Staff Software Engineer, Ads Data Platform
Join Instacart as a Staff Software Engineer to shape a robust data platform for Ads and drive data-driven decisions across the organization.
Posted by employer 1 day ago
First seen on Joblaze 2 hours ago
Last verified on the company career page 2 hours ago
What you'll build
- Lead and break down complex problems
- Collaborate with engineers and engineering teams
- Directly contribute to data vision and engineering architecture
- Oversee engineering initiatives end-to-end
- Balance maintainability with tech debt
Must have
- 8+ years of software development experience
- Expertise in Spark, ETLs, Distributed System architecture, MapReduce, SQL, and Big Data infrastructure
Nice to have
- 10+ years of experience
- Strong background in Scala and functional programming
- Familiarity with Snowflake, Databricks, DBT, Airflow
Role intensity
40% coding
Requirements
- Experience
- 8–10 years
Not disclosed in this posting: visa sponsorship.
Benefits
Joblaze summary
In the role of Staff Software Engineer for the Ads Data Platform at Instacart, the individual will focus on designing and building systems that enhance data compliance and self-service capabilities while ensuring data integrity. Key skills include expertise in Spark, ETLs, and distributed systems, with a strong emphasis on collaboration and mentorship across engineering teams. This position is suited for seasoned engineers with over eight years of experience, particularly those comfortable navigating complex stakeholder requirements in a fast-paced environment.
Joblaze insights
- Listed today — first seen on Joblaze November 12, 2026. Last confirmed on Instacart's careers page November 12, 2026.
- This exact title is also open at 1 other location at Instacart: Canada.
- Salary band is above the typical range for Data Engineering roles (median ~$180,000).
- Starts above 59% of 22 comparable staff data engineering roles in United States that list Python we track (median $212,000 across 14 companies). See Python salary trends
- Python appears in 57.7% of 52 comparable staff data engineering roles in United States; ETL appears in 3.8% of 52 comparable staff data engineering roles in United States.
Quick facts
- Is the Staff Software Engineer, Ads Data Platform role remote?
- Yes — Instacart lists this as a fully remote position.
- What's the salary range?
- Instacart lists $221,000–$279,500 for this role.
- How much experience is required?
- 8–10 years of relevant experience for this Staff Software Engineer, Ads Data Platform role.
- What's the tech stack?
- Joblaze extracted these technologies from the posting: Big Data, ETL, Go, MapReduce, Python, SQL.
- What seniority level is this role?
- Instacart targets staff-level candidates for this position.
- Is this full-time or contract?
- Full-time for this Staff Software Engineer, Ads Data Platform role at Instacart.
From the original posting
We're transforming the grocery industry
Overview
As a Staff Software Engineer, you will play a key role in shaping and advancing a robust data platform that addresses strategic challenges within Ads and across Instacart. You will design and build systems that capture and enforce data compliance requirements while enhancing self-service capabilities for internal consumers, all while maintaining strong guarantees around data integrity and consistency. By consolidating diverse requirements and collaborating across multiple engineering teams, you will help drive the platform’s north-star vision, ensuring strategic alignment and continuous delivery.
You will be part of a dynamic team focused on transforming raw data into actionable insights for a wide range of stakeholders, including advertisers, data scientists, machine learning engineers, and sales teams. The team owns and operates critical systems such as metrics transformation and storage, billing, spam detection, and lift testing, supporting multiple facets of Instacart’s data infrastructure. Through this work, you will empower teams across the organization to make data-driven decisions and directly contribute to achieving key business outcomes.
About the Job
- Lead and break down complex problems while keeping the broader data vision in focus.
- Collaborate with engineers and engineering teams, providing mentorship and fostering a strong engineering culture.
- Directly contribute to our data vision and engineering architecture. Produce and review technical artifacts that align with business goals.
- Oversee engineering initiatives end-to-end, proactively managing risks, setting goals, and ensuring smooth execution and delivery.
- Balance maintainability with tech debt and the development of new features.
About You
Minimum Qualifications
- 8+ years of software development experience.
- Proven ability to work with multiple stakeholders and manage ambiguity and conflicting requirements.
- Self-motivated with a strong sense of ownership in a fast-paced startup environment.
- Expertise in Spark, ETLs, Distributed System architecture, MapReduce, SQL, and Big Data infrastructure.
- Experience in balancing urgency and pragmatism with high-quality, long-term solutions.
Preferred Qualifications
- 10+ years of experience
- Strong background in Scala and functional programming.
- Familiarity with Snowflake, Databricks, DBT, Airflow, Python, Terraform, and Go.
#LI-Remote
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.
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.
Standard company text repeated across Instacart's postings is omitted here.