Scale Engineer

Senior Engineer

Senior · Full Time

CAN: VAN (333 Seymour St)CAD 155k – 205k1mo ago
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Role

What you'll do.

Senior Engineer at Xero is a strategic technical leadership role focused on architecting and refactoring distributed systems at scale while mentoring engineers across a modern tech stack. This position offers the opportunity to influence engineering standards, design high-availability solutions for millions of global users, and drive modernization initiatives including monolithic system decomposition and CI/CD maturation within a collaborative, agile environment.

Responsibilities

  • Distributed Systems Architecture: Design and refactor complex monolithic systems into scalable, distributed architectures that serve millions of global users. Lead architectural decisions for high-availability and fault-tolerant environments, ensuring platform reliability and performance at scale.
  • Code Design Leadership: Make major code design decisions and establish technical standards across the engineering organization. Contribute to global engineering frameworks and standards, setting the bar for technical excellence and code quality across teams.
  • Technical Mentorship: Coach and mentor junior and mid-level engineers through complex technical challenges, fostering a culture of continuous learning and technical mastery. Conduct code reviews, lead knowledge-sharing sessions, and act as a role model for engineering best practices.
  • CI/CD and Developer Experience: Enhance developer experience through maturation of continuous integration and continuous deployment practices. Improve tooling, testing infrastructure, and delivery pipelines to accelerate development velocity while maintaining code quality.
  • Technical Solution Design: Develop and implement technical solution designs aligned with long-term engineering frameworks and business objectives. Participate in strategic technical planning and contribute to architectural decisions that impact the platform's future direction.
  • Engineering Practices Implementation: Drive adoption of modern engineering practices including test-driven development, automated testing, and agile delivery methodologies. Champion refactoring initiatives and technical debt reduction to improve system maintainability and reliability.
  • Cross-Functional Collaboration: Work collaboratively with engineers, product owners, and designers in an agile environment. Participate in delivery practices and contribute to meaningful technical solutions that align with product roadmaps and business outcomes.

Qualifications

What we look for.

Technical

  • Distributed Systems & High-Availability Architecture

    Proven experience designing, implementing, and operating complex, large-scale distributed systems in high-availability environments. Deep understanding of distributed computing principles, fault tolerance, scalability patterns, and system reliability.

  • Full-Stack Development Proficiency

    Strong experience delivering production-quality software across multiple programming languages, frameworks, and technology stacks. Demonstrated ability to rapidly ramp up and contribute effectively with adjacent technologies.

  • Modern Engineering Practices

    Hands-on expertise with automated testing, test-driven development (TDD), continuous integration/continuous deployment (CI/CD), and agile delivery methodologies. Experience refactoring legacy systems and improving engineering workflows.

  • System Design & Architecture

    Ability to lead technical solution design processes and make major architectural decisions. Experience designing high-quality, maintainable software systems that balance immediate business needs with long-term engineering excellence.

  • Cloud & Container Technologies

    Practical experience with cloud platforms (AWS) and container orchestration (Kubernetes). Understanding of microservices architecture, infrastructure as code, and modern deployment strategies.

  • Code Quality & Best Practices

    Strong commitment to technical excellence, code quality standards, and refactoring practices. Experience with code review processes, establishing technical standards, and maintaining clean architecture principles.

Education

  • Bachelor's Degree or Equivalent

    Computer Science, Software Engineering, or related technical field, or equivalent professional experience demonstrating mastery of fundamental computer science principles and software development practices.

Experience

  • Senior-Level Software Engineering Experience

    Minimum 5-7+ years of professional software development experience with proven track record of delivering complex, production-grade systems. Demonstrated progression into senior technical roles with scope and impact.

  • Large-Scale Systems Delivery

    Substantial experience building and operating systems at scale, serving millions of users or handling significant transaction volumes. Exposure to the complexities of distributed systems, performance optimization, and reliability engineering.

  • Technical Leadership & Mentorship

    Demonstrated ability to mentor and coach other engineers, guide technical decisions, and influence engineering practices within teams. Experience contributing to technical strategy and architectural evolution.

  • Monolithic to Distributed Migration

    Experience refactoring or migrating legacy monolithic systems into modern, distributed architectures. Understanding of the trade-offs, challenges, and best practices involved in system modernization.

Skills

Required

  • C#/.NET

    Strong proficiency in C# and the .NET framework for backend system development, microservices architecture, and enterprise-scale application development.

  • AWS (Amazon Web Services)

    Hands-on expertise with AWS services including compute, storage, databases, networking, and monitoring. Experience designing cloud-native architectures and infrastructure automation.

