site reliability engineer I, digital displays

$82,700 - $146,000/Yr

Starbucks - Seattle, WA

Full-time - Entry Level

Remote - Seattle, WA

Food Services and Drinking Places

About the position

The Site Reliability Engineer I for Digital Displays at Starbucks Coffee Company plays a crucial role in the IOT & Retail Hardware organization, which focuses on the integration of technology into retail environments. This position is centered around the operationalization of prototypes and proof of concepts (POCs) that have shown promise for wider rollout. The engineer will be responsible for ensuring that platforms are secure, performant, and resilient, while also standardizing and automating processes to enhance efficiency. As Starbucks continues to expand its digital displays and connected devices, the importance of this role grows, requiring capabilities for automated, hands-off operation of distributed equipment fleets. The ideal candidate will possess a broad background in site reliability engineering (SRE) or systems engineering, with experience spanning the application and infrastructure layers throughout the build, deploy, and run lifecycle. Flexibility, proactive communication, and a desire for feedback and growth are essential traits for success in this role. The team operates by iterating from ideas to prototypes to solid implementations, continuously evolving best practices and re-evaluating tradeoffs as new use cases emerge. Key responsibilities include providing tier 4 support for retail hardware and IoT devices, engaging in production support, operational engineering, and team collaboration. The engineer will monitor and manage equipment fleets, engage with vendors for troubleshooting, and drive continuous improvement in resilience and efficiency. The role also involves scripting and automation to enhance operational processes, contributing to documentation, and maintaining key performance indicators (KPIs) to measure system effectiveness.

Responsibilities

• Provide tier 4 support for retail hardware and IoT devices, assisting store partners in resolving issues.
• Triage and resolve tickets, capturing root causes and recurring issues for deeper analysis.
• Lead knowledge transfer sessions with tier 1-3 teams to identify pain points and provide guidance.
• Develop procedures to enable service desk teams to handle more issues in-house and improve triage processes.
• Monitor and manage equipment fleets, performing audits and updates, and coordinating with on-site technicians as needed.
• Engage with vendors for root cause analysis, troubleshooting, and best practices.
• Fulfill service requests related to devices, platforms, data, and user access, including rotating on-call responsibilities.
• Drive continuous improvement in resilience, recoverability, efficiency, and performance from an engineering perspective.
• Identify opportunities to reduce incidents through improvements in information, processes, or technology.
• Standardize frequently executed procedures and automate tasks through scripting and automation frameworks.
• Contribute to validation and test plans, ensuring deterministic and repeatable results.
• Expand documentation and refine standards, collaborating with senior team members and communicating with external teams.
• Create, maintain, and report KPIs to measure systems and processes.

Requirements

• 0-2 years of professional industry experience in a relevant field.
• Bachelor's degree in Computer Science or a related field.

Nice-to-haves

• 2 or more years of experience in a site reliability engineering or systems engineering role.
• Experience with operational support in a 24x7 uptime environment.
• Familiarity with hardware, especially digital displays, in a retail or commercial setting.
• Knowledge of infrastructure, including networking and Linux OS fundamentals.
• Experience with automation tools, OS and software configuration management, and shell scripting.
• Proficiency in Python is a plus.
• Understanding of modern web architectures and internet-facing protocols.

Benefits

• Medical, dental, and vision insurance coverage.
• Basic and supplemental life insurance options.
• Short-term and long-term disability benefits.
• Paid parental leave and family expansion reimbursement.
• Paid vacation from the date of hire, with specific accrual rates based on location.
• Sick time accrued at 1 hour for every 25 hours worked.
• Eight paid holidays and two personal days per year.
• 401(k) retirement plan with employer match.
• Discounted company stock program (S.I.P.) and Starbucks equity program (Bean Stock).
• Tuition coverage for a first-time bachelor's degree through Arizona State University's online program.
• Access to backup care and DACA reimbursement.