Principal Engineer, Identity & Engagement

<h2 class="p1"><span class="s1">Role Description</span></h2> <div><span class=" author-d-iz88z86z86za0dz67zz78zz78zz74zz68zjz80zz71z9iz90za3lrqz67zz82zmcz66z10iz77zz78zkz89z4ktz78zz73z3z83zz72z47z71z3z65zz89z">Dropbox is hiring a Principal Software Engineer, Identity &amp; Engagement to define and build the next-generation identity platform powering Dropbox’s product ecosystem.</span></div> <div>&nbsp;</div> <div><span class=" author-d-iz88z86z86za0dz67zz78zz78zz74zz68zjz80zz71z9iz90za3lrqz67zz82zmcz66z10iz77zz78zkz89z4ktz78zz73z3z83zz72z47z71z3z65zz89z">This platform sits at the center of every Dropbox experience, from user onboarding and collaboration to enterprise integrations and AI-powered workflows. As Dropbox evolves into an AI-native SaaS platform, identity is no longer just about users logging in. It is about securely enabling </span><span class=" author-d-iz88z86z86za0dz67zz78zz78zz74zz68zjz80zz71z9iz90za3lrqz67zz82zmcz66z10iz77zz78zkz89z4ktz78zz73z3z83zz72z47z71z3z65zz89z">people, applications, and AI agents</span><span class=" author-d-iz88z86z86za0dz67zz78zz78zz74zz68zjz80zz71z9iz90za3lrqz67zz82zmcz66z10iz77zz78zkz89z4ktz78zz73z3z83zz72z47z71z3z65zz89z"> to act, collaborate, and automate work on their behalf.</span></div> <div>&nbsp;</div> <div><span class=" author-d-iz88z86z86za0dz67zz78zz78zz74zz68zjz80zz71z9iz90za3lrqz67zz82zmcz66z10iz77zz78zkz89z4ktz78zz73z3z83zz72z47z71z3z65zz89z">In this role, you will set the technical vision and lead the architectural evolution of Dropbox’s identity systems, spanning authentication, authorization, account lifecycle, and delegated access. You will partner across Product, Security, Infrastructure, and AI teams to build systems that are secure, scalable, and intuitive, while enabling new classes of intelligent, agent-driven experiences.</span></div> <div>&nbsp;</div> <div><span class=" author-d-iz88z86z86za0dz67zz78zz78zz74zz68zjz80zz71z9iz90za3lrqz67zz82zmcz66z10iz77zz78zkz89z4ktz78zz73z3z83zz72z47z71z3z65zz89z">This is a high-impact, company-level role shaping how trust, access, and control are modeled across Dropbox.</span></div> <h2 class="p1"><span class="s1">Responsibilities</span></h2> <ul> <li><span class=" author-d-1gg9uz65z1iz85zgdz68zmqkz84zo2qowz81zz86za1yqhwz88zb93jz90zorz89z0xsvz89z1z87zz75zz80ztlyz122z2">Technical leadership and architecture:</span><span class=" author-d-1gg9uz65z1iz85zgdz68zmqkz84zo2qowz81zz86za1yqhwz88zb93jz90zorz89z0xsvz89z1z87zz75zz80ztlyz122z2"> Define and drive the technical roadmap for identity and engagement platform services, including APIs, service boundaries, data models, and reliability goals.</span></li> <li><span class=" author-d-1gg9uz65z1iz85zgdz68zmqkz84zo2qowz81zz86za1yqhwz88zb93jz90zorz89z0xsvz89z1z87zz75zz80ztlyz122z2">Modernization and platform evolution:</span><span class=" author-d-1gg9uz65z1iz85zgdz68zmqkz84zo2qowz81zz86za1yqhwz88zb93jz90zorz89z0xsvz89z1z87zz75zz80ztlyz122z2"> Lead multi-quarter modernization efforts</span> <span class=" author-d-1gg9uz65z1iz85zgdz68zmqkz84zo2qowz81zz86za1yqhwz88zb93jz90zorz89z0xsvz89z1z87zz75zz80ztlyz122z2 h-lparen">(e.g.,</span><span class=" author-d-1gg9uz65z1iz85zgdz68zmqkz84zo2qowz81zz86za1yqhwz88zb93jz90zorz89z0xsvz89z1z87zz75zz80ztlyz122z2"> reducing legacy dependencies, improving scalability, simplifying integrations) with a focus on cohesion, observability, and operational excellence.