Job OverviewInstacart's Data Infrastructure organization builds and operates the systems that power our company’s data ecosystem, including an open data lakehouse on Apache Iceberg, a multi-engine compute platform, and self‑serve tooling that helps Product, Data Science, ML, Ads, Finance, and engineering teams move fast with data. We are looking for a Staff Software Engineer, Data Infrastructure to join our Data Governance and Foundations Team.ResponsibilitiesTranslate Instacart’s data strategy (e.G., monetization, federated access, real‑time) into an actionable multi‑year architecture roadmap; align with leadership while evolving the platform for scale, maturity, and cost efficiency.Own the open lakehouse foundation: define and deliver unified table formats, storage governance, and a multi‑engine compute portfolio (interactive, batch, streaming) that enables portability and prevents lock‑in.Drive real‑time and streaming infrastructure for critical use cases (Ads, Fraud, ML): set deployment patterns, SLAs, and operational practices that balance performance, availability, and spend.Pioneer AI‑native data infrastructure engineering by applying LLM/AI tools to the platform lifecycle—accelerating development, automation, observability, and cost optimization—and partnering to embed AI‑powered capabilities into the platform.Elevate engineering excellence: lead architecture reviews, mentor senior/staff engineers, influence hiring, and clearly communicate complex trade‑offs to both technical and executive audiences to ensure cross‑org alignment.Minimum Qualifications5+ years of software engineering experience building and operating data infrastructure or distributed systems at production scale.Hands‑on expertise with modern data lakehouse architectures and open table formats (e.G., Apache Iceberg, Delta Lake, Hudi)



and with distributed query/compute engines (e.G., Trino, Spark, ClickHouse), including performance tuning and production reliability.Experience with event‑driven and streaming infrastructure (e.G., Kafka, Flink) for real‑time pipelines and serving systems.Proven ownership of major platform transitions or migrations (build vs. buy, migration design, risk management) delivered to production.Ability to build cost/benefit and TCO models for infrastructure investments and to drive alignment via transparent architecture docs and strategy memos across multiple teams and leadership levels.Preferred QualificationsExperience designing platform‑level governance controls and familiarity with compliance frameworks (e.G., SOX, CPRA, GDPR).FinOps experience optimizing data platform spend, including managing multi‑million dollar infrastructure budgets and negotiating vendor contracts.Deep SQL proficiency and strong skills in Python or Scala for systems‑level development.Experience with orchestration (e.G., Apache Airflow) and data transformation pipelines (e.G., dbt) in large‑scale production environments.Bachelor’s, Master’s, or PhD in Computer Science, Computer Engineering, Electrical Engineering, or equivalent practical experience.Benefits and CompensationInstacart 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 depends on their permanent work location. We are hiring only in 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.For Canadian based candidates, the base pay ranges for a successful candidate are listed below.CAN$254,000—$268,000 CAD#J-18808-Ljbffr

📌 Staff Software Engineer, Data Infrastructure - C$254,000 - C$268,000 A Year - Remote (Winnipeg)
🏢 Instacart
📍 Winnipeg