Backend Team Lead

We’re looking for a passionate and high-performing Backend Team Lead   to join our growing team. If you love being challenged and enjoy working in a dynamic environment, this is a career defining role.  

Who we are

samdesk is a global disruption monitoring tool that delivers real-time crisis alerts powered by AI. We make sense of the world’s most valuable real-time data sources with the purpose to create a safer world. Our mission is to help our users act faster, with more confidence, at a time when action can make the biggest difference. Samdesk is backed by leading global investors and is headquartered in Edmonton, Alberta, with team members in multiple regions including North America, Europe, and Asia Pacific. We are a growing team of dreamers and builders, supporting large global customers around the world. Check us out! www.samdesk.io 

Who you are

We are seeking an experienced Backend Team Lead  to join our team. As a key player in the development process, you will be responsible for the tooling, design, implementation, scalability and performance of our APIs and data pipeline. It's a hands-on position that will require you to spend half your time building with the team and other providing technical leadership and working closely with the front-end and  product team, and other stakeholders to deliver robust and efficient services.

What your day could look like as a Backend Team Lead ?

• Implement a new API to be used by internal tools, public APIs or our data pipeline
• Review our performance metrics for bad trends or anomalies or bottlenecks that need to be addressed
• Coach and mentor developers at junior and intermediate level. 
• Code review a PR from a direct report
• Hop on a call with team members to go over deployment plans for a larger release
• Design a new GraphQL API for a new application the front end team is building
• Deploy a hotfix to correct handling of an unexpected input
• Report on health of key system components

Responsibilities & duties

• Design & Development: Collaborate on the design, development, and optimization of backend systems and services, ensuring they are scalable, maintainable, and performant.
• Architecting Solutions: Work closely with the CTO to help define the technical roadmap and ensure that solutions are robust, secure, and efficient.
• Code Quality: Write clean, well-documented, and maintainable code while adhering to industry best practices and standards.
• Performance Optimization: Identify bottlenecks and optimize system performance through profiling, benchmarking, and refactoring code.
• Collaboration: Collaborate with front-end developers, product managers, and other stakeholders to ensure seamless integration of backend services with user-facing components.
• Mentorship and supervision: Provide technical leadership and mentorship to junior developers, helping to build their skills and knowledge.
• Problem Solving: Troubleshoot and resolve complex issues, including system failures and performance issues, both proactively and reactively.
• Security & Compliance: Ensure that backend systems adhere to security best practices and industry regulations, including handling sensitive data securely.
• Continuous Improvement: Contribute to ongoing improvements in development processes, tools, and frameworks.
• Documentation: Build and maintain technical documentation to ensure proper knowledge transfer and team collaboration.

Competencies & background experience

• Proven ability to build scalable and reliable solutions
• A strong balance of hands-on development, architecture knowledge and production support
• Exposure to AWS (ECS, SQS, CloudWatch, S3) or other cloud providers
• Experience building GraphQL/TypeScript based APIs
• Experience building applications using Docker
• A degree in computing science or engineering or equivalent
• 8-10 years of experience in software development with at least 5 years leading teams

You are a good fit if

• Actually enjoy writing software - it's important!
• Are genuinely excited to work in a fast paced and challenging environment with other like minded individuals
• You still think about that time you optimized that block of code from 7s to 400ms and possible ideas to optimize it further
• Are more interested in the right solution than your solution
• Are able to prioritize tasks and ship code rather than refactor continuously
• You seek opportunities to be creative, come up with innovative solutions, and don’t require a “playbook” to get things done

What’s in it for you?

• Work with a committed and passionate team of innovators at a fast growing startup
• We view this role as a career building opportunity as you’ll work with cross functional teams and the world’s most notable brands, selling a life saving solution
• Competitive compensation and a health benefits package, including dental, extended health,  vision care, and a health spending account 
• Opportunity to participate in our employee stock option plan
• A seat on the rocket ship 🚀 - buckle up!

Reports to: Chief Technical Officer 

Application details: Help us help you stand out! Please thoughtfully answer the screening questions on the application page. We look forward to reviewing your application!

*Please note that only applicants selected for the interview process will be contacted. 

Diversity and Inclusion

samdesk is an equal opportunity employer committed to ​​creating a safe, diverse and inclusive environment. We encourage qualified applicants of all backgrounds including ethnicity, religion, disability status, gender identity, sexual orientation, family status, age, nationality, and education levels to apply. 

First Peoples Acknowledgement

samdesk respectfully acknowledges that, being headquartered in Edmonton, we are situated on Treaty 6 and Region 4 territory, traditional lands of First Nations and Métis people respectively.

We respect the histories, languages, and cultures of First Nations, Métis, Inuit, and all other First Peoples of Canada, whose presence continues to enrich our community. The city of Edmonton owes its strength and vibrancy to these lands, the diverse Indigenous peoples whose ancestors’ footsteps have marked this region, and the settlers from around the world who continue to be welcomed here and call Edmonton home.