This backend engineering role focuses on building and maintaining the global logistics platform for Instacart's fulfillment system. Responsibilities include architecting and developing systems for order routing, task allocation, and shopper compensation, requiring strong distributed systems design and production experience.
Overview
Instacart is seeking a backend engineer with demonstrated success building highly reliable, performant and scalable software to shape the platform powering real-world, real-time processes. The Logistics Platform team owns the execution layer of Instacart’s fulfillment system across the globe, including batching, routing, dispatch, and shopper pay. This role builds the platform that routes orders, allocates fulfillment execution tasks to shoppers, tracks fulfillment status and determines compensation. A year from now, shoppers get efficient and fulfilling work, retailers and consumer brands improve their value proposition, and customers receive their orders on time and to their satisfaction.
About the Job
- Backend applications and systems for routing, task allocation, fulfillment tracking and shopper compensation are architected, built and maintained
- Technical design for high-impact projects and initiatives is led, with logistics problems across the consumer marketplace and enterprise space solved through shipped features
- Tier-0 systems are reliable and observable, with clear ownership
- Platform best practices are driven through alignment with product, compliance and engineering stakeholders
- AI-assisted tooling and workflows raise day-to-day productivity for you and the team, and engineers are mentored toward a higher bar for code quality, testing, and operational practices
About You
Minimum Qualifications
- 5+ years of backend development experience
- Fluency in at least one backend language (we use Ruby, Python and Go; Ruby experience not required)
- Strong working knowledge of services/API design (REST/RPC), databases, and system design patterns and principles for distributed, scalable systems
- Experience building and operating asynchronous, event-driven systems in production
- Excellent communication skills with experience working in complex cross-functional and highly collaborative environments
- Bachelors or Masters degree in Computer Science, Software Engineering, or a related field, or equivalent practical experience
Preferred Qualifications
- Experience building software for fulfillment, logistics, or e-commerce
- Experience with workflow orchestration or state machines
- Regular use of AI coding tools such as Claude Code, Codex, etc
- Experience building systems subject to regulatory or financial compliance
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. Currently, we are only hiring in the following provinces: Ontario, Alberta, British Columbia, and Nova Scotia.
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.