Dropbox is a Virtual First company. For this role, we are currently only authorized to hire candidates from the following provinces: Alberta, British Columbia, Ontario, and Saskatchewan.

Role Description

The Core Intelligence & Media team is driving one of Dropbox’s top priorities: integrating AI-powered capabilities directly into the File Sync & Share experience to transform Dropbox into an intelligent workspace for media creators and collaborators. We are building intelligent systems that enhance how users discover, organize, and interact with their content.

This is a unique opportunity to work on both 0→1 AI-powered features that shape Dropbox’s future and foundational backend systems that power reliable, performant media experiences at scale. You will operate in a fast-paced environment where we ship early, learn quickly, and iterate based on user signal—collaborating closely with Product, Design, ML, and platform teams across Dropbox.

Our Engineering Career Framework is viewable by anyone outside the company and describes what’s expected for our engineers at each of our career levels. Check out our blog post on this topic and more here.

Responsibilities

• Design and implement scalable backend systems that power intelligent, media-rich experiences within Dropbox
• Own complex, ambiguous technical problems and drive them from definition through delivery in partnership with Product and Design
• Serve as a technical DRI for high-impact initiatives within the team, shaping technical approach and execution plans
• Be a hands-on contributor who implements critical and foundational components while setting a high bar for code quality and maintainability
• Contribute to shared APIs and system abstractions that enable new product capabilities and operate reliably at large scale
• Influence technical decisions across collaborating teams, contributing to alignment while maintaining strong engineering standards in a virtual-first environment

Many teams at Dropbox run Services with on-call rotations, which entails being available for calls during both core and non-core business hours. If a team has an on-call rotation, all engineers on the team are expected to participate in the rotation as part of their employment. Applicants are encouraged to ask for more details of the rotations to which the applicant is applying.

Requirements

• BS, MS, or PhD in Computer Science or a related technical field involving coding (e.g., physics or mathematics), or equivalent practical experience
• Minimum of 9 years of professional experience as a software engineer
• Experience working on consumer-facing product teams and owning delivery of user-facing features at scale
• Experience collaborating cross-functionally with Product, Design, and partner engineering teams
• Ability to work independently in ambiguous, fast-moving environments while making pragmatic technical tradeoffs
• Experience integrating AI or ML capabilities into production products and shipping to customers
• Demonstrated 0→1 experience building and launching new product features or systems

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience working with media systems (video, audio, large-scale file processing)
• Experience integrating ML/AI APIs (e.g., LLMs, semantic search, tagging systems, agentic workflows) into production systems
• Experience with experimentation frameworks (A/B testing, metrics-driven product iteration)
• Experience designing internal APIs or shared platform abstractions
• Experience leveraging modern AI tools to accelerate development workflows

Compensation

Canada Pay Range

$190,400—$257,600 CAD

Company Description

Dropbox isn’t just a workplace—it’s a living lab for designing a more enlightened way of working. We’re a global community of bold visionaries and resourceful doers shaping the future of Dropbox and, in turn, the future of work. Our Virtual First model combines the autonomy of a distributed workplace with the power of human connection, creating space for meaningful work and lasting relationships. With a startup mindset and enterprise-level opportunities, we expect Dropbox employees to think critically, stay curious, and use modern tools, including AI, to improve how work gets done. Here, you can be who you are and grow into who you’re meant to be. You own your impact, helping make work more intuitive, joyful, and human for yourself and hundreds of millions of people worldwide. If you’re ready to push boundaries and challenge yourself, Dropbox is ready for you.

Team Description

The Dropbox Engineering Team develops the technology, platforms, and products that create more enlightened ways of working for hundreds of millions of people. Customers rely on Dropbox to manage, share, and collaborate on content seamlessly—our engineering makes that easier and more intuitive than ever before.Our platform features a robust systems software layer that stores and processes exabytes of data, and a suite of growing services that enhance core products like our sharing and sync engine. We’re also driving innovation with new offerings such as Dash, our AI-powered knowledge management engine. Our infrastructure spans high-performance servers and cutting-edge components across multiple data centers worldwide, ensuring reliability, speed, and scalability at a global scale. We think like a startup but build for an enterprise, exploring new possibilities that transform how people work. If you're excited about turning complex technical challenges into intuitive solutions at scale, join our Engineering team.

Virtual First

Dropbox’s Virtual First way of working is designed to help people do their best work with flexibility, autonomy, and connection. Day to day, teams work remotely with nonlinear schedules and core collaboration hours that support deep focus and individual working styles. We prioritize asynchronous communication to improve clarity, respect deep work time, and reduce unnecessary meetings. While remote work is the primary experience for our employees, we also prioritize intentional, in-person connection. We bring teams together through regular team gatherings, on-demand workspaces, and Dropbox Neighborhood events in order to strengthen team cohesion, foster creativity, and enhance momentum. Virtual First is built to provide the same access to opportunity, growth, and impact for everyone, regardless of location.

This role requires travel to offsites and various other team gatherings (approximately 5-10% of the year or 2-3 days per quarter). We provide advance notice when possible and encourage candidates to discuss any accommodation needs during the interview process.

Dropbox supports responsible use of AI for preparation, but misrepresentation of skills or experience is not permitted. See our AI Principles.

Dropbox is an equal opportunity employer. We are a welcoming place for everyone, and we do our best to make sure all people feel supported and connected at work.