Software Engineer, Build Platform - job 2 of 3

As a Software Engineer on the Build Platform team at DoorDash, your primary responsibilities include enhancing and maintaining our Bazel-based build system, optimizing CI/CD infrastructure, and developing tooling for managing monorepos. You'll be instrumental in performance optimizations and automating self-healing solutions, ultimately ensuring developers can iterate quickly. This role directly influences the efficiency and reliability of our build processes.

To qualify for the Software Engineer position at DoorDash, you should have at least 3 years of experience in software engineering, focusing on build systems or developer productivity. Proficiency with Bazel or similar build systems is essential, along with skills in Python, Go, or shell scripting. Familiarity with CI/CD tools like Buildkite and knowledge of distributed systems are also necessary.

In the Software Engineer role at DoorDash, you'll work with a variety of tools and technologies including Bazel for build automation, Buildkite for CI/CD, and extensive scripting in languages like Python and Go. Experience with Docker, Kubernetes, and cloud-based infrastructures is also beneficial, especially in a monorepo environment.

The Software Engineer role at DoorDash significantly impacts the developer experience by enhancing build and deployment processes. By optimizing the infrastructure and reducing bottlenecks, you'll help engineers iterate faster, facilitate high-quality code deployments, and create a smoother workflow across teams. Your contributions will ensure our development practices remain at the forefront of efficiency.

DoorDash offers a comprehensive benefits package for Software Engineers, featuring competitive salaries, equity opportunities, paid time off, wellness benefits, and various health insurance options. Additional perks include a 401(k) plan with employer matching, parental leave, and programs aimed at supporting mental health and work-life balance.

When answering this question, discuss specific projects where you utilized Bazel for build automation. Highlight your understanding of its features, such as dependency management and caching strategies, and how they improved build performance. Be sure to reference any challenges faced and solutions implemented to demonstrate your depth of knowledge.

In response, share ideas like implementing parallel processing, using cached dependencies, and automating tests. Discuss the importance of monitoring and analytics for identifying bottlenecks, and highlight any specific tools you are familiar with that help enhance CI/CD efficiency.

To ensure effective collaboration, emphasize communication as key. Describe your approach to understanding their workflows, gathering feedback, and integrating their needs into tooling and infrastructure solutions. Mention any tools or methodologies you use to facilitate teamwork and maintain alignment.

Detail your analytical approach to identifying build bottlenecks, such as profiling builds and analyzing logs. Discuss methodologies for troubleshooting issues and implementing fixes effectively. Share a relevant example showcasing your problem-solving skills.

Share a specific example that illustrates your technical aptitude. Highlight the problem, your analysis process, the solution you implemented, and the aftermath. Focus on what you learned and how this experience shaped your approach to build systems.

When discussing task prioritization, emphasize strategic thinking. Describe your approach to assessing the urgency and impact of tasks and your commitment to aligning your priorities with team goals. Share a framework or tool you use for organizing your workload.

Answer this by highlighting essential components like speed, reliability, scalability, and user experience. Discuss how factors like automated testing and version control integration contribute to build system success. Share your vision for an ideal build system.

Outline your methodology for managing monorepos, including dependency management and tooling for incremental builds. Discuss any past experience in implementing such tooling and any challenges you've addressed to ensure seamless operations.

If you have experience with remote execution environments, discuss your understanding of technologies like RBE or BuildBarn. Explain how these environments can enhance build performance and scalability, citing any relevant experience where you implemented such strategies.

Share your strategies for professional development, such as following industry blogs, attending conferences, and participating in relevant online communities. Emphasize your passion for learning and how you apply new knowledge to your work as a Software Engineer.