Backend Engineer - Autonomous Drone Delivery

DoorDash USA; San Francisco (CA); On-site; USD 160,000 - 235,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

401(k) plan with employer matching

Paid parental leave

Wellness benefits

Paid time off

Job summary

DoorDash is seeking a Software Engineer, Backend on the Air team to design and build backend services for autonomous drone delivery, integrating with core DoorDash data and delivering reliable path planning and fleet management.

You will develop scalable systems, run simulations, improve performance and security, and help enforce aviation-regulatory compliance. This role offers equity, benefits, and a heavy emphasis on real‑time operation.

Qualifications

• Requires advanced degree or equivalent in CS/Robotics/Aerospace or related field.
• 6+ years of experience as a software engineer focusing on backend systems or autonomous/robotics.
• Experience building path planning algorithms and simulations for robotics.
• Experience with REST APIs, unit testing, and service-oriented architecture.
• Understanding of networking protocols used in robotics/IoT (TCP/IP, UDP, MQTT).
• Familiarity with SQL/NoSQL databases and distributed systems.

Responsibilities

• Design and implement backend services for autonomous drone delivery with integration to core DoorDash data.
• Develop and maintain scalable, fault-tolerant drone fleet systems for safe operations.
• Implement simulations and testing frameworks for path planning algorithms.
• Improve performance, reliability, scalability, and security of drone backend systems.
• Introduce tools and best practices to accelerate drone development while ensuring aviation compliance.

Skills

path planning

real-time fleet management

REST APIs

distributed systems

Kotlin

C++

SQL/NoSQL

networking protocols (TCP/IP, UDP, MQ)

Education

B.S., M.S., or Ph.D. in CS/Robotics/Aerospace

Job description

DoorDash is seeking a Software Engineer, Backend on the Air team to design and build backend services for autonomous drone delivery, integrating with core DoorDash data and delivering reliable path planning and fleet management.

You will develop scalable systems, run simulations, improve performance and security, and help enforce aviation-regulatory compliance. This role offers equity, benefits, and a heavy emphasis on real‑time operation.