high standards.
• Identify patterns and improve architectural coherence.
• Design and implement service-oriented solutions.
• Mentor junior engineers and foster growth.
• Partner with cross-functional teams to deliver impactful solutions.

Minimum Qualifications

• Experience in senior engineering roles focusing on architecture and system design.
• Strong coding and problem-solving skills.
• Experience with systems used by 30+ engineers.
• Ability to lead reviews and guide team members.
• Excellent communication skills for influencing technical strategy.

Preferred Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree or equivalent in Computer Science or related field.
• Experience working with machine learning, product, and design teams.
• Experience building scalable, reliable systems in fast environments.
• Understanding of personalization technologies and industry trends.
• Knowledge of online grocery or e-commerce sectors.

Instacart offers competitive compensation and benefits. The role is remote, with hiring limited to Ontario, Alberta, British Columbia, and Nova Scotia. Pay ranges for Canadian candidates are $224,000–$249,000 CAD. Learn more about our policies and benefits.