</span></li> <li><span class=" author-d-1gg9uz65z1iz85zgdz68zmqkz84zo2qowz81zz86za1yqhwz88zb93jz90zorz89z0xsvz89z1z87zz75zz80ztlyz122z2">Identity and access systems:</span><span class=" author-d-1gg9uz65z1iz85zgdz68zmqkz84zo2qowz81zz86za1yqhwz88zb93jz90zorz89z0xsvz89z1z87zz75zz80ztlyz122z2"> Design and improve authentication, authorization, account integrity, and identity lifecycle services with strong security and privacy posture.</span></li> <li><span class=" author-d-1gg9uz65z1iz85zgdz68zmqkz84zo2qowz81zz86za1yqhwz88zb93jz90zorz89z0xsvz89z1z87zz75zz80ztlyz122z2">Engagement and insights foundations:</span><span class=" author-d-1gg9uz65z1iz85zgdz68zmqkz84zo2qowz81zz86za1yqhwz88zb93jz90zorz89z0xsvz89z1z87zz75zz80ztlyz122z2"> Build and evolve the systems that power engagement signals, experimentation hooks, telemetry/analytics pipelines, and usage insights to support product iteration and growth.</span></li> <li><span class=" author-d-1gg9uz65z1iz85zgdz68zmqkz84zo2qowz81zz86za1yqhwz88zb93jz90zorz89z0xsvz89z1z87zz75zz80ztlyz122z2">Developer velocity and platform enablement:</span><span class=" author-d-1gg9uz65z1iz85zgdz68zmqkz84zo2qowz81zz86za1yqhwz88zb93jz90zorz89z0xsvz89z1z87zz75zz80ztlyz122z2"> Create reusable platform primitives, reference architectures, and best practices that make it easier for product teams to build safely and quickly.</span></li> <li><span class=" author-d-1gg9uz65z1iz85zgdz68zmqkz84zo2qowz81zz86za1yqhwz88zb93jz90zorz89z0xsvz89z1z87zz75zz80ztlyz122z2">Cross-functional collaboration:</span><span class=" author-d-1gg9uz65z1iz85zgdz68zmqkz84zo2qowz81zz86za1yqhwz88zb93jz90zorz89z0xsvz89z1z87zz75zz80ztlyz122z2"> Partner with Product, Design, Security, Infrastructure, and AI/ML teams to align technical decisions with customer outcomes and organizational priorities.</span></li> <li><span class=" author-d-1gg9uz65z1iz85zgdz68zmqkz84zo2qowz81zz86za1yqhwz88zb93jz90zorz89z0xsvz89z1z87zz75zz80ztlyz122z2">Execution and quality:</span><span class=" author-d-1gg9uz65z1iz85zgdz68zmqkz84zo2qowz81zz86za1yqhwz88zb93jz90zorz89z0xsvz89z1z87zz75zz80ztlyz122z2"> Own delivery of complex initiatives end-to-end—breaking down ambiguous problems, driving alignment, and ensuring high-quality implementation, testing, rollout, and oncall readiness.</span></li> <li><span class=" author-d-1gg9uz65z1iz85zgdz68zmqkz84zo2qowz81zz86za1yqhwz88zb93jz90zorz89z0xsvz89z1z87zz75zz80ztlyz122z2">Mentorship and influence:</span><span class=" author-d-1gg9uz65z1iz85zgdz68zmqkz84zo2qowz81zz86za1yqhwz88zb93jz90zorz89z0xsvz89z1z87zz75zz80ztlyz122z2"> Mentor senior engineers, review critical designs, elevate engineering standards, and influence technical direction across teams beyond your immediate scope.</span></li> </ul> <h2 class="p1"><span class="s1">Requirements</span></h2> <ul> <li><span class=" author-d-1gg9uz65z1iz85zgdz68zmqkz84zo2qowz81zz86za1yqhwz88zb93jz90zorz89z0xsvz89z1z87zz75zz80ztlyz122z2">12+ years of software engineering experience, including significant experience designing and operating large-scale backend or platform systems.</span></li> <li><span class=" author-d-1gg9uz65z1iz85zgdz68zmqkz84zo2qowz81zz86za1yqhwz88zb93jz90zorz89z0xsvz89z1z87zz75zz80ztlyz122z2">Proven ability to lead architecture for distributed systems with high reliability, performance, and security requirements.</span></li> <li><span class=" author-d-1gg9uz65z1iz85zgdz68zmqkz84zo2qowz81zz86za1yqhwz88zb93jz90zorz89z0xsvz89z1z87zz75zz80ztlyz122z2">Strong expertise in at least two of the following areas: identity/authn/authz, service API design, analytics/telemetry infrastructure, search/retrieval foundations, experimentation platforms, or engagement systems.