Lead Engineer

Xero2 days ago

Location

CAN: Toronto (111 Richmond Street West)

Type

Full Time

Salary

CAD 186,000 – 236,000

Level

Lead

Role

Lead Engineer

Posted

Jun 27, 2026

Full TimeLead

The role

Summary

Lead Engineer at Xero is a senior full-time role based in Vancouver with a hybrid work model (1-2 days on-site). You'll architect and scale distributed systems, mentor engineering teams, and modernize monolithic platforms while working with C#, .NET, React, AWS, and Kubernetes. This position requires proven expertise in large-scale system design, modern engineering practices, and a passion for technical excellence to serve millions of global users.

What you'll do

Architect and Scale Distributed Systems: Design and implement high-availability, distributed systems that serve millions of global users. Lead technical decisions for refactoring monolithic architectures into scalable, maintainable microservices. Establish patterns and best practices for distributed system reliability, performance optimization, and fault tolerance across the platform.

Drive System Modernization Initiatives: Lead the modernization of legacy systems through strategic refactoring and architectural improvements. Evaluate and recommend technologies for system decomposition. Champion the migration from monolithic components to scalable, cloud-native architectures that support long-term business growth.

Mentor and Coach Engineering Teams: Act as a technical leader and role model, coaching engineers through complex technical challenges and architectural decisions. Foster a culture of continuous learning through code reviews, knowledge-sharing sessions, and hands-on mentorship. Support engineer growth and development through constructive feedback and professional development guidance.

Enhance Developer Experience and Engineering Practices: Drive maturation of CI/CD pipelines, automated testing frameworks, and test-driven development practices. Improve build systems, deployment automation, and development tooling to increase team productivity. Establish technical standards for code quality, testing coverage, and engineering excellence across the organization.

Lead Technical Design and Solution Architecture: Make major code design decisions and contribute to enterprise-wide technical solutioning. Design scalable solutions that balance immediate delivery needs with long-term architectural goals. Collaborate with product and design teams to translate business requirements into robust technical implementations.

Maintain and Evolve Technology Stack: Oversee the diverse technology ecosystem including C#, .NET, React, AWS, and Kubernetes. Evaluate emerging technologies and assess their fit within the platform. Ensure technical consistency, documentation, and knowledge sharing across the engineering organization regarding technology choices and best practices.

Contribute to Engineering Standards and Best Practices: Help establish and evolve global engineering standards and technical frameworks. Participate in architectural reviews and technical decision-making processes. Document and communicate technical standards, architectural patterns, and engineering guidelines to ensure organizational alignment.

What we look for

Technical

Distributed Systems ArchitectureExtensive experience designing and operating large-scale, distributed systems in high-availability environments. Strong understanding of system design principles, scalability patterns, and strategies for handling millions of concurrent users across global infrastructure.

Backend Development in Multiple LanguagesProven experience building high-quality software across diverse programming languages and frameworks. Proficiency in modern backend technologies, with particular strength in C# and .NET ecosystems. Ability to quickly learn adjacent technologies and apply them effectively.

Cloud Infrastructure and Container OrchestrationDeep expertise with AWS cloud services, including compute, storage, networking, and managed services. Strong hands-on experience with Kubernetes for container orchestration, deployment automation, and cluster management in production environments.

Modern Software Engineering PracticesMastery of automated testing frameworks, test-driven development (TDD), refactoring techniques, and agile delivery methodologies. Experience implementing and mentoring others on continuous integration/continuous deployment (CI/CD) practices and development tooling optimization.

Frontend Development TechnologiesSolid understanding of modern frontend frameworks such as React. Ability to work across full-stack challenges and collaborate effectively with frontend teams on system integration and performance optimization.

System Performance and ReliabilityExpertise in optimizing system performance, managing technical debt, and implementing reliability engineering practices. Experience with monitoring, observability, logging, and debugging large-scale production systems.

Education

Bachelor's Degree or EquivalentBachelor's degree in Computer Science, Software Engineering, or related technical field, or equivalent professional experience demonstrating strong fundamental computer science knowledge and software engineering principles.

Experience

Large-Scale System DeliveryMinimum 7+ years of software engineering experience with proven track record delivering and operating complex systems in production. Demonstrated success building and scaling systems that serve large user bases with high availability requirements.

