Staff Software Engineer

Deliveroo1 months ago

Location

London - The River Building HQ

Type

Full Time

Salary

GBP 120,000 – 180,000

Level

Staff

Role

Staff Software Engineer

Posted

Jan 28, 2026

Full TimeStaff

The role

Summary

Staff Software Engineer at Deliveroo, London's leading food delivery platform, responsible for architecting scalable solutions for a high-traffic three-sided marketplace handling 20k+ requests per minute. The role involves technical leadership across multiple teams, mentoring engineers, and driving technical excellence in distributed systems using Go, Ruby, Python, Scala, or Rust with PostgreSQL and NoSQL technologies.

What you'll do

Technical Excellence Leadership: Act as subject matter expert providing high-level technical reviews and advice across multiple engineering teams

Scalable Architecture Design: Define and design technical solutions for complex business problems in high-traffic environment handling 20k+ requests per minute

Strategic Technical Direction: Influence long-term technical roadmap and manage project timelines, risks, and sustainable delivery paces

Engineering Mentorship: Support growth of engineers across all levels and partner with emerging leaders to scale engineering culture

Talent Acquisition: Lead engineering interviews and contribute to recruiting strategy to maintain high talent standards

Cross-Team Alignment: Align non-adjacent teams to deliver results that impact the entire organization

System Architecture: Build and scale systems serving millions of customers, riders, and restaurant partners daily

Technical Problem Solving: Solve unstructured and ambiguous technical challenges in a three-sided marketplace environment

What we look for

Technical

Web Application DevelopmentSignificant experience building web-based applications at scale with focus on readable, well-tested software

Programming LanguagesProficiency in Go, Ruby, Python, Scala, or Rust with polyglot mindset

Database SystemsPractical experience with PostgreSQL and NoSQL backends including Redis, DynamoDB, or Elasticsearch

High-Scale ArchitectureProven ability to design and operate systems handling massive request volumes and complex logistical workflows

Distributed SystemsDeep understanding of distributed system patterns and microservices architecture

Education

Computer Science DegreeBachelor's or Master's degree in Computer Science, Software Engineering, or equivalent practical experience

Continuous LearningCommitment to staying current with emerging technologies and engineering best practices

Experience

Staff-Level Experience7+ years of software engineering experience with 2+ years in staff or principal engineering roles

Technical LeadershipExperience leading technical direction and mentoring engineering teams

High-Traffic SystemsBackground in building systems handling thousands of requests per minute

Strategic AlignmentDemonstrated ability to align multiple disciplines and teams to resolve ambiguous technical challenges

Skills

Required skills

Systems DesignAbility to architect scalable distributed systems for high-traffic applications

Backend DevelopmentStrong experience in server-side development with modern programming languages

Database DesignExpertise in both SQL and NoSQL database systems and optimization

Technical LeadershipProven track record of leading technical teams and driving engineering excellence

Problem SolvingStrong analytical skills for solving complex, ambiguous technical challenges

Nice to have

Marketplace ExperienceBackground in building multi-sided marketplace platforms

Real-time SystemsExperience with real-time logistics and location-based services

Performance OptimizationSkills in optimizing high-throughput systems and reducing latency

Cloud ArchitectureExperience with AWS or other cloud platforms for scalable infrastructure

DevOps PracticesKnowledge of CI/CD, containerization, and infrastructure as code

Compensation & benefits

Salary

GBP 120,000 – 180,000 (annual)

Stock options

Available

Benefits

Competitive Salary

Market-leading compensation package for Staff Software Engineer level

Equity Options

Share in company success through stock options and equity participation

Hybrid Work

Flexible working with 3 days in London office, 2 days remote

Professional Development

Continuous learning opportunities and career acceleration support

Health Coverage

Comprehensive health insurance and wellness benefits

Parental Leave

Generous parental leave policies for growing families

Global Collaboration

Work with DoorDash and Wolt teams across international markets

Innovation Time

Opportunity to work on meaningful problems at scale with fast iteration cycles

Interview process

1
Initial Screen — Phone or video call with engineering manager to discuss background and role fit
2
Technical Deep Dive — Systems design interview focusing on scalable architecture and distributed systems
3
Code Review — Live coding session or code review discussion demonstrating technical expertise
4
Leadership Interview — Discussion of technical leadership experience and mentoring approach
5
Final Round — Meet with senior engineering leadership to discuss strategic technical vision