Senior Software Engineer, Caper AI

Jackalope Digital LLC; Northern (KY); Hybrid; USD 230,000 - 255,000; Full time

Job summary

Maplebear Inc. D/B/A Instacart is seeking a Senior Software Engineer, Caper AI, to design and build AI-enabled retail software systems for nationwide deployment. The role emphasizes scalable backend architectures and cutting-edge AI technologies across a distributed platform.

Remote work is supported under their Flex First policy, with strong compensation and equity opportunities. Candidates can be stationed anywhere in the continental U.S. and report to the San Francisco HQ as needed.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Computer Science, Software Engineering, or related field.
• 5 years of experience in the job offered or related.
• 5 years of experience with Java, Ruby, Kotlin, or similar backend programming languages
• 5 years with TypeScript, React, Next.js or frontend programming languages
• 5 years with advanced AI systems (LLMs, Computer Vision, and multimodal technologies) to address complex business challenges
• 5 years designing resilient backend systems and distributed infrastructure with caching, retry logic, and asynchronous workflows using Temporal
• 5 years working with backend APIs
• 5 years architecting data pipelines and ETL systems for real-time data processing
• 5 years of experience with monitoring and observability tools.

Responsibilities

• Develop high-quality web applications and AI systems integrating LLMs, Computer Vision, and multimodal tech to address loss prevention, verification, and catalog management.
• Architect data pipelines and reverse ETL systems combining on-cart CV, catalog and POS data, real-time location data, and inventory signals to resolve item discrepancies.
• Standardize API contracts for pricing, coupons, and loyalty across retailer systems to accelerate new features.
• Lead architectural design of backend systems and distributed infrastructure to process large data volumes serving millions of users.
• Build frameworks and portals for automated integration testing, logging, and debugging to speed up retailer integrations.
• Lead cross-functional initiatives to unify development approaches and deliver impactful shopping experiences.
• Other duties as assigned.

Skills

Backend languages

Frontend languages

AI systems

Distributed systems

APIs

Data pipelines/ETL

Monitoring/observability

Workflow orchestration

Education

Bachelor's degree in CS/EE or related

Tools

Temporal

Job description

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. Where others see a simple need for grocery delivery, we see exciting complexity and endless opportunity to serve the varied needs of our community. We work to deliver an essential service that customers rely on to get their groceries and household goods, while also offering safe and flexible earnings opportunities to Instacart Personal Shoppers.

Instacart has become a lifeline for millions of people, and we're building the team to help push our shopping cart forward. If you're ready to do the best work of your life, come join our table.

Instacart is a Flex First team

There's no one-size fits all approach to how we do our best work. Our employees have the flexibility to choose where they do their best work—whether it's from home, an office, or your favorite coffee shop—while staying connected and building community through regular in-person events. Learn more about our flexible approach to where we work.

Senior Software Engineer, Caper AI

Job #CAPS40

Overview

Maplebear Inc. D/B/A Instacart in San Francisco, CA seeks Senior Software Engineer, Caper AI (Multiple Openings). Employee may be stationed anywhere in the continental U.S., but will report to headquarters in San Francisco, CA.

About the Job

Responsible for designing, building, and implementing software solutions that assist retailers in managing connected store technologies at scale while streamlining internal processes to achieve operational efficiency.

Duties include:

• Developing high-quality web applications and advanced AI systems integrating Large Language Models (LLMs), Computer Vision, and multimodal technologies to address complex business challenges relating to loss prevention, verification, and catalog management;
• Architecting data pipelines and reverse ETL systems that combine on-cart computer vision, catalog and POS data, real-time location data, and inventory intelligence signals to automatically resolve item discrepancies;
• Standardizing API contracts for complex retail functions including pricing, coupons, and loyalty systems across disparate retailer systems to accelerate new feature integrations;
• Leading architectural design of backend systems and distributed infrastructure to process high volumes of data serving millions of customers and enhance platform performance;
• Building frameworks and internal portals for automated integration testing, unified logging, and query-based debugging to support the rapid and continuous deployment integration of new retailers;
• Leading cross-functional initiatives to unify development approaches and deliver impactful results for customer shopping experiences;
• Other duties as assigned.

About You

Minimum Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Computer Science, Software Engineering, or related field (or foreign equivalent).
• 5 years of experience in the job offered or related.
• 5 years of experience working with Java, Ruby, Kotlin, or similar backend programming languages
• 5 years of experience working with TypeScript, React, Next.js or frontend programming languages
• 5 years of experience working with advanced AI systems, such as LLMs, Computer Vision, and multimodal technologies, to address complex business challenges
• 5 years of experience designing and implementing resilient backend systems and distributed infrastructure leveraging caching, retry logic, and asynchronous workflows using workflow orchestration platforms such as Temporal
• 5 years of experience working with backend APIs
• 5 years of experience architecting data pipelines and ETL systems for real-time data processing
• 5 years of experience working with monitoring and observability tools.

Instacart provides highly market-competitive compensation and benefits in each location where our employees work. This role is remote and the base pay range for a successful candidate is dependent on their permanent work location. Please review our Flex First remote work policy here.

Offers may vary based on many factors, such as candidate experience and skills required for the role. Additionally, this role is eligible for a new hire equity grant as well as annual refresh grants. Please rea d more about our benefits offerings here. For US base candidates, the base pay ranges for a successful candidate are listed below.

CA, NY, CT, NJ: $230,000 — $255,000 USD

WA: $230,000 — $255,000 USD

OR, DE, ME, MA, MD, NH, RI, VT, DC, PA, VA, CO, TX, IL, HI: $230,000 — $255,000 USD

All other states: $230,000 — $255,000 USD