Scale Engineer

Senior Engineer

Senior · Full Time

CAN: Vancouver (333 Seymour St)CAD 155k – 205k5d ago
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Role

What you'll do.

Senior Engineer at Xero focuses on designing and operating large-scale distributed systems while mentoring team members and contributing to global engineering standards. You'll lead architectural decisions on modernizing monolithic systems into scalable services, enhance developer experience through CI/CD and testing practices, and work with a diverse tech stack including C#, .NET, React, AWS, and Kubernetes across a collaborative, agile team in Vancouver.

Responsibilities

  • Architect and Lead Distributed Systems Design: Lead major code design decisions and contribute to wider technical solutioning for large-scale, distributed systems. Design and implement scalable architectures that replace monolithic components, ensuring high-availability environments remain robust for millions of global users.
  • Drive Platform Modernization Initiatives: Spearhead refactoring of complex monolithic systems into distributed, microservices-based architectures. Evaluate technical trade-offs, implement scalable solutions, and establish architectural patterns that improve system resilience and operational efficiency.
  • Mentor and Coach Engineering Teams: Act as a technical role model and mentor other engineers through complex technical challenges. Provide supportive coaching to help peers grow their technical skills, facilitate knowledge-sharing sessions, and maintain high standards for technical craft across the organization.
  • Enhance Developer Experience and Engineering Practices: Mature CI/CD pipelines, tooling infrastructure, and Test-Driven Development (TDD) practices. Implement automated testing frameworks, establish refactoring guidelines, and drive adoption of modern agile delivery practices to improve engineering velocity and code quality.
  • Build and Maintain Diverse Technology Stack: Develop and operate solutions across multiple technologies including C#, .NET, React, AWS cloud services, and Kubernetes orchestration. Make technology decisions that balance performance, scalability, and team capability while maintaining flexibility for emerging technologies.
  • Contribute to Global Engineering Standards: Participate in code reviews and architectural discussions to establish and enforce engineering standards across teams. Share technical knowledge through documentation, best practices, and cross-team collaboration to build institutional knowledge and consistency.
  • Drive Operational Excellence: Ensure platform reliability and performance at scale by implementing monitoring, observability, and incident response practices. Collaborate with product owners and designers in agile delivery practices to ship meaningful, high-quality code consistently.

Qualifications

What we look for.

Technical

  • Distributed Systems Architecture

    Proven experience designing, building, and operating large-scale distributed systems in high-availability environments. Strong fundamentals in system design patterns, scalability principles, and architectural trade-offs required.

  • Modern Backend Development

    Strong expertise in backend development using C# and .NET framework. Experience building production-grade services with focus on performance, reliability, and maintainability.

  • Cloud Infrastructure and Containerization

    Hands-on experience with AWS cloud services and Kubernetes for container orchestration. Ability to design cloud-native architectures that are scalable, cost-efficient, and maintainable.

  • Modern Engineering Practices

    Deep experience with automated testing frameworks, Test-Driven Development (TDD), continuous integration/continuous deployment (CI/CD), and agile delivery methodologies. Proficiency in code review practices and refactoring techniques.

  • Full-Stack Visibility

    Comfortable working across multiple layers of the technology stack including React for frontend components. Ability to make informed architectural decisions with understanding of end-to-end system implications.

  • Rapid Technology Adoption

    Demonstrated ability to quickly ramp across adjacent technologies and new tools. Strong problem-solving fundamentals that enable quick competency building in unfamiliar technology domains.

Education

  • Computer Science or Engineering Foundation

    Bachelor's degree in Computer Science, Software Engineering, or equivalent professional experience demonstrating strong computer science fundamentals and architectural understanding.

Experience

  • Large-Scale System Operations

    Minimum 5+ years of professional software engineering experience, with significant time designing, building, and operating complex systems at scale. Experience managing systems serving millions of users or handling massive data volumes.

  • Leadership and Mentorship

    Demonstrated experience leading technical teams or mentoring engineers through complex challenges. Proven track record of helping peers grow their technical skills and establishing best practices within teams.

  • System Refactoring and Modernization

    Experience with large-scale refactoring projects, modernizing legacy monolithic systems, or driving architectural evolution. Understanding of technical debt management and strategic system improvements.

  • Cross-Functional Collaboration

    Track record of working effectively within collaborative teams including product, design, and other engineering disciplines. Experience in agile environments with iterative delivery and continuous stakeholder engagement.

