# Staff Software Engineer, Shopper Activation & Engagement

**Company:** [Instacart](https://hotfix.jobs/companies/instacart)
**Location:** Remote
**Role:** Backend Engineering
**Salary:** $221k – $280k/yr
**Experience:** 8+ years
**Skills:** Go, Java, Python, AWS, GCP, Postgres, DynamoDB, Redis, AI, Large-Scale Distributed Systems
**Posted:** 2026-04-21

> Leads technical strategy and architecture for shopper activation domain, including onboarding, compliance, and supply systems. Partners cross-functionally to deliver scalable solutions at marketplace scale, requiring 8+ years backend experience and AI integration skills.

## Job Description

## Responsibilities

- Define and drive the end-to-end technical strategy and architecture for the activation domain, enabling rapid, safe delivery as the roadmap scales to support millions of shoppers.
- Lead product strategy in partnership with Product and Design across onboarding funnel optimization, waitlist management, incentives, and supply levers; set clear OKRs, instrumentation, and experimentation plans.
- Own delivery of business-critical compliance and vendor initiatives (e.g., background checks, identity/eligibility workflows), building auditable, privacy-first systems with strong observability and SLAs.
- Run large, cross-functional programs across multiple engineering and business teams; translate ambiguous requirements into crisp technical plans, manage risk and dependencies, and unblock execution.
- Mentor and develop engineers through design reviews, high-quality code practices, and clear technical standards; raise the technical bar and cultivate the next generation of technical leaders.
- Continuously improve reliability, performance, and cost efficiency of services; establish and enforce SLOs, drive incident learnings, and champion secure-by-default, AI-augmented development workflows.

## Minimum Qualifications

- 8+ years of software engineering experience building and operating large-scale distributed systems, high-traffic services, or mobile backends.
- 3+ years owning end-to-end architecture and technical strategy for a domain or product area, from design through production operations.
- Proven track record leading cross-functional initiatives across 3+ teams and delivering under hard deadlines in ambiguous problem spaces.
- Proficiency in one or more backend languages (e.g., **Go**, **Java**, **Python**) and with modern cloud infrastructure (e.g., **AWS** or **GCP**) and data stores (e.g., **Postgres**, **DynamoDB**, **Redis**).
- Hands-on experience building AI tooling or agentic automation and integrating AI into developer workflows or product features.
- Experience designing compliant systems involving identity, eligibility, certifications, or similarly sensitive workflows, with privacy and security best practices.
- Demonstrated mentorship and team development experience, including leveling up engineers through design guidance and rigorous code reviews.
- Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science, Engineering, or a related field, or equivalent practical experience.

## Preferred Qualifications

- Experience partnering with Legal/Policy on compliance-related projects and navigating evolving labor or regulatory requirements; familiarity with audit trails and policy engines.
- Background in evaluating, integrating, and managing third-party vendors; establishing technical SLAs; and executing zero-downtime migrations and fallback strategies.
- Experience with experimentation platforms, analytics, and growth funnels to improve conversion, supply availability, and utilization.
- Experience building mobile-first products or collaborating closely with iOS/Android teams on shopper experiences.
- Familiarity with trust & safety, fraud/identity, or background screening systems in high-scale marketplaces.
- Experience in marketplace, logistics, rideshare, or gig-economy environments.

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