Backend Engineer, Drone - DoorDash Labs

DoorDash

$130K — $285K *
Aerospace & Defense
5 - 7 years of experience
Job Overview by Ladders

Qualifications

  • B.S., M.S., or Ph.D. in Computer Science, Robotics, Aerospace Engineering, or related field
  • 6+ years of software engineering experience, focusing on backend systems or robotics
  • Proven expertise in path planning algorithms
  • Solid experience with testing and simulation frameworks in robotics
  • Proficient in Kotlin or C++ and distributed systems
  • Familiarity with REST APIs, unit testing, and architectural design
  • Understanding of IoT networking protocols and databases

Responsibilities

  • Design and implement backend services for autonomous drone delivery
  • Develop and enhance scalable, fault-tolerant systems for drone operations
  • Create simulations to validate path planning algorithms
  • Improve performance, reliability, and safety of drone systems
  • Introduce development tools and best practices for drone technology

Benefits

  • 401(k) plan with employer matching
  • 16 weeks of paid parental leave
  • Wellness benefits and commuter benefits match
  • Medical, dental, and vision insurance
  • Paid time off and sick leave with flexible policies
  • 11 paid holidays and disability insurance
  • Mental health program and family-forming assistance
Full Job Description
About the Role

We're expanding the drone team! Are you an engineer passionate about using UAV technology to reimagine logistics? Do you thrive in developing and deploying state-of-the-art systems in real-world environments? Do you love getting your hands dirty and turning large visions into practical realities? If so, we want to talk to you!
You're excited about this opportunity because you will...
  • Design and implement backend services for autonomous drone delivery that integrates with core DoorDash data, focusing on intelligent path planning, real-time fleet management, and dynamic airspace awareness.
  • Develop and maintain robust, scalable, and fault-tolerant systems to manage a fleet of delivery drones, ensuring safe and efficient operations.
  • Implement simulations and testing frameworks to validate the performance and reliability of path planning algorithms.
  • Improve performance, reliability, scalability, and security for our drone backend systems, with a particular emphasis on ensuring safe and compliant drone operations.
  • Introduce tools and best practices to accelerate our drone development process and ensure adherence to aviation regulations.
We're excited about you because you have...
  • B.S., M.S., or Ph.D. in Computer Science, Robotics, Aerospace Engineering, or a related field.
  • 6+ years of industry experience as a software engineer, with a focus on backend systems, robotics, or autonomous systems.
  • Strong experience in developing and implementing algorithms for path planning.
  • Experience with simulations and testing frameworks for robotics or autonomous systems.
  • Experience with either Kotlin, or C++.
  • Ability to improve efficiency, scalability, and stability of distributed systems, especially in a real-time operational context.
  • Experience with service-oriented architecture, writing REST APIs, unit testing, and architectural design.
  • Understanding of networking and communication protocols relevant to robotics and IoT (e.g., TCP/IP, UDP, MQTT).
  • Experience with SQL or NoSQL databases.
  • Familiarity with aviation regulations and safety standards (e.g., FAA Part 107) is a strong plus.
Nice to Have

Experience with these technologies is not required but helpful.
  • Familiarity with Kotlin
  • gRPC, Kafka, Redis, Postgres, or Cassandra
  • AWS, Kubernetes, Docker
  • Experience with ROS (Robot Operating System) or other robotics middleware
  • Familiarity with geospatial data and mapping technologies (GIS)


We use Covey as part of our hiring and / or promotional process for jobs in NYC and certain features may qualify it as an AEDT. As part of the evaluation process we provide Covey with job requirements and candidate submitted applications. We began using Covey Scout for Inbound on August 21, 2023.

Please see the independent bias audit report covering our use of Covey here.

Compensation

The successful candidate's starting pay will fall within the pay range listed below and is determined based on job-related factors including, but not limited to, skills, experience, qualifications, work location, and market conditions. Base salary is localized according to an employee's work location. Ranges are market-dependent and may be modified in the future.

In addition to base salary, the compensation for this role includes opportunities for equity grants. Talk to your recruiter for more information.

DoorDash cares about you and your overall well-being. That's why we offer a comprehensive benefits package to all regular employees, which includes a 401(k) plan with employer matching, 16 weeks of paid parental leave, wellness benefits, commuter benefits match, paid time off and paid sick leave in compliance with applicable laws (e.g. Colorado Healthy Families and Workplaces Act). DoorDash also offers medical, dental, and vision benefits, 11 paid holidays, disability and basic life insurance, family-forming assistance, and a mental health program, among others.

To learn more about our benefits, visit our careers page here.

See below for paid time off details:
  • For salaried roles: flexible paid time off/vacation, plus 80 hours of paid sick time per year.
  • For hourly roles: vacation accrued at about 1 hour for every 25.97 hours worked (e.g. about 6.7 hours/month if working 40 hours/week; about 3.4 hours/month if working 20 hours/week), and paid sick time accrued at 1 hour for every 30 hours worked (e.g. about 5.8 hours/month if working 40 hours/week; about 2.9 hours/month if working 20 hours/week).

The national base pay ranges for this position within the United States, including Illinois and Colorado.

I4

$130,600-$192,000 USD

I5

$159,800-$235,000 USD

I6

$193,800-$285,000 USD

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