Engineer
Backend Engineer · Mid · Full Time · Remote
Opens Xero's application page
Role
What you'll do.
Join Xero's Data-In organization as a Backend Engineer to build and operate foundational infrastructure powering document-driven experiences across the platform. This role requires 3+ years of experience building scalable production systems using C#, .NET, Docker, Kubernetes, and AWS, with strong expertise in distributed systems, DevOps, and CI/CD practices. You'll own critical components of Xero's Documents API and Management services, ensuring secure, high-performance document processing for millions of customers.
Responsibilities
- Build Scalable Backend Infrastructure: Develop and maintain production-grade backend microservices using C#, .NET, Docker, and Kubernetes, contributing to the reliability and performance of Xero's document ecosystem that serves millions of customers across global markets.
- Own Document Processing Pipelines: Design, implement, and optimize document ingestion, processing, and data extraction pipelines to ensure high-quality data transformation and maintain comprehensive test coverage across all critical workflows.
- Drive Cross-Functional Collaboration: Partner with product managers, UX designers, and fellow engineers to translate business requirements into technical solutions, delivering exceptional user experiences that simplify financial document management.
- Troubleshoot Complex Distributed Systems: Debug and resolve issues across Xero's technology stack including legacy applications, perform root-cause analysis, and implement durable fixes using observability tools like New Relic to maintain system health.
- Champion DevOps and Release Excellence: Apply CI/CD best practices, implement automated testing strategies aligned with the testing pyramid, and participate in code reviews to establish engineering excellence standards within the team.
- Create Technical Documentation: Write and maintain comprehensive technical documentation including architecture notes, data flow diagrams, and system design documents to facilitate team knowledge sharing and improve system maintainability.
- Lead Technical Initiatives: Take ownership of well-scoped to medium-scale technical initiatives, refactor complex monolithic systems into scalable, resilient microservices components, and drive improvements to team processes and feedback loops.
Qualifications
What we look for.
Technical
C# and .NET Framework
Strong proficiency in C# programming language and the .NET framework/core stack for building enterprise-grade backend services and distributed systems.
Container Orchestration and Cloud Platforms
Hands-on experience with Docker for containerization, Kubernetes for orchestration, and AWS cloud services including compute, storage, and networking for building scalable infrastructure.
DevOps and CI/CD Practices
Proficiency with DevOps methodologies, continuous integration and continuous deployment pipelines, and infrastructure-as-code concepts to enable frequent, safe code releases.
Observability and Monitoring
Experience with application performance monitoring and observability tools such as New Relic, CloudWatch, or equivalent solutions for troubleshooting and optimizing system performance.
Distributed Systems Architecture
Solid understanding of distributed systems principles, microservices architecture patterns, scalability challenges, and designing resilient systems with high availability requirements.
Automated Testing and Code Quality
Strong advocate of testing pyramid methodology, proficient in unit testing, integration testing, and test-driven development practices to ensure code quality and maintainability.
Education
Bachelor's Degree in Computer Science or Related Field
Formal education in Computer Science, Software Engineering, or equivalent discipline providing foundational knowledge of computer systems and software development principles, or equivalent professional experience.
Experience
Production Systems Development
3+ years of professional experience building, delivering, and maintaining highly scalable production systems using diverse technologies across the full software development stack.
Backend Infrastructure at Scale
Proven track record of developing and operating distributed backend services that handle significant scale, performance requirements, and reliability expectations in cloud-native environments.
Legacy System Modernization
Demonstrated ability to diagnose and resolve complex issues in legacy applications and technologies, with experience refactoring monolithic systems into scalable, resilient microservices components.
Cross-Functional Technical Leadership
Experience taking ownership of and driving medium to high-impact technical initiatives within engineering teams, coordinating processes, and strengthening feedback loops for quality improvements.
Skills
Required
C# Programming
Expert-level proficiency in C# for building production backend services, with understanding of language features, async/await patterns, and modern development practices.
.NET Framework/Core
Strong hands-on experience with .NET Core and/or .NET Framework for developing microservices, APIs, and distributed systems.
Docker Containerization
Ability to design, build, and optimize Docker containers for consistent deployment across development, staging, and production environments.
Kubernetes Orchestration
Proficiency deploying, managing, and scaling containerized applications using Kubernetes in production environments, including service discovery, load balancing, and resource management.
AWS Cloud Services
Working knowledge of AWS services including EC2, RDS, S3, Lambda, VPC, and other services relevant to building scalable cloud-native applications.
CI/CD Pipeline Implementation
Experience setting up and maintaining continuous integration and deployment pipelines using tools like Jenkins, GitLab CI, GitHub Actions, or AWS CodePipeline.
System Troubleshooting and Debugging
Advanced troubleshooting skills to diagnose issues in complex distributed systems, analyze logs and metrics, and implement effective solutions.
Preferred
New Relic Monitoring
Nice to haveExperience with New Relic for application performance monitoring, custom instrumentation, and real-time alerting for production systems.
SQL Database Optimization
Nice to haveExperience optimizing SQL queries, designing efficient database schemas, and working with relational databases like PostgreSQL or SQL Server at scale.
Financial Software Domain Knowledge
Nice to haveBackground in accounting software, financial technology, or fintech industries with understanding of document processing workflows, compliance, and regulatory requirements.
GraphQL and Modern API Design
Nice to haveExperience designing and implementing modern API patterns including REST best practices, GraphQL, and API versioning strategies for scalable systems.
Kubernetes Advanced Patterns
Nice to haveAdvanced Kubernetes knowledge including custom resource definitions, operators, helm charts, and infrastructure-as-code practices for complex deployments.
