Infrastructure Software Engineer, Metadata Core

About the role

Dropbox is seeking an Infrastructure Software Engineer to join the Metadata Core team, a critical group responsible for the foundational data layer that underpins the Dropbox file storage and sharing platform. In this role, you will design, build, and operate the distributed systems that manage metadata for billions of files stored across Dropbox's infrastructure. The Metadata Core team ensures that file metadata remains consistent, highly available, and performant as the platform scales to serve millions of users around the world. This is a remote position based in Poland, offering the flexibility to work from anywhere in the country while collaborating closely with Dropbox's global engineering teams.

Key facts

What you'll do

• Design and implement scalable metadata storage solutions that serve millions of Dropbox users worldwide with low latency and high reliability.
• Build and maintain distributed systems that ensure metadata consistency and availability across the Dropbox platform at massive scale.
• Write production-quality code in systems programming languages to power core infrastructure components that handle billions of metadata operations daily.
• Collaborate with cross-functional teams including product managers and frontend engineers to define metadata schemas and service-level requirements for new features.
• Conduct thorough code reviews and contribute to architectural decisions that shape the long-term direction of the Metadata Core platform.
• Monitor system performance metrics and troubleshoot complex issues in live production environments to maintain high service reliability.
• Develop automation tooling and scripts to streamline deployment pipelines and reduce operational toil for the infrastructure team.
• Participate in on-call rotations alongside fellow engineers to ensure continuous availability and rapid incident response for metadata services.
• Optimize data models, indexing strategies, and query patterns to support high-throughput metadata workloads with minimal latency.
• Mentor junior engineers on the team by sharing knowledge through code walkthroughs, technical documentation, and collaborative problem-solving sessions.

Requirements

• Strong understanding of distributed systems principles including consensus algorithms, replication, and fault tolerance in large-scale architectures.
• Proficiency in systems programming languages such as C++, Rust, or Go, with demonstrated experience building performance-critical software.
• Experience designing, building, and operating high-availability infrastructure services that must meet strict reliability and uptime targets.
• Familiarity with distributed storage systems, database internals, and the trade-offs involved in consistency models and partitioning strategies.
• Solid foundation in computer science fundamentals including algorithms, data structures, and complexity analysis applied to real-world systems.
• Ability to work independently and communicate effectively in a remote team environment across multiple time zones and regions.
• Experience with version control workflows, continuous integration and delivery pipelines, and disciplined code review practices in a team setting.
• Bachelor's degree in Computer Science, Software Engineering, or equivalent practical experience demonstrated through professional work or open-source contributions.

Nice to have

• Experience with metadata management, schema evolution, or data modeling in large-scale distributed systems serving millions of users.
• Familiarity with cloud infrastructure platforms, container orchestration systems, and service mesh technologies for managing microservices.
• Contributions to open-source projects related to distributed systems, databases, or infrastructure tooling that demonstrate deep technical expertise.
• Background in performance optimization, profiling, and low-latency system design for high-throughput data processing workloads.

Skills & tools

• Distributed systems design and implementation including consensus protocols, replication, and fault-tolerant architecture patterns.
• Systems programming proficiency in C++, Rust, or Go with experience in performance-critical and latency-sensitive applications.
• Linux operating system internals, kernel debugging, and performance tuning for server-side infrastructure workloads.
• Infrastructure-as-code practices and configuration management tools for reproducible and version-controlled deployment environments.
• Monitoring, logging, and observability platforms used to track system health and diagnose production issues in real time.
• Version control workflows, collaborative development practices, and code review methodologies that maintain code quality across teams.

Practical notes

• This is a fully remote role with no requirement to relocate to a specific Dropbox office or physical workspace.
• The position is based in Poland, and candidates must be authorized to work in Poland or willing to obtain the necessary work documentation and permits.
• Dropbox offers competitive compensation, comprehensive benefits, and a remote-first work culture that supports flexible schedules and asynchronous collaboration.
• The hiring process includes multiple technical interviews focused on systems design, coding proficiency, and problem-solving skills relevant to infrastructure engineering.