Backend Software Developer (Payload Planner)

GHGSat offers greenhouse gas detection, measurement, and monitoring services to industrial and government customers around the world. We use our own satellites and aircraft sensors, combined with third-party data, to help industrial emitters better understand, control, and reduce their emissions.

GHGSat’s capability is unique: we provide high-resolution, local measurements of atmospheric methane and carbon dioxide concentration from space. This further enables to detect greenhouse gas emitters and to visualize and quantify their emissions.

Reporting to the Mission Platform lead, GHGSat is looking for an innovative and experienced Backend Developer for our Payload Planner software. As part of a cross-functional team deployed around Agile Scrum, you will be designing, developing, and supporting satellite planning and tasking software. Your responsibilities will include software development, testing, analyzing data, and contributing to the design and implementation of the software. Overall, you have an excellent knowledge of data structures, databases, streaming pipelines and a strong motivation in tackling the important environmental issues that our planet faces today.

Responsibilities

• Develop tools and applications to improve the workflow of satellite planning and tasking activities
• Evaluate, deploy, develop, integrate, test and maintain databases, data transformation frameworks and APIs
• Optimize data structures, schema, queries for most frequent usage
• Develop, test, integrate, and deploy backend stack
• Design System Architecture collectively with the team, revisit regularly
• Maintain and ensure High Availability of GHGSat data platform

Requirements

Required skills

• Strong computational science or software development skills
• Proven capability with: Linux, Python
• Competence with databases (PostgreSQL, MongoDB)
• Experience building scalable backend services and APIs — REST/GraphQL, event-driven architecture, microservices, and cloud deployment.
• Experience with Docker and Kubernetes (k8s) – Nice to have
• Experience with Frontend (TypeScript, React) – Nice to have
• Ability to work autonomously, with minimum direction
• • Availability to participate in a scheduled on-call rotation and provide occasional support outside regular business hours, including weekends, to ensure operational continuity.

Assets

• Interest in scientific analysis, atmospheric sciences, remote sensing and space technology
• Understanding of satellite operations or similar field
• Experience with GIS and Mapping apps (Mapbox, Leaflet, GeoJSON, GeoTIFF)
• Bilingual French/English

Qualifications

• Bachelor or Master degree in Computer Science, Software Engineering or related field
• Minimum of 5 years’ experience in relevant roles
• Able to obtain Canadian government security clearance

Benefits

This is a rare opportunity to work on urgent problems. You’ll join a small but high-impact team and help scale a company doing meaningful work for the planet.

• Competitive salary and stock options for all full-time employees
• Health and dental benefits
• Paid time off and floating statutory holidays
• Flexible work environment

GHGSat offers a creative and highly motivating work environment. We provide competitive compensation, comprehensive benefits, flexible work arrangements, and opportunities for ongoing development.

We are committed to building a diverse and inclusive workplace. GHGSat is an equal opportunity employer and does not discriminate on the basis of race, national origin, gender, gender identity, sexual orientation, age, or any other legally protected status. If you require accommodation, please notify your recruiter.