Principal Software Engineer, Core Sharing & Collaboration

Principal Software Engineer Core Sharing & Collaboration Remote - US All locations

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Principal Software Engineer Core Sharing & Collaboration Remote - US All locations

Remote Engineering Full Time

Role Description As a Principal Engineer at Dropbox you will own company critical loosely defined technical problems with multi year impact operating at the intersection of technology product business strategy and applied AI. You will define long term technical direction for customer facing experiences used by millions identifying where AI meaningfully improves customer value and translating evolving business context and industry advances into durable multi area strategies and roadmaps that shape how Dropbox builds scales and innovates while remaining hands on in software development where it provides the greatest leverage. Your influence will span organizations setting foundational architecture driving execution standards and aligning senior technical and product leaders across boundaries. You will lead the responsible introduction and adoption of AI across product capabilities and engineering workflows bring clarity to the most complex decisions institutionalize engineering excellence and contribute directly through critical design prototyping and code reviews. In return you will operate as a trusted technical partner to senior leadership shape systems and platforms including AI powered foundations that define Dropboxs future and act as a company level technical strategist advancing Dropboxs mission to create a more enlightened way of working.

Our Engineering Career Framework is viewable by anyone outside the company and describes whats expected for our engineers at each of our career levels. Check out our blog post on this topic and more here.

Responsibilities

• Own and drive technical outcomes across multiple teams and organizations delivering company critical customer and business impact at scale.
• Define long term technical strategy and partner with senior Product and Engineering leaders as the technical owner for the most important company objectives.
• Tackle the most ambiguous and far reaching technical and product problems shaping what the company builds as much as how it builds it.
• Remain deeply hands on in software development owning and implementing the most critical complex and foundational parts of the system where leverage is highest.
• Influence and align roadmaps across organizations resolving structural bottlenecks and changing how Dropbox builds and operates.
• Architect and evolve foundational systems this may involve both frontend and backend systems and platforms that enable new product capabilities and operate reliably at the scale of hundreds of millions of users.
• Model exceptional technical judgment and execution rigor setting and sustaining high engineering standards across a distributed virtual environment.
• Drive AI adoption both to increase productivity and to produce AI based features.

Requirements

• Advanced degree in Computer Science or a related technical field involving substantial software development or equivalent industry experience demonstrating deep technical mastery.
• 15 years of experience designing building and evolving large scale software systems with sustained impact across multiple teams or organizations.
• Demonstrated success operating at a Principal level owning company critical technical problems and influencing long term technical direction.
• Strong experience building consumer facing products at scale with a deep understanding of user experience performance reliability and operational excellence.
• Broad and deep technical expertise across multiple domains including several of frontend mobile search databases storage systems concurrency and distributed systems.
• Practical experience applying modern ML LLM based APIs and agentic frameworks in production systems with sound judgment around quality cost and risk.
• Ability to communicate complex technical concepts clearly and persuasively to senior engineering product and executive audiences.

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience defining and scaling company wide platforms or architectural standards that are adopted across multiple organizations.
• Proven track record of leading the introduction of new technologies such as AI or ML into core products or engineering workflows with durable impact.
• Experience operating in highly distributed virtual first engineering organizations at global scale.

Compensation

• US Zone 1: $284,800-$385,200 USD
• US Zone 2: $256,300-$346,700 USD
• US Zone 3: $227,800-$308,200 USD

The ranges listed above is the expected annual salary OTE On-Target Earnings for this role subject to change. Please note OTE are for sales roles only. Salary OTE is just one component of Dropboxs total rewards package. All regular employees are also eligible for the corporate bonus program or a sales incentive target included in OTE as well as stock in the form of Restricted Stock Units RSUs.

Dropbox takes a number of factors into account when determining individual starting pay including job and level they are hired into location metropolitan area skillset and peer compensation. We target most new hire offers between the minimum up to the middle of the range.

Dropbox uses the zip code of an employees remote work location to determine which metropolitan pay range we use. Current US Zone locations are as follows:

• US Zone 1: San Francisco metro New York City metro or Seattle metro
• US Zone 2: California outside SF metro Colorado Connecticut outside NYC metro Delaware Illinois Chicago metro Indiana Chicago metro Maryland Massachusetts Michigan Chicago metro New Hampshire New Jersey outside NYC metro New York outside NYC metro Oregon Pennsylvania D.C. metro Pennsylvania outside NYC metro Texas Austin metro Virginia DC metro Washington outside Seattle metro Washington DC metro West Virginia DC metro Wisconsin Chicago metro
• US Zone 3: All other US locations

Dropbox is a Virtual First company and is open to hiring candidates in all authorized locations.

Check Your Zone Check Read more about our Benefits.

Company Description Dropbox isnt just a workplace-its a living lab for designing a more enlightened way of working. Were a global community of bold visionaries and resourceful doers shaping the future of Dropbox and in turn the future of work. Our Virtual First model combines the autonomy of a distributed workplace with the power of human connection creating space for meaningful work and lasting relationships. With a startup mindset and enterprise-level opportunities we expect Dropbox employees to think critically stay curious and use modern tools including AI to improve how work gets done. Here you can be who you are and grow into who youre meant to be. You own your impact helping make work more intuitive joyful and human for yourself and hundreds of millions of people worldwide. If youre ready to push boundaries and challenge yourself Dropbox is ready for you.

Team Description The Dropbox Engineering Team develops the technology platforms and products that create more enlightened ways of working for hundreds of millions of people. Customers rely on Dropbox to manage share and collaborate on content seamlessly-our engineering makes that easier and more intuitive than ever before.

Our platform features a robust systems software layer that stores and processes exabytes of data and a suite of growing services that enhance core products like our sharing and sync engine. Were also driving innovation with new offerings such as Dash our AI-powered knowledge management engine. Our infrastructure spans high-performance servers and cutting-edge components across multiple data centers worldwide ensuring reliability speed and scalability at a global scale. We think like a startup but build for an enterprise exploring new possibilities that transform how people work. If youre excited about turning complex technical challenges into intuitive solutions at scale join our Engineering team.

Virtual First Dropboxs Virtual First way of working is designed to help people do their best work with flexibility autonomy and connection. Day to day teams work remotely with nonlinear schedules and core collaboration hours that support deep focus and individual working styles. We prioritize asynchronous communication to improve clarity respect deep work time and reduce unnecessary meetings. While remote work is the primary experience for our employees we also prioritize intentional in-person connection. We bring teams together through regular team gatherings on-demand workspaces and Dropbox Neighborhood events in order to strengthen team cohesion foster creativity and enhance momentum. Virtual First is built to provide the same access to opportunity growth and impact for everyone regardless of location.

This role requires travel to offsites and various other team gatherings approximately 5-10% of the year or 2-3 days per quarter. We provide advance notice when possible and encourage candidates to discuss any accommodation needs during the interview process.

Dropbox supports responsible use of AI for preparation but misrepresentation of skills or experience is not permitted. See our AI Principles.

Dropbox is an equal opportunity employer. We are a welcoming place for everyone and we do our best to make sure all people feel supported and connected at work.

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