Skills

Required

  • C# Backend Development

    Strong proficiency in C# and .NET ecosystem for building scalable backend services with focus on performance optimization and code quality.

  • Distributed Systems Design

    Deep understanding of distributed system architecture patterns, eventual consistency, consensus algorithms, and fault tolerance in production environments.

  • AWS Cloud Platform

    Hands-on experience with AWS services including compute, storage, networking, and database solutions for building cloud-native applications at scale.

  • Kubernetes Orchestration

    Practical experience deploying, managing, and scaling containerized applications using Kubernetes in production environments.

  • Test-Driven Development (TDD)

    Expertise in writing comprehensive unit and integration tests, establishing testing strategies, and implementing CI/CD pipelines for automated quality assurance.

  • System Architecture and Design

    Ability to lead architectural discussions, make data-driven design decisions, and communicate complex technical concepts to both technical and non-technical stakeholders.

  • Code Review and Technical Mentorship

    Strong communication skills for providing constructive feedback, mentoring junior engineers, and fostering a culture of technical excellence and continuous learning.

  • Agile Software Development

    Experience working in agile teams with sprint cycles, backlog management, and iterative delivery practices aligned with modern software development methodologies.

Preferred

  • React Frontend Development

    Nice to have

    Experience with React framework for building scalable frontend components, providing end-to-end system perspective and improving backend-frontend collaboration.

  • Database Design and Optimization

    Nice to have

    Experience with relational and NoSQL databases, query optimization, data modeling, and understanding of database performance implications in distributed systems.

  • Microservices Architecture

    Nice to have

    Previous experience breaking down monolithic systems into microservices, handling service boundaries, inter-service communication, and distributed data management.

  • Infrastructure as Code (IaC)

    Nice to have

    Experience with tools like CloudFormation, Terraform, or AWS CDK for defining and managing cloud infrastructure programmatically.

  • Observability and Monitoring

    Nice to have

    Familiarity with distributed tracing, logging aggregation, metrics collection, and monitoring systems like Datadog, New Relic, or Prometheus for production systems.

  • Accounting or FinTech Domain Knowledge

    Nice to have

    Understanding of accounting principles, financial software requirements, or experience building in FinTech environments, providing domain context for Xero's platform.

  • Open Source Contributions

    Nice to have

    Active participation in open source projects demonstrating software engineering rigor, community engagement, and commitment to industry best practices.

Tech stack

Languages

C#JavaScript/TypeScriptSQL

Frameworks

.NET FrameworkReact

Databases

Relational DatabasesCloud-Native Data Solutions

Tools

AWS (Amazon Web Services)KubernetesDockerCI/CD Pipeline Tools

Other

Distributed System PatternsObservability and MonitoringInfrastructure as CodeAgile Delivery Practices

Compensation

Pay and benefits.

Base·CAD 155,000 – 205,000

Equity·Stock options

Benefits

  • Equity and Performance Incentives

    Participate in Xero's equity program and receive performance-based variable pay. Opportunity to benefit from company growth and align personal success with organizational objectives.

  • Comprehensive Health and Wellness Benefits

    World-class health insurance, dental coverage, vision care, and wellness programs. Includes mental health support, fitness benefits, and proactive health initiatives.

  • Retirement and Financial Planning

    Competitive retirement benefits including RRSP matching and retirement planning support. Access to financial wellness resources and professional advice.

  • Professional Development and Learning

    Investment in continuous learning through conference attendance, online courses, training budgets, and internal knowledge-sharing sessions. Opportunity to grow technical expertise and leadership skills.

  • Flexible Work Arrangement

    Hybrid working model with 1-2 boost days per week in Vancouver office for collaboration and complex problem-solving. Flexibility to work remotely while maintaining team connection.

  • Work-Life Balance and Time Off

    Generous paid time off, flexible scheduling, and support for maintaining healthy work-life balance. Parental leave and sabbatical programs available.

  • Xero Perks and Employee Programs

    Access to comprehensive employee perks platform including discounts, wellness initiatives, team events, and cultural celebration programs.

Process

Interview steps.

  1. 01

    Initial Application and Resume Review

    Submit your resume and application through Ashby. Hiring team reviews your background, experience with distributed systems, and demonstrated technical leadership for alignment with senior role expectations.

  2. 02

    Screening Call with Recruiter

    15-20 minute conversation with talent acquisition specialist to discuss your background, career goals, compensation expectations, and interest in Xero's engineering culture. Opportunity to learn about the team and role context.

