Backend Staff Developer

Poka EN; Montreal; Hybrid; CAD 80,000 - 110,000; Full time

Job summary

A leading technology company in Montreal seeks a Staff Backend Developer to design and evolve backend services. You will guide the architecture, lead R&D, and integrate AI into products. Ideal candidates have 7+ years of software development experience with strong skills in distributed systems, Python, and effective communication in both French and English. The role offers a dynamic work environment, flexibility, and a robust benefits package.

Benefits

Generous vacation policy

Hybrid work model

Group insurance with employer contributions

Retirement savings plan

Home office allowance

Snacks available at all times

Qualifications

• 7+ years of experience in software development.
• Experience with complex backend projects.
• Understanding of distributed systems and databases.

Responsibilities

• Design and maintain complex backend services.
• Lead R&D initiatives and prototype solutions.
• Mentor intermediate and junior developers.

Skills

Software development experience

Distributed architectures

Communication skills (French and English)

AI integration knowledge

Python proficiency

Education

Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science or equivalent

Tools

AWS Cloud

Job description

At Poka, we’re transforming how frontline teams operate, learn, and solve problems.

Our connected worker platform is purpose-built for manufacturing, empowering frontline workers to share knowledge, collaborate in real-time, and drive continuous improvement. Think of it as the missing digital link, bringing the human interface into the stack of the Smart Factory, generating the right data and insights that drive entirely new scales of process improvements.

We’re proud to support global leaders like Nestlé, Bosch, Mars, and Danone in their digital transformation journeys and as part of the IFS family, our reach and impact continue to grow globally.

As a Staff Backend Developer at Poka, you will hold a strategic role within our organization. You’ll be responsible for influencing our overall architecture, solving complex technical challenges, and supporting teams in making decisions that shape the evolution of our SaaS product.

You’ll join a multidisciplinary team working with modern technologies and advanced engineering practices. In an environment where continuous learning, innovation, and constant improvement are valued, your ability to anticipate needs, identify risks, and propose robust solutions will have a direct impact on our growth.

If you’re looking for a place where your influence goes beyond writing code, where you can meaningfully shape the product, the stack, and the teams, we’d love to meet you.

What you’ll accomplish

Technical Leadership & Architecture

• Design, maintain, and evolve complex backend services and subsystems.
• Influence and guide the overall architecture by writing technical documents (RFCs, ADRs) and actively participating in architecture reviews.
• Lead R&D initiatives and quickly prototype solutions to validate feasibility and value.
• Define and reinforce engineering standards related to quality, testing, observability, performance, and security.
• Identify and drive technical debt initiatives with organization-wide impact.
• Stay on top of emerging technologies and propose actionable improvements.
• Work closely with Product Managers during ideation phases to assess feasibility, risks, complexity, and ROI.
• Support multiple product teams in executing large-scale technical projects.
• Act as a coach/mentor for intermediate and junior developers, helping them grow their skills and improve their practices.
• Develop a deep understanding of our product to identify meaningful opportunities to integrate AI.
• Contribute to the integration of AI-powered features into the product.

What we’re looking for

Essential skills

• Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science or equivalent experience.
• 7+ years of software development experience, including several working with distributed architectures.
• Proven experience orchestrating the delivery of complex or high‑criticality backend projects.
• Strong understanding of distributed systems, architectural patterns, networking, and databases.
• Excellent communication and knowledge‑sharing skills (French and English).
• Strong interest in the business/product side of technology projects.
• Knowledge of AI integration approaches in cloud environments.
• Proficiency in Python development.

Nice to have

• Experience in large‑scale SaaS or microservices environments.
• Knowledge of the AWS cloud ecosystem.
• Familiarity with LLM concepts: tokens, inference, prompt engineering.
• Experience in a startup or scale‑up.
• Understanding of DevOps philosophy and automation.

What we offer

• Dynamic and collaborative work environment.
• A generous vacation policy starting on your first day.
• Hybrid work policy - Work from the office one day a week if you live within a 40km radius to our Quebec City office or a 15 km radius to our Montreal office.
• 100% remote work if you do not live within the radiuses mentioned above.
• A truly flexible schedule that allows you to adapt your work hours.
• Group insurance from day one (dental, medication, disability, travel, etc.) with employer contributions, including access to telemedicine and an Employee Assistance Program (EAP).
• A retirement savings plan with employer contributions.
• A MacBook Pro and a $500 home office allowance upon hiring.
• Tasty snacks available at all times in our offices (fresh fruits, snacks, pastries, coffee, tea, etc.)
• The tools, support, and opportunities you need to keep learning and progressing in your career.

*Certain benefits are exclusively accessible to employees in Canada.

Want to learn more about our culture? Click HERE.

At Poka, we are committed to equity, diversity, and inclusion in our hiring. You may choose to share your gender identity below to help us track and improve our hiring practices. This information is entirely optional, will be accessed only by authorized HR personnel, and will be used solely for anonymized, aggregate statistical reporting to ensure equitable hiring. Your choice will remain confidential and will not affect your application in any way. You may withdraw your consent at any time by contacting [e-mail].