We're transforming the grocery industry

At Instacart, we invite the world to share love through food because we believe everyone should have access to the food they love and more time to enjoy it together. Where others see a simple need for grocery delivery, we see exciting complexity and endless opportunity to serve the varied needs of our community. We work to deliver an essential service that customers rely on to get their groceries and household goods, while also offering safe and flexible earnings opportunities to Instacart Personal Shoppers.

Instacart has become a lifeline for millions of people, and we’re building the team to help push our shopping cart forward. If you’re ready to do the best work of your life, come join our table.

Instacart is a Flex First team

There’s no one-size fits all approach to how we do our best work. Our employees have the flexibility to choose where they do their best work—whether it’s from home, an office, or your favorite coffee shop—while staying connected and building community through regular in-person events. Learn more about our flexible approach to where we work.

About the Role:

As a Staff Software Engineer on the Order Quality team at Instacart, you'll be at the forefront of enhancing customer satisfaction in online grocery shopping. Your work will directly impact millions of customers by ensuring accurate item availability, optimizing replacements, and providing real-time order updates. This role offers an exciting opportunity to leverage your technical expertise to solve complex challenges and drive innovation in the rapidly evolving e-commerce landscape.

 

About the Team:

The Order Quality Team at Instacart is crucial in delivering a seamless and dependable shopping experience. We focus on three key areas:

  • Availability: Predicting item availability using machine learning and real-time data.
  • Replacements: Developing algorithms to identify optimal substitutes for unavailable items.
  • Order Status Updates: Maintaining real-time transparency through integrated live activity tracking.

 

Our mission is to swiftly and efficiently address issues, ensuring a high-quality experience for our customers. By joining this team, you'll be part of a group that embodies Instacart's values of "Go Far Together" and "Grow the Pie" by creating solutions that benefit customers, shoppers, and retail partners alike.

 

About the Job:

As a Staff Engineer on the Order Quality team, you will:

  • Lead the design, implementation, and deployment of high-scale, cross-functional systems that enhance customer satisfaction in online grocery shopping.
  • Collaborate closely with machine learning teams to develop and implement scalable software solutions that leverage data-driven insights.
  • Provide technical leadership and mentorship to junior engineers, fostering a culture of innovation and continuous improvement.
  • Advocate for and implement new technologies that can improve system resilience and efficiency.
  • Work cross-functionally to translate business requirements into robust technical solutions.
  • Contribute to maintaining Instacart's position as a leader in retail technology through innovative problem-solving and technical excellence.

This role embodies our "Roll Up Your Sleeves" value, as you'll be diving deep into complex problems and working tirelessly to find creative solutions that drive our business forward.

 

About You:

Minimum Qualifications:

  • Bachelor's and/or Master's degree in Computer Science (CS) or a related field, or equivalent practical experience.
  • 10+ years of experience in building and managing scalable platform solutions.
  • Proven track record in leading the design, implementation, and deployment of high-scale, cross-functional systems.
  • Excellent technical communication skills with a capacity to work effectively with engineering teams and cross-functional units.
  • In-depth knowledge of systems architecture and service-oriented solutions.
  • Strong analytical and problem-solving skills with the ability to translate business requirements into technical solutions.
  • Demonstrated leadership in project management and engineer mentorship.

 

Preferred Qualifications:

  • Experience working with machine learning teams to support and implement data-driven applications.
  • Proficiency in Ruby and/or Golang.
  • Familiarity with large-scale e-commerce systems and real-time data processing.

 

At Instacart, we believe in "Putting it all on the Table" and "Serving Generously." As a Staff Software Engineer, you'll have the opportunity to share your expertise openly, engage in constructive dialogue, and contribute to a culture of transparency and continuous learning. Your work will directly serve our customers, shoppers, and partners, making a tangible difference in people's lives.

 

Join us in solving some of the most exciting challenges in e-commerce and help shape the future of online grocery shopping!

Instacart provides highly market-competitive compensation and benefits in each location where our employees work. This role is remote and the base pay range for a successful candidate is dependent on their permanent work location. Please review our Flex First remote work policy here. Currently, we are only hiring in the following provinces: Ontario, Alberta and British Columbia.

Offers may vary based on many factors, such as candidate experience and skills required for the role. Additionally, this role is eligible for a new hire equity grant as well as annual refresh grants. Please read more about our benefits offerings here.

For Canadian based candidates, the base pay ranges for a successful candidate are listed below.

CAN
$221,000—$245,000 CAD

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At Instacart, we like to think of ourselves as a potluck—where everyone brings something new, different, and flavorful to the table. We believe our team’s wide range of perspectives, experiences and backgrounds enable us to build a better product for our customers. Instacart is for everyone, and we’re committed to fostering diverse and inclusive teams that reflect the communities we serve.

Individuals seeking employment at Instacart are considered without regards to race, color, religion, national origin, age, sex, marital status, ancestry, physical or mental disability, veteran status, gender identity, sexual orientation, or any other protected characteristic. 

Please note: If you apply for more than one job, you will be asked to fill out the questionnaire for each application.  

How is this information used?

In order to track our effectiveness in recruiting a wide range of talent and to ensure that we comply with reporting requirements, we invite all applicants to voluntarily provide demographic information in a confidential survey. Providing this information is entirely optional. It is only used to ensure our hiring efforts remain free of bias and for diversity monitoring purposes. Data collected is not factored into the hiring decision or thereafter and will not affect your opportunity for employment at Instacart.

Who has access to this data?

To ensure our hiring efforts are equitable, data is stored confidentially in our ATS (Applicant Tracking System) where only an Administrator can view demographic reporting. It is not accessible to hiring teams. Data is stored securely in a cloud-based data-warehouse to create anonymized dashboards that select HR leaders can reference.

Self-identification categories 

  • Gender Identity: How a person identifies their gender, regardless of their gender assigned at birth. 
  • 2SLGBTQIA+: An umbrella term for a range of sexual orientations and gender identities/expressions. Stands for "Two-Spirit, Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Queer, Intersex, and Asexual. The plus sign is meant to encompass all other identities that belong to this community."
  • Race/Ethnicity: A person’s racial, ethnic or origin identity. 
  • Disability Status: A person’s physical or mental impairment which may limit one or more of their major life activities. Learn more here. 
  • Veteran Status: A person who has spent time serving in any branch of the military (retired or active).
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