Staff Product Backend Software Engineer, Core Sync

Role Overview

As a Staff Product Backend Software Engineer focused on Core Sync, you will play a pivotal role in shaping the reliability, scalability, and future direction of one of Dropbox's most critical systems. You'll partner with Product Managers, Engineering Managers, and senior technical leaders to deliver platform improvements that directly impact customers and enable future innovation.

Key Responsibilities

• Architect high-impact technical solutions that scale to millions of daily active users
• Shape technical direction by evaluating tradeoffs between speed, quality, and long-term maintainability
• Lead technical initiatives that modernize core sync systems, improve performance, and reduce customer-reported issues
• Partner cross-functionally with Product, Design, and Engineering peers to align on priorities and execute against critical business objectives
• Mentor and elevate other engineers through design reviews, code reviews, and sharing best practices
• Influence org-wide standards by advocating for high-quality systems design, operational excellence, and pragmatic decision-making
• Contribute to culture through hiring, onboarding, and participation in company-wide technical forums
• Participate in on-call rotations during both core and non-core business hours as required

Requirements

• 12+ years of software engineering experience with proven success in large-scale, user-facing systems
• BS in Computer Science or related technical field (e.g., mathematics, physics), or equivalent technical experience
• Deep expertise in at least one systems-level area (sync, distributed systems, OS internals, file systems)
• Demonstrated ability to design and ship technically complex products used at scale
• Strong communication and collaboration skills with experience influencing across multiple teams and functions
• Comfortable balancing short-term delivery with long-term strategic investments
• Willingness to participate in on-call rotations

Preferred Qualifications

• Advanced proficiency in Rust or C++ with strong debugging and performance optimization skills
• Familiarity with operating system internals, compilers, databases, or distributed storage systems
• Knowledge of Python and/or Go
• Track record of setting technical direction across teams and driving adoption of new technologies
• Experience building developer platforms or infrastructure that accelerates product delivery