Software Engineer, Backend - DoorDash Air

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!, * 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., At DoorDash, our mission to empower local economies shapes how our team members move quickly, learn, and reiterate in order to make impactful decisions that display empathy for our range of users-from Dashers to merchant partners to consumers. We are a technology and logistics company that started by enabling door-to-door delivery, and we are looking for team members who can help us go from a company that is known as the place you order food to a company that people turn to for any and all goods.

DoorDash is growing rapidly and changing constantly, which gives our team members the opportunity to share their unique perspectives, solve new challenges, and own their careers. We’re committed to supporting employees’ happiness, healthiness, and overall well-being by providing comprehensive benefits and perks including premium healthcare, wellness expense reimbursement, paid parental leave and more.

Our Commitment to Diversity and Inclusion

We’re committed to growing and empowering a more inclusive community within our company, industry, and cities. That’s why we hire and cultivate diverse teams of people from all backgrounds, experiences, and perspectives. We believe that true innovation happens when everyone has room at the table and the tools, resources, and opportunity to excel.

Statement of Non-Discrimination: In keeping with our beliefs and goals, no employee or applicant will face discrimination or harassment based on: race, color, ancestry, national origin, religion, age, gender, marital/domestic partner status, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, disability status, or veteran status. Above and beyond discrimination and harassment based on “protected categories,” we also strive to prevent other subtler forms of inappropriate behavior (i.e., stereotyping) from ever gaining a foothold in our office. Whether blatant or hidden, barriers to success have no place at DoorDash. We value a diverse workforce - people who identify as women, non-binary or gender non-conforming, LGBTQIA+, American Indian or Native Alaskan, Black or African American, Hispanic or Latinx, Native Hawaiian or Other Pacific Islander, differently-abled, caretakers and parents, and veterans are strongly encouraged to apply. Thank you to the Level Playing Field Institute for this statement of non-discrimination.

Pursuant to the San Francisco Fair Chance Ordinance, Los Angeles Fair Chance Initiative for Hiring Ordinance, and any other state or local hiring regulations, we will consider for employment any qualified applicant, including those with arrest and conviction records, in a manner consistent with the applicable regulation.

If you need any accommodations, please inform your recruiting contact upon initial connection.

Notice to Applicants for Jobs Located in NYC or Remote Jobs Associated With Office in NYC Only

We used Covey as part of our hiring and/or promotional process for jobs in NYC and certain features may qualify it as an AEDT in NYC. As part of the hiring and/or promotion process, we provided Covey with job requirements and candidate submitted applications. We began using Covey Scout for Inbound from August 21, 2023, through December 21, 2023. We resumed using Covey Scout for Inbound again on June 29, 2024, and ceased using Covey Scout for Inbound on April 30, 2026.

• 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., * 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)

Pulled from the full job description

• Paid parental leave
• Parental leave
• Health insurance

DoorDash Labs is an independent team within DoorDash. We explore robotics and automation to transform last-mile logistics in the long term. If you have a passion for applying cutting-edge technology to solve complex problems and enhance delivery experiences for millions of users, we want to talk to you!

The Air team is focused on bringing the dream of fast, efficient, and delightful last mile delivery through the air to life. As one of the leaders in this space, we believe strongly in the promise of combining advanced robotics, aviation, and operational innovation to bring this high flying technology into our 3-sided marketplace. We are a team of doers, heavily focused on bringing our products and visions to market., The Covey tool has been reviewed by an independent auditor. Results of the audit may be viewed here: https://getcovey.com/nyc-local-law-144.