  • Kubernetes

    Production experience with Kubernetes for container orchestration, including deployment, scaling, networking, and operational management of containerized applications.

  • React

    Proficiency in React for building modern, scalable frontend applications. Understanding of component architecture, state management, and integration with backend services.

  • Distributed Systems Design

    Deep knowledge of distributed computing concepts including consistency models, fault tolerance, data replication, and eventual consistency patterns. Ability to design systems that operate reliably at scale.

  • Test-Driven Development (TDD)

    Expertise in test-driven development practices, writing comprehensive unit and integration tests, and maintaining high code coverage. Experience with automated testing frameworks and strategies.

  • CI/CD Pipeline Development

    Hands-on experience building and maintaining continuous integration and deployment pipelines using tools like Jenkins, GitLab CI, GitHub Actions, or similar platforms for automated testing and deployment.

  • Agile Development Methodologies

    Practical experience working within agile teams using Scrum or Kanban frameworks, sprint planning, daily standups, and iterative delivery practices.

Preferred

  • Monolithic System Refactoring

    Nice to have

    Experience decomposing monolithic applications into microservices or distributed components, including strategies for gradual migration, service boundaries, and maintaining backward compatibility.

  • Performance Optimization

    Nice to have

    Experience profiling, analyzing, and optimizing system performance at scale. Knowledge of caching strategies, database optimization, and distributed tracing tools.

  • Database Architecture

    Nice to have

    Understanding of both relational and NoSQL databases, database design patterns, sharding, replication, and optimization techniques for large-scale applications.

  • System Reliability Engineering (SRE)

    Nice to have

    Familiarity with SRE principles, including incident management, observability, monitoring, alerting, and maintaining service level objectives (SLOs).

  • Infrastructure as Code

    Nice to have

    Experience with tools like Terraform, CloudFormation, or Helm for automating infrastructure provisioning and configuration management in cloud environments.

  • Message Queuing & Event Streaming

    Nice to have

    Experience with asynchronous communication patterns using message queues (RabbitMQ, SQS) or event streaming platforms (Kafka) for decoupling system components.

  • Technical Documentation & Knowledge Sharing

    Nice to have

    Experience creating comprehensive technical documentation, architecture decision records (ADRs), and leading technical discussions to foster organizational learning.

  • Accounting Domain Knowledge

    Nice to have

    Familiarity with accounting software, financial systems, compliance requirements, or fintech industry experience. Understanding of accounting principles and regulatory considerations is beneficial.

Tech stack

Languages

C#JavaScript/TypeScriptSQL

Frameworks

.NET CoreReactASP.NET

Databases

Relational Databases (SQL Server/PostgreSQL)Cloud-Native Databases

Tools

AWSKubernetesDockerGitCI/CD Tools (Jenkins/GitHub Actions/GitLab CI)

Other

Agile Methodologies & ScrumMicroservices ArchitectureSystem Design & ScalabilityObservability & Monitoring

Compensation

Pay and benefits.

Base·CAD 155,000 – 205,000

Equity·Stock options

Process

Interview steps.

  1. 01

    Initial Screening & Application Review

    Xero's recruiting team reviews your application, resume, and portfolio to assess alignment with senior engineering requirements, technical background, and relevant experience with distributed systems and leadership.

  2. 02

    Technical Screening Interview

    Conversation with an engineering leader or technical hiring manager covering your experience with large-scale systems, architectural decisions, technology choices, and approach to technical challenges. Discussion of your mentorship philosophy and code quality standards.

  3. 03

    System Design Interview

    Deep-dive technical interview focused on your ability to architect scalable, distributed systems. You'll be asked to design solutions for handling scale, reliability, and performance while explaining trade-offs and decision-making process.

  4. 04

    Technical Problem-Solving Session

    Hands-on coding exercise or technical challenge demonstrating proficiency with core technologies (C#/.NET, distributed systems concepts). Assessment of code quality, testing approach, and ability to communicate technical reasoning.

  5. 05

    Team & Culture Fit Interview

    Meeting with team members, engineering manager, or director to assess collaboration style, mentorship approach, communication skills, and alignment with Xero's engineering culture and values.

  6. 06

    Leadership & Mentorship Discussion

    Conversation focusing on your experience mentoring engineers, contributing to technical standards, and influencing team practices. Discussion of your approach to technical decision-making and knowledge sharing.

  7. 07

    Executive or Final Round Interview

    Potential final discussion with senior engineering leadership covering strategic technical vision, long-term career goals, and how you'll contribute to Xero's platform evolution and engineering excellence.

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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