Senior Technical LeadershipExperience leading technical initiatives, making architectural decisions, and influencing engineering culture within teams. Demonstrated ability to balance technical excellence with pragmatic delivery while maintaining code quality standards.

Mentorship and Team DevelopmentProven experience coaching and mentoring junior and mid-level engineers. Track record of fostering technical growth through code reviews, technical discussions, and supportive feedback mechanisms.

Cross-Functional CollaborationExperience working effectively with product managers, designers, and other stakeholders in agile team environments. Demonstrated ability to translate business requirements into technical solutions while communicating technical complexity to non-technical audiences.

Skills

Required skills

C# and .NET DevelopmentAdvanced proficiency in C# and the .NET ecosystem. Experience with modern .NET features, async/await patterns, dependency injection, and building scalable backend services.

Distributed Systems DesignDeep knowledge of distributed system concepts including consistency models, replication strategies, load balancing, and fault tolerance. Experience with eventual consistency, CAP theorem, and service decomposition.

AWS Cloud PlatformProduction experience with AWS services including EC2, RDS, S3, Lambda, ECS, and managed databases. Understanding of AWS networking, security, and cost optimization strategies.

Kubernetes and Container TechnologiesHands-on expertise with Kubernetes clusters, containerization with Docker, deployment strategies, and orchestration patterns. Experience with Helm, service meshes, or other Kubernetes ecosystem tools.

Test-Driven DevelopmentStrong proficiency in writing unit tests, integration tests, and end-to-end tests. Experience with testing frameworks and strategies for maintaining high test coverage in large codebases.

Code Refactoring and Technical Debt ManagementExpertise in identifying, prioritizing, and systematically addressing technical debt. Experience refactoring large monolithic systems and modernizing legacy codebases while maintaining system stability.

CI/CD Pipeline DevelopmentExperience designing and implementing continuous integration and continuous deployment pipelines. Knowledge of Git workflows, automated testing in CI/CD, and deployment automation tools.

Nice to have

React Frontend DevelopmentExperience building user interfaces with React, including component design, state management, and integration with backend APIs. Understanding of modern frontend patterns and performance optimization.

Microservices ArchitecturePractical experience designing and building microservices-based systems. Knowledge of service communication patterns, API design, and managing complexity in distributed architectures.

Cloud-Native DevelopmentExperience developing applications following cloud-native principles including containerization, serverless computing, and leveraging managed services for scalability and cost efficiency.

Observability and MonitoringFamiliarity with monitoring, logging, and distributed tracing tools for production systems. Experience implementing observability strategies and debugging production issues at scale.

API Design and REST/GraphQLStrong background in designing scalable, maintainable APIs. Experience with REST principles, versioning strategies, and potentially GraphQL for API development.

Database Architecture and OptimizationExperience with relational databases, NoSQL systems, caching strategies, and database performance optimization. Understanding of data modeling for scalability and consistency requirements.

Agile and Lean DevelopmentDemonstrated experience working in Agile environments with practices like sprint planning, retrospectives, and continuous delivery. Familiarity with Lean principles for optimizing team velocity.

Compensation & benefits

Salary

CAD 186,000 – 236,000 (annual)

Stock options

Available

Benefits

Equity and Performance Incentives

Participate in Xero's equity program with stock options and performance-based incentives aligned with company growth and individual contribution.

Comprehensive Health and Wellness Benefits

World-class health coverage including medical, dental, and vision insurance. Wellness programs supporting physical and mental health initiatives across the employee lifecycle.

Retirement Savings Program

Employer-matched retirement savings plans supporting long-term financial planning and security. Competitive contribution matching rates.

Professional Development

Investment in continuous learning through conference attendance, training programs, and skill development opportunities. Support for staying current with emerging technologies and industry trends.

Flexible Work Arrangement

Hybrid work model with 1-2 days on-site in Vancouver office per week. Remote work flexibility supporting work-life balance while enabling team collaboration during strategic 'boost days'.

Collaborative Work Environment

Access to modern office facilities in Vancouver with collaborative spaces designed for solving complex technical problems and fostering team culture and knowledge sharing.

Xero Perks Program

Comprehensive employee benefits program including wellness initiatives, professional development resources, and various lifestyle perks supporting employee wellbeing and satisfaction.

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