Tittle : Protobuf Cleanup Engineer
Location : Remote
Duration : 7 + Months

Job Description: About the Team
The Filesystem team is responsible for the core metadata services that power Dropbox’s file storage. We design and maintain the systems and database models that manage billions of files and directories — delivering performance, reliability, and scalability at the heart of Client platform.

Project Overview
We’re looking for a contractor to help us remove all usages of GoGoProto (gogoproto) from our protobuf packages in the main live tier service. This work is part of a broader modernization effort, and the changes will have significant impact across our metadata model and service interfaces.

What You’ll Do
• Identify and remove all uses of GoGoProto extensions in protobuf definitions.
• Update .proto files to use standard protobuf features, replacing deprecated/custom gogoproto options where needed.
• Regenerate protobuf code using standard tooling (protoc, protoc-gen-go, etc.) compatible with our Go/GRPC-based infrastructure.
• Refactor Go services that rely on gogoproto-generated behavior (e.g., JSON serialization, custom options, field behavior).
• Coordinate with the Filesystem team to validate changes, ensure compatibility, and integrate with ongoing development work.
• Document migration steps and provide guidance for long-term maintainability.

What We’re Looking For
• Solid experience working with Protocol Buffers in a Go/GRPC environment.
• Familiarity with large-scale service-oriented architectures.
• Strong understanding of code generation workflows and protobuf tooling.
• Comfortable navigating and updating large, production-critical codebases.
• Ability to work independently and communicate effectively with the team.
• Bonus: Experience with GoGoProto and its ecosystem of extensions and options.

Why This Matters
This migration is a key step toward improving maintainability, tooling compatibility, and long-term sustainability and security of our services. You’ll play a critical role in keeping the foundation of Client file metadata stack modern and reliable.

#TB_EN