Senior Developer (Domain Focus: DevOps)

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 with a focus on DevOps, your main focus lies in developing and executing strategy for advanced automation, CI/CD tools, and delivery and release management. This will include backend development at times, or supporting a backend team to optimise the development. You will also design, implement, maintain and scale infrastructure to improve operational efficiency, and design and script procedures for system troubleshooting, maintenance, quality analysis, and monitoring operations. 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 QualificationsWhat is not required for this roleEvery skill set listed. If you find the work and team interesting, we encourage you to apply!

EducationNice-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 & KnowledgeMinimum 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 DevOps Domain FocusExceptional level of fluency in scripting tools/languages (Bash/Python/etc).Familiarity with microservices architecture, including: design, implementation, monitoring, and maintenance. Familiarity with the software release management cycle.Exceptional level of fluency with building secure and maintainable container images.Exceptional level of fluency running containers, including with Docker Compose or similar.Experience designing, building, and maintaining CI/CD pipeline/workflows, preferably with one or more of: Github Actions, CircleCI, Argo Workflows, Travis.Experience in infrastructure, such as: design, build, and maintenance to support high-performance, scalable, and fault-tolerant applications.Experience working with Cloud Providers, preferably with one or more of: AWS, GCP, Azure, OCI.Experience in Infrastructure as Code (IaC), preferably with one or more of: AWS CloudFormation, AWS CDK, Terraform.Nice-to-have:Experience working with a container orchestrator, preferably Kubernetes. However, experience with Docker Compose, Docker Swarm will be an asset.Experience with Observability topics such as: unified logging, metrics, tracing, alerting.Experience with security and compliance, and working with security teams to establish and maintain best practices for infrastructure security.

Some other detailsCompensation$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.

We value the uniqueness and authenticity of each candidate and spend the time to review applications without the assistance of AI. In the same spirit we request that candidates communicate authentically and without the use of AI. We want to hear from you, not ChatGPT.

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

• AWS
• DevOps
• Linux
• Kubernetes
• Microservices