Senior Risk and Compliance Engineer I

We're transforming the grocery industry

At Instacart, we invite the world to share love through food because we believe everyone should have access to the food they love and more time to enjoy it together. Where others see a simple need for grocery delivery, we see exciting complexity and endless opportunity to serve the varied needs of our community. We work to deliver an essential service that customers rely on to get their groceries and household goods, while also offering safe and flexible earnings opportunities to Instacart Personal Shoppers.

Instacart has become a lifeline for millions of people, and we’re building the team to help push our shopping cart forward. If you’re ready to do the best work of your life, come join our table.

Instacart is a Flex First team

There’s no one-size fits all approach to how we do our best work. Our employees have the flexibility to choose where they do their best work—whether it’s from home, an office, or your favorite coffee shop—while staying connected and building community through regular in-person events. Learn more about our flexible approach to where we work.

About the Role

Join Instacart's Governance, Risk, & Compliance (GRC) team as a Senior Risk & Compliance Engineer focused on Data Governance & Data Privacy to shape the future of our privacy initiatives. This role focuses on creating scalable data governance processes, assisting legal and engineering to translate requirements into actionable technical details, and maturing processes to ensure compliance across multiple global jurisdictions.

As this role sits at the intersection of technical problem-solving and risk reduction, you’ll need to read code, develop reports, and refine operational processes. The successful candidate will bring technical expertise and work across teams to balance risk reduction goals with operational and technical feasibility.

About the Team

The Governance Risk and Compliance (GRC) team plays a critical role in protecting Instacart's operations, data, and systems by identifying, mitigating, and managing risks across Privacy, Security, and Compliance domains. As part of the Chief Information Security Organization (CISO), the GRC team operates at the intersection of technology, legal guidance, and proactive risk management.

This tightly connected function includes sub-groups such as Data Governance, Compliance Management, and Security Risk Management, working collaboratively with stakeholders from Legal, Product, Engineering, Operations, and beyond. As a Senior Risk & Compliance Engineer on the Data Governance team, you'll be part of the group driving processes for privacy governance and broader data-related risks, with the ability to influence cross-functional decisions across the entire organization. With the support of the broader GRC team, you will shape key strategies and build scalable systems to meet the needs of a dynamic and fast-growing product ecosystem.

At Instacart, we believe in empowering each team member with significant ownership and responsibility, fostering a culture of collaboration, and providing opportunities for leaders who are ready to make an impact.

About the Job

As a Senior Risk & Compliance Engineer, you'll empower Instacart's GRC program by developing scalable Data Governance processes and implementing innovative solutions to address privacy risks, operational challenges, and regulatory compliance requirements. You will work on transformative projects across Instacart’s evolving products and business lines, contributing from day one in a high-visibility role that directly impacts our engineering and operational practices.

In this role, you will:

• Lead the development and operations of Privacy and Data Governance methodologies, partnering cross-functionally with product, engineering, and legal teams.
• Translate high-level regulatory and legal guidance into detailed, technical plans and processes that mitigate risks while balancing operational needs.
• Develop scalable solutions for testing, monitoring, and communicating data governance controls, leveraging automation where possible to ensure compliance and drive efficiency. This includes investigating and tracing complex data flows, schemas, and source systems to inform decision-making and ensure accuracy.
• Collaborate with global teams to manage risks for emerging product lines and international operations, ensuring precision and consistency across regions.
• Foster a results-driven, collaborative culture by influencing stakeholders, articulating risks and technical issues with clarity, and driving consensus on scalable solutions.

This role blends deep technical prob