</span></li> <li><span class=" author-d-1gg9uz65z1iz85zgdz68zmqkz84zo2qowz81zz86za1yqhwz88zb93jz90zorz89z0xsvz89z1z87zz75zz80ztlyz122z2">Track record of driving modernization efforts in complex environments</span> <span class=" author-d-1gg9uz65z1iz85zgdz68zmqkz84zo2qowz81zz86za1yqhwz88zb93jz90zorz89z0xsvz89z1z87zz75zz80ztlyz122z2 h-lparen">(e.g.,</span><span class=" author-d-1gg9uz65z1iz85zgdz68zmqkz84zo2qowz81zz86za1yqhwz88zb93jz90zorz89z0xsvz89z1z87zz75zz80ztlyz122z2"> migrating legacy systems, improving data quality and observability, simplifying architecture).</span></li> <li><span class=" author-d-1gg9uz65z1iz85zgdz68zmqkz84zo2qowz81zz86za1yqhwz88zb93jz90zorz89z0xsvz89z1z87zz75zz80ztlyz122z2">Excellent technical judgment and ability to balance speed, stability, and long-term maintainability.</span></li> <li><span class=" author-d-1gg9uz65z1iz85zgdz68zmqkz84zo2qowz81zz86za1yqhwz88zb93jz90zorz89z0xsvz89z1z87zz75zz80ztlyz122z2">Strong communication skills: able to write clear design docs, align stakeholders, and lead technical decision-making across teams.</span></li> </ul> <h2>Preferred Qualifications</h2> <ul> <li><span class=" author-d-1gg9uz65z1iz85zgdz68zmqkz84zo2qowz81zz86za1yqhwz88zb93jz90zorz89z0xsvz89z1z87zz75zz80ztlyz122z2">Experience with cloud-scale identity platforms</span> <span class=" author-d-1gg9uz65z1iz85zgdz68zmqkz84zo2qowz81zz86za1yqhwz88zb93jz90zorz89z0xsvz89z1z87zz75zz80ztlyz122z2 h-lparen">(SSO,</span><span class=" author-d-1gg9uz65z1iz85zgdz68zmqkz84zo2qowz81zz86za1yqhwz88zb93jz90zorz89z0xsvz89z1z87zz75zz80ztlyz122z2"> session management, risk signals, account security, privacy controls).</span></li> <li><span class=" author-d-1gg9uz65z1iz85zgdz68zmqkz84zo2qowz81zz86za1yqhwz88zb93jz90zorz89z0xsvz89z1z87zz75zz80ztlyz122z2">Familiarity with AI enablement infrastructure, especially data pipelines, engagement signals, retrieval/search systems, and feedback loops.</span></li> <li><span class=" author-d-1gg9uz65z1iz85zgdz68zmqkz84zo2qowz81zz86za1yqhwz88zb93jz90zorz89z0xsvz89z1z87zz75zz80ztlyz122z2">Experience building or operating multi-tenant SaaS platforms with strong compliance and security requirements.</span></li> <li><span class=" author-d-1gg9uz65z1iz85zgdz68zmqkz84zo2qowz81zz86za1yqhwz88zb93jz90zorz89z0xsvz89z1z87zz75zz80ztlyz122z2">Demonstrated ability to influence org-wide standards and technical strategy</span> <span class=" author-d-1gg9uz65z1iz85zgdz68zmqkz84zo2qowz81zz86za1yqhwz88zb93jz90zorz89z0xsvz89z1z87zz75zz80ztlyz122z2 h-lparen">(beyond</span><span class=" author-d-1gg9uz65z1iz85zgdz68zmqkz84zo2qowz81zz86za1yqhwz88zb93jz90zorz89z0xsvz89z1z87zz75zz80ztlyz122z2"> a single team), including mentorship of other tech leads and principals.</span></li> </ul> <h2 data-usually-unique-id="044234883370604133046166"><span class=" author-d-1gg9uz65z1iz85zgdz68zmqkz84zo2qowz81zqz90zkz74zz76zeez80zz68zz89zz88zvqz86zuxlz73zexxz80zz73z6d6z72zz79zsz77z">Compensation</span></h2><div class="content-pay-transparency"><div class="pay-input"><div class="description"><p><span style="font-size: 16px;">US Zone 1</span></p> <p><span style="font-size: 16px;">This role is not available in Zone 1</span></p></div><div class="title">US Zone 2</div><div class="pay-range"><span>$256,300</span><span class="divider">&mdash;</span><span>$346,700 USD</span></div></div><div class="pay-input"><div class="title">US Zone 3</div><div class="pay-range"><span>$227,800</span><span class="divider">&mdash;</span><span>$308,200 USD</span></div></div></div>