Document Processing and OCR
Nice to haveExperience with document ingestion pipelines, optical character recognition (OCR), data extraction workflows, or similar document management systems.
Infrastructure-as-Code
Nice to haveProficiency with infrastructure-as-code tools like Terraform or CloudFormation for managing cloud resources in a declarative, versionable manner.
Tech stack
Languages
Frameworks
Databases
Tools
Other
Compensation
Pay and benefits.
Base·CAD 130,000 – 150,000
Equity·Stock options
Benefits
Comprehensive Health and Wellness
Medical, dental, and vision coverage with flexible health spending accounts and access to wellness programs including fitness subsidies and mental health support.
Retirement Planning
Competitive RRSP matching program with employer contributions to support long-term financial planning and retirement security.
Equity Participation
Stock options and equity grants providing participation in Xero's growth and long-term value creation as a public company.
Generous Paid Time Off
Flexible paid time off policy with additional days for professional development, sabbatical options, and support for work-life balance.
Professional Development
Learning budgets, conference attendance support, technical training programs, and mentorship from senior engineers to accelerate your growth.
Remote Work Flexibility
Hybrid or fully remote work options with access to collaborative spaces in Toronto and other Xero offices globally.
Parental Leave
Competitive parental leave benefits extending beyond statutory requirements to support work-life integration.
Community and Culture
Employee resource groups, team social events, volunteering opportunities, and an inclusive engineering culture focused on continuous learning.
Process
Interview steps.
- 01
Initial Recruiter Screening
Initial conversation with Xero's recruiting team to discuss your background, career goals, technical interests, and alignment with the Backend Engineer role within the Data-In organization.
- 02
Technical Phone Screen
Technical interview focused on C#, .NET, and cloud infrastructure fundamentals. Expect questions on microservices design, distributed systems concepts, and your experience with Docker and Kubernetes.
- 03
Coding and System Design Challenge
Take-home or live coding assessment involving building a scalable backend service component. May include requirements around document processing, API design, and considerations for high-traffic systems.
- 04
System Architecture Deep Dive
Technical interview with backend engineers covering your experience with distributed systems, scalability challenges, DevOps practices, and approach to troubleshooting complex production issues.
- 05
Cross-Functional Team Conversation
Discussion with product managers and fellow engineers about collaboration approaches, communication style, and how you work across teams to deliver features and improvements.
- 06
Final Hiring Manager Interview
Conversation with the team lead or engineering manager to discuss career development, team dynamics, long-term growth opportunities, and cultural fit within Xero's engineering organization.
Full posting
Original listing.
Engineer
Toronto, CA / Technology - Engineering / Permanent
Our Purpose
At Xero, we’re here to make running a business beautiful. By making small businesses more efficient every day, connecting them with big business technology and empowering a community behind them, their potential is limitless. When that happens, we’re not only helping small businesses, we’ll be building a stronger economy that can change the world.
About the team you’ll join
Xero's Data-In organization revolutionizes how small businesses and their advisors interact with financial data. We're responsible for streamlining the ingestion, processing, and management of financial documents, unlocking valuable insights and enabling powerful automations.
As a core backend platform team within the Data-In organization, we build and operate the foundational infrastructure that powers document-driven experiences across all of Xero. Our mission is to provide secure, high-performance, and scalable access to document metadata and storage through our Documents API (DAS) and Management (DMS) services. We own the entire lifecycle—from the databases to the storage layers ensuring that internal teams and millions of customers can consistently manage documents at scale. Joining us means solving complex architectural challenges while ensuring the long-term reliability and security of Xero’s critical document ecosystem.
How you’ll make an impact
Build: Develop and maintain scalable backend microservices using C#, .NET, Docker, Kubernetes, and AWS, contributing to the reliability of Xero's document ecosystem.
Deliver: Implement new features and improvements to document ingestion, processing, and data extraction pipelines, ensuring high quality and test coverage.
Collaborate: Work closely with product managers, designers, and other engineers to deliver exceptional user experiences that simplify financial management for our customers.
Learn & Grow: Take ownership of well-scoped technical tasks, seek guidance from senior engineers, and continuously deepen your knowledge of distributed systems and cloud infrastructure.
Problem-Solve: Debug and resolve issues across Xero's technology stack, contributing to root-cause analysis and implementing durable fixes.
Improve: Participate in code reviews, apply best practices in DevOps and CI/CD, and contribute to a culture of engineering excellence.
Document: Write and maintain clear technical documentation, including architecture notes and data flow diagrams, to support team knowledge sharing.
What you’ll bring
3+ years of experience in building, delivering and maintaining highly scalable production systems using a diverse range of tools and technologies across the full stack of our products.
Hands-on experience across a range of languages and tools. Proficiency in C#, .NET, Docker, Kubernetes, New Relic and AWS.
Able to diagnose and resolve complex issues across the legacy applications/technologies to unblock the team.
Create and update technical documentation for existing and new systems, including architecture diagrams, data flows to improve maintainability and knowledge sharing.
Able to take ownership of and drive high impacting / medium scale initiatives within the team.
Ability to refactor complex, monolithic systems into scalable, resilient components.
Proficient with DevOps and CI/CD concepts and tooling.
Strong advocate of the testing pyramid and automated tooling to safely and frequently release code.
Ability to review and coordinate team processes to improve quality and strengthen feedback loops.

Redirects to Xero's application page.
Other roles
More at Xero.
Lead Engineer
Lead
Engineer
Mid
Lead Engineer
Lead
Staff / Lead Engineer - Payments Platform
Lead
Senior Engineer - AI Workflows
Senior