Staff Software Engineer (Rider)

Lyft; New York (NY); On-site; USD 176,000 - 220,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Medical, dental, and vision insurance

Mental health benefits

401(k) plan with company match

12 observed holidays plus discretionary paid time off

18 weeks paid parental leave

Monthly Lyft credits

Job summary

Lyft is seeking a Staff Software Engineer in New York City to lead technical projects that enhance the rideshare experience. In this role, you will shape the architecture for core systems, actively participate in technical roadmaps, and mentor other engineers.

The ideal candidate will have 8+ years of experience, a background in cloud platforms, and strong collaboration skills. Lyft offers a hybrid work model, allowing for office work and flexibility.

Qualifications

• 8+ years of software engineering experience with proven leadership.
• Expertise in designing fault-tolerant distributed systems.
• Ability to work with low-ego, collaborative teams.

Responsibilities

• Shape architecture for systems and take accountability for functionality.
• Translate business goals into actionable engineering projects.
• Mentor engineers and lead cross-team reviews.

Skills

Technical leadership

Distributed systems

Cloud platforms (AWS, GCP, Azure)

Container orchestration (Kubernetes, Docker)

Effective communication

Education

BS/MS in Computer Engineering or related field

Tools

Kubernetes

Docker

AWS

GCP

Microsoft Azure

Job description

At Lyft, our purpose is to serve and connect. We aim to achieve this by cultivating a work environment where all team members belong and have the opportunity to thrive.

Lyft is looking for software engineers from a scope of disciplines. We are growing our team with people who want to build, improve and incorporate technologies that make the lives of our community more enriched. As an engineer at Lyft, you'll collaborate with teams like product, data science, analytics, and operations on code that empower us to iterate quickly, while focusing on delighting our passengers and drivers.

The Rider organization is focused on building a seamless, best-in-class rideshare experience for riders. From the foundational functionality of requesting a ride to the tailored interactions with your flight, we sweat the small stuff to help make Lyft the best transportation solution. As a Staff Software Engineer on the Rider Team, you will act as a critical technical leader, taking holistic ownership of complex systems, defining strategic roadmaps, driving cross-functional alignment and engineering excellence to improve the rideshare experience.

Responsibilities:

• Shape the long-term architecture for systems, taking accountability for both short-term functionality and long-term health.
• Translate high-level business goals into actionable engineering projects. Own the technical roadmap from conception to delivery, managing cross-team dependencies and mitigating risks.
• Champion improvements in system, observability, performance, and tech debt reduction, extending your influence beyond your immediate team.
• Establish best practices for deployment, alerting, and on-call health. Take holistic ownership of the platform's stability, tracking down issues root causes and building preventive safeguards for your immediate scope and beyond.
• Drive alignment across product, design, and operations. Proactively resolve bottlenecks and make decisive trade-offs to protect system architecture from competing organizational priorities.
• Mentor and level up the engineers around you. Delegate stretch opportunities, lead cross-team reviews, and foster a culture of strong technical excellence.
• Serve as a dependable, high-bar interviewer and active participant in Lyft’s broader internal engineering community.

Experience:

• BS/MS or equivalent in Computer Engineering, Computer Science, or a related field, or equivalent practical experience.
• 8+ years of software engineering industry experience, with a proven track record of technical leadership and system ownership.
• Deep expertise in designing, debugging, and running fault-tolerant, highly available, large-scale distributed systems.
• Demonstrated experience driving technical roadmaps, managing cross-team dependencies, and influencing system architecture at an organizational level.
• Solid knowledge of distributed systems, relational databases, and NoSQL databases.
• Experience working with public cloud platforms (e.g., AWS, GCP, Microsoft Azure) and modern container orchestration technologies (e.g., Kubernetes, Docker, cri‑o).
• Ability to communicate complex technical trade-offs effectively to both technical and non-technical stakeholders.
• Ability to work with a low‑ego, highly collaborative, and cross‑functional mindset while actively lifting up the engineers around you.

Benefits:

• Great medical, dental, and vision insurance options with additional programs available when enrolled
• Mental health benefits
• Family building benefits
• Child care and pet benefits
• 401(k) plan with company match to help save for your future
• In addition to 12 observed holidays, salaried team members have discretionary paid time off, hourly team members have 15 days paid time off
• 18 weeks of paid parental leave. Biological, adoptive, and foster parents are all eligible
• Subsidized commuter benefits
• Monthly Lyft credits and complimentary Lyft Pink membership

Lyft is an equal opportunity employer committed to an inclusive workplace that fosters belonging. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regards to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability status, protected veteran status, age, genetic information, or any other basis prohibited by law. We also consider qualified applicants with criminal histories consistent with applicable federal, state and local law.

Lyft highly values having employees working in-office to foster a collaborative work environment and company culture. This role will be in-office on a hybrid schedule — Team Members will be expected to work in the office 3 days per week on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays. Lyft considers working in the office at least 3 days per week to be an essential function of this hybrid role. Additionally, hybrid roles have the flexibility to work from anywhere for up to 4 weeks per year.

The expected base pay range for this position in the New York City area is $176,000 - $220,000, not inclusive of potential equity offering, bonus or benefits. Salary ranges are dependent on a variety of factors, including qualifications, experience and geographic location.