Dropbox Logo

Dropbox

Principal Software Engineer

Sorry, this job was removed at 08:22 p.m. (EST) on Monday, Jan 26, 2026
Remote
Hiring Remotely in United States
256K-347K Annually
Remote
Hiring Remotely in United States
256K-347K Annually

Similar Jobs at Dropbox

4 Days Ago
Remote
United States
256K-347K Annually
Expert/Leader
256K-347K Annually
Expert/Leader
Artificial Intelligence • Cloud • Consumer Web • Productivity • Software • App development • Data Privacy
Lead technical vision and execution for enterprise-scale AI, automation, and data initiatives. Architect scalable, secure AI systems and data pipelines, mentor engineers, drive cross-functional alignment, and deliver high-impact production solutions that improve productivity and business outcomes.
Top Skills: AIAutomated TestingAutomationCiData AnalyticsData PipelinesDistributed TrainingGoJavaMachine LearningNatural Language ProcessingPythonScalaVisualization
13 Days Ago
Remote
United States
256K-347K Annually
Expert/Leader
256K-347K Annually
Expert/Leader
Artificial Intelligence • Cloud • Consumer Web • Productivity • Software • App development • Data Privacy
Lead technical strategy for Dropbox's core systems and AI integration, drive technical outcomes, and influence multiple teams. Involve hands-on software development and architecture for scalable products.
Top Skills: AIConcurrencyDatabasesDistributed SystemsMlMobileSearchSoftware DevelopmentStorage Systems
4 Hours Ago
Remote
United States
5K-6K Annually
Internship
5K-6K Annually
Internship
Artificial Intelligence • Cloud • Consumer Web • Productivity • Software • App development • Data Privacy
The intern will create and maintain educational videos while learning production workflows, contributing to content organization, quality, and analytics.
Top Skills: Adobe Premiere ProLoom
Role Description
We’re looking for a Principal Software Engineer to shape the future of Dropbox through bold new ideas and technical leadership. You’ll help define the vision, architecture, and execution for our most forward-looking products — building the foundation for what comes next at Dropbox.
 
This role sits at the heart of innovation, blending hands-on engineering with strategic thinking. You’ll explore new product spaces, prototype ideas that don’t yet have a home, and guide how we integrate new technologies — whether we build them or bring them in. Along the way, you’ll help foster a strong, collaborative engineering culture and partner closely with product, design, and strategy to turn high-potential ideas into real impact.
Responsibilities
  • Build and foster a strong engineering culture focused on excellence, velocity, and innovation
  • Define the architecture and integration strategy for new initiatives, including both internally developed and acquired products
  • Conduct technical due diligence on potential M&A targets to assess scalability, quality, and strategic fit
  • Rapidly prototype new product ideas and validate emerging opportunities that fall outside existing teams
  • Partner cross-functionally with product, design, and strategy teams to translate vision into technical execution
  • Maintain a high technical bar and guide the team through complex architectural decisions
  • Contribute to shaping Dropbox’s long-term innovation roadmap through technical insight and experimentation
Requirements
  • 10+ years of full-stack engineering experience, including 3+ years in a technical leadership role
  • Proven success operating at both startup and enterprise scale—building early MVPs and scaling to millions of users
  • Deep understanding of product architecture evolution and trade-offs between speed and scalability
  • Experience with technical diligence and evaluating software systems for integration or acquisition
  • Some experience in engineering management preferred
  • Strong bias toward experimentation and comfort navigating high-ambiguity problem spaces
Preferred Qualifications
  • Experience leading 0→1 product development or founding early-stage startup teams
  • Demonstrated success incubating and scaling new technologies or products within a larger organization
  • Strong background in distributed systems design, data-intensive applications, or cloud infrastructure
  • Familiarity with modern AI/ML technologies, developer platforms, or productivity tools
Compensation

US Zone 1

This role is not available in Zone 1

US Zone 2
$256,300$346,700 USD
US Zone 3
$227,800$308,200 USD

Dropbox New York, New York, USA Office

New York, NY, United States

What you need to know about the NYC Tech Scene

As the undisputed financial capital of the world, New York City is an epicenter of startup funding activity. The city has a thriving fintech scene and is a major player in verticals ranging from AI to biotech, cybersecurity and digital media. It also has universities like NYU, Columbia and Cornell Tech attracting students and researchers from across the globe, providing the ecosystem with a constant influx of world-class talent. And its East Coast location and three international airports make it a perfect spot for European companies establishing a foothold in the United States.

Key Facts About NYC Tech

  • Number of Tech Workers: 549,200; 6% of overall workforce (2024 CompTIA survey)
  • Major Tech Employers: Capgemini, Bloomberg, IBM, Spotify
  • Key Industries: Artificial intelligence, Fintech
  • Funding Landscape: $25.5 billion in venture capital funding in 2024 (Pitchbook)
  • Notable Investors: Greycroft, Thrive Capital, Union Square Ventures, FirstMark Capital, Tiger Global Management, Tribeca Venture Partners, Insight Partners, Two Sigma Ventures
  • Research Centers and Universities: Columbia University, New York University, Fordham University, CUNY, AI Now Institute, Flatiron Institute, C.N. Yang Institute for Theoretical Physics, NASA Space Radiation Laboratory

Sign up now Access later

Create Free Account

Please log in or sign up to report this job.

Create Free Account