Lead Backend Developer

Job Description

We’re building scalable, data-driven product systems and looking for a Lead Software Developer with strong engineering skills and a track record of designing and delivering complex, production-grade systems. You’ll lead the design and delivery of critical product components, collaborate closely with technical leads and senior stakeholders, and play a key role in driving technical quality, scalability, and engineering standards across a core product area.

Overview

Own critical components end-to-end and deliver measurable improvements in system quality, scalability, and reliability. You operate independently, drive design decisions, and elevate engineering standards through technical leadership and mentorship.

What you’ll do

• Own delivery for significant features or systems: clarify requirements, design solutions, execute, ship, and iterate.
• Design and build scalable backend services, APIs, and data pipelines that support core product functionality.
• Drive system design decisions, balancing scalability, performance, reliability, and cost.
• Define how quality is measured for your area (success metrics, testing strategy, observability) and automate it wherever possible.
• Lead structured experimentation: define hypotheses, evaluate results, and translate insights into product and system improvements.
• Improve operational readiness: deployment automation, monitoring/alerting, incident response, and performance optimization.
• Mentor engineers through design reviews, code reviews, and hands‑on technical guidance.
• Influence engineering best practices, architecture decisions, and long‑term technical direction.

Engineering Expectations

• Strong system design skills with the ability to break down ambiguous problems into scalable technical solutions.
• Ability to evaluate new technologies, tools, and approaches, and recommend solutions based on trade‑offs, impact, and ROI.
• Builds systems that are secure, reliable, and compliant by design, partnering with cross‑functional teams when needed.
• Drives technical alignment across teams and contributes to improving engineering standards and processes.

How we work

• We balance exploration with delivery — test ideas quickly, then productionize what works.
• Done means quality goals are met, followed by continuous improvement in scalability, performance, and reliability.
• The team owns systems end‑to‑end (build, release, reliability).

Years of experience

• Overall: 6+ years in software engineering
• Relevant: 3+ years building and shipping production systems in product teams
• Technical (hands‑on coding): 5+ years

Required skills & knowledge

• Strong software engineering fundamentals and advanced system design experience
• Hands‑on coding in Python and/or TypeScript (or similar), building APIs, services, and data pipelines
• Experience designing and scaling distributed systems in production environments
• Strong experience with cloud platforms (AWS, GCP, or Azure), CI/CD, automated testing, and observability
• Proven ability to own systems end‑to‑end, from design through production and iteration
• Experience working in fast‑paced, ambiguous environments with evolving requirements
• Strong experimentation mindset: define metrics, build evaluation approaches, and iterate quickly

Desired (nice to have)

• Experience building data‑driven or ML‑enabled systems
• Familiarity with experimentation frameworks, A/B testing, or performance optimization
• Experience with event‑driven architectures, streaming systems, or large‑scale data processing
• Exposure to modern AI tools or integrations (not required)
• Contributions to open source, technical blogs, or conference talks

Education

Bachelor’s in Computer Science, Engineering, or related field (or equivalent practical experience).

The estimated annual base salary range for this role is between $104,000 – $130,000 (CAD). In addition to base salary, our compensation package may include bonuses, commissions for eligible sales roles, and a comprehensive benefits package. The actual base salary will vary based on factors including individual qualifications and market data, as objectively assessed during the interview process.

This posting is for a new vacancy.

Benefits

• Health & Wellness — Comprehensive medical, dental, and vision coverage tailored to your local needs
• Time Off — PTO and public holidays to rest, recharge, and do what matters most
• Volunteer Days — Dedicated time to give back and support the communities that matter to you
• Ignite Days — Dedicated learning days to support continuous growth, skill development, and professional learning
• Financial — Compensation that reflects your market and your value
• Retirement — Retirement plans designed to help you build long‑term financial security
• Tuition Assistance — Invest in your growth with support for continuing education and professional development
• Flexibility — Work where you thrive, with remote and hybrid options available across most regions

Varicent is committed to creating a diverse environment and is proud to be an equal opportunity employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, gender, gender identity or expression, sexual orientation, national origin, genetics, disability, age, or veteran status. If you require accommodation at any time during the recruitment process please email View email address on ca.talent.com.

Varicent is also committed to compliance with all fair employment practices regarding citizenship and immigration status. By applying for a position at Varicent and/or by using this portal, you declare and confirm that you have read and agree to our Job Applicant Privacy Notice and that the information provided by you as part of your application is true and complete and includes no misrepresentation or material omission of fact.