  3. 03

    Technical Architecture Interview

    Deep-dive technical discussion with senior engineer covering system design, architectural decision-making, and experience with distributed systems. Expect questions about scaling challenges, technology trade-offs, and problem-solving approaches in complex environments.

  4. 04

    Code Design and Implementation Discussion

    Collaborative technical discussion with engineering team members. May include code review simulation, design of a system component, or discussion of your approach to refactoring and modernization challenges similar to current projects.

  5. 05

    Leadership and Mentorship Interview

    Conversation with team lead or engineering manager focusing on mentorship experience, team collaboration, conflict resolution, and how you drive technical excellence. Discuss your approach to coaching others and contributing to engineering culture.

  6. 06

    Cross-Functional Collaboration Interview

    Meet with product manager or designer to discuss cross-functional collaboration experience, how you balance technical excellence with business goals, and your approach to working in agile teams.

  7. 07

    Final Round with Engineering Leadership

    Discussion with senior engineering leadership about career aspirations, long-term technical goals, and fit within Xero's global engineering organization. Opportunity to discuss growth opportunities and architectural vision.

Full posting

Original listing.

The role / impact

You will focus on solving engineering problems at scale, moving beyond feature delivery to influence the architecture and implementation of distributed systems. By refactoring complex, monolithic systems and building high-quality, scalable software, your work ensures our platform remains robust and reliable for millions of global users.

As a senior member of the team, you will have the autonomy to make major code design decisions and contribute to global engineering standards. You will balance technical excellence with mentorship, acting as a role model and coaching others through complex technical challenges to help them grow.


The team / how they connect

You will join a collaborative environment where engineers, product owners, and designers work together using agile and delivery practices to ship meaningful code. The team prioritizes continuous learning and mastery, frequently participating in code reviews and knowledge-sharing sessions to maintain a high bar for technical craft.


The team is currently working on / Initially, you will focus on

  • Modernizing systems by refactoring monolithic components into distributed, scalable architectures.

  • Enhancing the developer experience through the maturation of CI/CD concepts, tooling, and TDD practices.

  • Building and maintaining a diverse tech stack that includes C#,.Net, React, AWS, and Kubernetes.

  • Developing and implementing technical solution designs that align with long-term engineering frameworks.

 

Where and how you can work

This role is based in our Vancouver office, where we embrace a hybrid working model. You will have the flexibility to work from home while joining the team in the office for "boost days" (1-2 days a week) to collaborate, socialize, and solve complex problems in person.

 

Here are some of the things we are looking for

  • Proven experience delivering and operating complex, large-scale systems (distributed/high-availability environments), with strong fundamentals and the ability to ramp quickly across adjacent technologies (we’re tech-stack agnostic).

  • You bring a growth mindset and a passion for proactively maintaining and sharing technical knowledge with your peers.

  • A background in designing and building high-quality software within a range of languages and tools is essential.

  • You possess the ability to lead major code design decisions and contribute to wider technical solutioning.

  • Experience with modern engineering practices like automated testing, refactoring, and agile delivery is key to your success.

  • You enjoy mentoring other engineers and helping them grow their technical skills through supportive coaching.

  • A deep care for technical excellence and a drive to solve large-scale engineering challenges motivates your daily work.

Apply even if your experience isn't a perfect match! At Xero, we hire based on your skills, passion, and the unique perspective you can bring to enhance our culture and team. We are also tech stack agnostic, so please apply if you've worked with adjacent technologies.

 

Compensation Philosophy

At Xero, we value the impact and skills you bring to the team. We don’t just hire for a role; we invest in people. We believe in a Total Package philosophy - which means your value isn't just a single number on a paycheck. While base salary is a core component, we look at your compensation through a holistic lens that includes equity, performance incentives, and world-class benefits.

 

The base salary range for this role in Canada is $155,000 - $205,000 CAD.

 

Please note that this range represents base salary only. We believe in rewarding our people for their total contribution, which is why we look at compensation through a holistic lens. In addition to base pay, your total package may include:

  • Variable Pay: Eligibility commissions or equity based on role and performance.

  • Comprehensive Benefits: World-class health, wellness, and retirement programs.

  • Xero Perks: Inside Xero Explore our full suite of benefits, from wellbeing initiatives to professional development.


Individual pay is determined by various factors, including geography, level of experience, and the specific skills you bring to the role

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