Software Engineer, Performance Platform - job 1 of 2

As a Software Engineer on the Performance Platform team at DoorDash, your primary responsibilities include developing and maintaining foundational components that allow other engineers to measure and improve the performance of their services. You'll be taking on substantial technical challenges and creating tools, frameworks, and libraries that ensure performance is a critical part of the development process.

To qualify for the Software Engineer, Performance Platform position at DoorDash, candidates should have a minimum of 2 years of experience in backend platform development. Proficiency in at least one object-oriented programming language, such as Java, Kotlin, Go, or C++, is essential. Experience in building and maintaining platform components at scale is also crucial to succeed in this role.

Essential skills for a Software Engineer on the Performance Platform team at DoorDash include strong problem-solving capabilities, proficiency in an object-oriented programming language, and a product mindset. You should also possess excellent collaboration abilities for working with different engineering teams and technical partners to drive impactful initiatives.

The work culture on the Performance Platform team at DoorDash emphasizes collaboration, innovation, and personal growth. Team members are encouraged to share unique perspectives and tackle new challenges while receiving guidance through mentorship and peer education. This nurturing environment fosters a strong sense of community and aims to empower engineers to perform at their best.

At DoorDash, a Software Engineer on the Performance Platform team can expect to work on a variety of impactful projects that involve developing tools and frameworks designed to measure and optimize the performance of software systems. This role includes significant opportunities to collaborate with various teams and address complex technical challenges that improve the overall efficiency and scalability of services.

In your response, detail the project's objective, your specific role, the technologies used, and the outcomes. Highlight how your contributions directly influenced performance metrics, emphasizing any quantitative data that demonstrates success.

Discuss various performance measurement techniques such as profiling, load testing, and benchmarking. Mention tools you've used in the past, explaining how you evaluated system performance and provided recommendations for improvements.

Explain your approach to analyzing performance issues by defining criteria such as impact, urgency, and frequency. Describe how you would collaborate with stakeholders to align priorities and develop a roadmap for addressing performance challenges.

Share insights on typical performance bottlenecks such as inefficient algorithms, memory leaks, and network latency. Emphasize how you identified these issues and the strategies you implemented to resolve them.

Narrate a specific instance where you leveraged automation to eliminate repetitive tasks or reduce errors. Focus on the tools or frameworks you utilized and the overall impact it had on the workflow.

Articulate your philosophy on maintaining simplicity and consistency in design. Discuss the principles you follow, such as DRY (Don't Repeat Yourself) and KISS (Keep It Simple, Stupid), and how these have guided your past engineering decisions.

Discuss your view on how performance engineering integrates into Agile methodologies. Highlight the importance of iterative testing and feedback loops that can lead to continuous performance improvements in rapidly evolving projects.

Mention the various sources and channels you utilize for staying informed about performance engineering trends, such as online courses, industry blogs, and technology conferences. Stress the value of continuous learning in improving your expertise.

Refer to specific performance monitoring tools you've used, such as New Relic, Datadog, or Grafana. Explain why you prefer these tools and how they enhance your ability to monitor, diagnose, and improve system performance effectively.

Articulate how collaboration is vital in performance engineering, emphasizing teamwork with other engineering disciplines, sharing knowledge about best practices, and working with product managers to align on performance goals. Provide examples of how collaboration has positively impacted your previous projects.