Senior Developer (Domain Focus: Backend)

The SparkAt Sparkgeo, we aren't just another geospatial consultancy; we're the architects of a changing future. Powered by our talented and creative people, we're pioneering the next era of geospatial innovation. Supported by passion and grounded in agility, responsibility, and collaboration, we believe that geospatial isn't just a tool—it's a revolution that's reshaping industries. By blending the vast horizons of geospatial technology with acute product focus, we're helping businesses dodge the common pitfalls and truly harness the transformative capacity of geospatial solutions. In a world where geospatial is changing everything, Sparkgeo stands as a beacon of expertise, innovation, and dedicated partnership.

Originating in Prince George, British Columbia, Sparkgeo operates as a remote-first team, with our people located across Canada and the UK. We believe in creating spaces for our people to flourish within their work at Sparkgeo, so they can also flourish outside of work within their chosen communities.

The JobA Senior Developer at Sparkgeo is instrumental in the software development lifecycle, leveraging their deep expertise in software technologies and methodologies. In the planning phase, you collaborate with business teams and clients to define requirements and software solutions. During execution, you write software and ensure the delivery of finished products or services. You uphold clean code standards, handle testing, ticket tracking, and source control. Your comprehensive knowledge equips you for roles such as technical lead, architect, or system design planner.

As a Senior Developer focused on backend development you will design and implement critical tools and APIs, formalise conceptual nuance through data modelling, and contribute to best practice DevOps configurations. Backend developers are often required to implement complex and computation-heavy processes, which are often geospatial in nature. With a focus on scalability and good design principles you will capitalise on the benefits of concurrency and parallelism. You will be instrumental in converting requirements to workable designs, realising client goals, and fulfilling real-world user journeys with robust and thoroughly tested solutions. On occasion, as a member of the larger Technology team, you may be called to apply your skills in other development capacities beyond backend.

The TeamWorking at Sparkgeo means you will belong to both a functional team and a project team(s). Your functional team will be like your “home-base”. You’ll be grouped with individuals with similar technical backgrounds to challenge domain standards, trade tips and ideas, and create community. On the other hand, in your day-to-day you will be working closely with your project team(s) to tackle our clients’ biggest geospatial challenges.

The WorkDesign, develop, test, implement, maintain, and improve code in existing or novel complex applications or structuresCollaborate in cross-functional internal and client teams throughout discovery and planning stages to create proof-of-concept applications and define projects, including scope, feasibility, solutions, requirements, estimates, expectations etc. Identify and communicate project risks and mitigation strategies regularlyLiaise directly with clients and effectively communicate complex technical concepts, including technical progress, limitations, and solutionsDeliver and implement the high-value units of work within a project, including resolution of non-routine, complex problems Act as the project technical lead as required, including coordinating project activities, championing standards and alignment, and advising on technical aspectsDevelop and design new instances of existing architecture, code strategy, and major new features, in collaboration with stakeholders, with no regular need for supervisionCollaborate and communicate regularly with stakeholders on the status of work, requirements, expectations, and blockersEstimate time to complete designated project tasks in support of project manager and business development teamWrite documentation according to best practices and standardsPioneer best practices, processes, and latest trends and technologiesIdentify and build reusable architectures Coach junior colleagues formally and informally, such as through code reviews, pair programming, formal mentorship, and conversationPursue professional development opportunities when time and schedule permit

The Qualifications

What is not required for this role Every skill set listed. If you find the work and team interesting, we encourage you to apply!

Education Nice-to-have:Bachelor's degree in computer science, software engineering, or a related fieldTechnical school or coding bootcamp certificationAWS or other cloud certificationGIS related degree or certification

Experience & Knowledge Minimum of 3 years of software development experienceStrong development cycle experienceNice-to-have: Development experience in a professional services or consulting environmentUnderstanding of geospatial science and technology

Skills & AttributesExpert-level proficiency in multiple core and specialized programming languages and advanced computing conceptsDeep expertise within at least one programming environmentExpert-level proficiency in integrating complex systems, handling geospatial data in programming languages, and using a wide variety of geospatial libraries and toolsAbility to architect, design, and develop complex software systemsFully capable of taking substantial complex features from concept to shipping as the sole programmerAbility to optimize performance and solve complex programming challengesAbility to identify and apply the correct tools, framework, and techniques for solving unique problemsAbility to think logically and criticallyOpen-minded and creative approach to projects and collaborationAbility to work as the sole programmer and/or collaboratively in a team environment on large, significantly complex projectsAbility to deliver work completely autonomously without need for review from a senior or colleagueEfficient and comprehensive research skillsEffective and adaptive verbal and written communication, including ability to articulate technical decisions in their codeAbility to manage time and prioritize effectivelyCollaborative problem-solving and conflict resolution skills, both technical and interpersonalAbility to adapt approaches to tasks and situations in consideration of changing circumstancesGrowth and learning mindset

Specifics for Backend Domain FocusWorking knowledge of the HTTP protocolWorking knowledge of the concurrency model in at least one programming environmentExperience with at least one HTTP/REST API development frameworkKnowledge of the merits of relational and non-relational data stores, and working knowledge of at least one data store productKnowledge of common security concepts around authentication and authorizationExperience with at least one containerization technology, such as Docker, Rancher, or KubernetesNice-to-have: Working knowledge of Entity-Relation modelling conceptsExperience working in AWS environments

Some other details

Compensation$115,000 - $130,000 per annum base salary

Work-Life SupportsWork remotely and flexible schedulingVision, dental, EFAP, and extended health benefits for you and your dependentsGenerous PTO, including starting 4 weeks of vacation per year and increasing at 3rd anniversaryMatching RRSP as you build your futureYearly wellness & office allowance to support your lifestyle Buddy bucks to foster connection Professional development allotmentIn-person company meet-up (to settle the score on who really is the tallest)

Visa SponsorshipAvailable for exceptional candidates

More about SparkgeoVisit our Jobs page to learn more about who we are, and how we work.

Who and how we hireWe encourage all people, from all backgrounds and experiences to apply. You do not need to check every single one of these boxes. We hire anyone who is curious, willing to learn, and likes to work remotely and autonomously with a dispersed team.

Sparkgeo provides support in its recruitment processes to applicants with disabilities; including accommodation that takes into account an applicant’s accessibility needs. Should you need assistance, please contact People & Culture at people@sparkgeo.com. Applicants selected for an interview who require accommodation during the interview process are asked to advise accordingly upon the invitation for interview.

Key Skills

• Backend
• REST APIs
• Full Stack