Role Description

At Dropbox, we believe in simplifying the way people work together. Our engineers build the technology that powers seamless collaboration for hundreds of millions of users worldwide. As a Staff Engineer focused on Dropbox Sync, you will play a pivotal role in shaping the reliability, scalability, and future direction of one of Dropbox’s most critical systems. You will partner with Product Managers, Engineering Managers, and other senior technical leaders to deliver platform improvements that directly impact customers and enable future innovation. You’ll balance short-term execution with long-term architectural investments, ensuring Dropbox’s sync experience continues to set the standard for simplicity and trust. As a Staff Engineer, you’ll thrive if you love tackling ambiguity, operating with autonomy, and driving technical strategy across teams. This role offers the opportunity for substantial technical ownership, senior leadership exposure, and the chance to leave a lasting mark on Dropbox’s core product experience. Our Engineering Career Framework is viewable by anyone outside the company and describes what’s expected for our engineers at each of our career levels. Check out our blog post on this topic and more here.

Responsibilities

Architect and deliver 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 across projects.
Partner cross-functionally with Product, Design, and Engineering peers to align on priorities and execute against critical business objectives.
Lead technical initiatives that modernize core sync systems, improve performance, and reduce customer-reported issues.
Mentor and elevate other engineers through design reviews, code reviews, and sharing best practices.
Influence org-wide engineering standards by advocating for high-quality systems design, operational excellence, and pragmatic decision-making.
Contribute to culture by participating in hiring, onboarding, and company-wide technical forums.

Many teams at Dropbox run Services with on-call rotations...

Requirements

12+ years of software engineering experience with proven success in large-scale...
BS in Computer Science or related technical field involving coding...
Demonstrated ability to design and ship technically complex products used at scale...
Deep expertise in at least one systems-level area (e.g., sync,...)
Strong communication and collaboration skills...
Comfortable balancing short-term delivery with long-term strategic investments...
Willingness to participate in on-call rotations where required.

Preferred Qualifications

Advanced proficiency in Rust or C++, with strong debugging...
Familiarity with operating system internals...
Knowledge of Python and/or Go a plus.
Track record of setting technical direction across teams...
Experience building developer platforms or infrastructure...

Compensation

Canada Pay Range $204,900—$277,200 CAD The range listed above is the expected annual salary/OTE (On-Target Earnings) for this role...

Company Description

Dropbox isn’t just a workplace—it’s a living lab for designing a more enlightened way of working...

Team Description

The Dropbox Engineering Team develops technology platforms that create more enlightened ways of working...

Virtual First

Dropbox’s Virtual First way of working is designed to help people do their best work with flexibility autonomy,and connection...