lululemon Staff Engineer - Retail Engineering (JAVA)

lululemon; Vancouver; Hybrid; CAD 148,000 - 195,000; Full time

Job summary

A leading innovative performance apparel company in the Vancouver area is seeking a Staff Engineer to lead development in the Customer Experience & Technology Enablement team. The ideal candidate will have over 10 years of software development experience, with a focus on Java and AWS. Responsibilities include designing platforms, mentoring engineers, and ensuring platform reliability. This hybrid role emphasizes collaboration, requiring in-person work at least 4 days a week. A competitive compensation package, including health benefits and personal growth opportunities, is offered.

Benefits

Extended health and dental benefits

Paid time off

Savings and retirement plan matching

Generous employee discount

Fitness & yoga classes

Qualifications

• 10+ years of experience in software development/engineering.
• 8+ years hands-on Java experience with Spring Boot.
• Advanced proficiency in AWS and DevOps practices.

Responsibilities

• Lead design and roadmap of Java-based platforms.
• Maintain Java engineering best practices and mentor engineers.
• Oversee high-quality platform delivery and security.

Skills

Java (Spring Boot)

AWS services (EC2, ECS/EKS, Lambda)

AI/ML technologies

CI/CD practices

Database management (RDS PostgreSQL, MySQL)

Tools

Maven/Gradle

JUnit/TestNG

Apache Kafka

Job description

Description & Requirements

The following is a brief overview of the role, responsibilities, and required experience for the Staff Engineer position in the Customer Experience & Technology Enablement team.

who we are

lululemon is an innovative performance apparel company for yoga, running, training, and other athletic pursuits. Setting the bar in technical fabrics and functional design, we create transformational products and experiences that support people in moving, growing, connecting, and being well. We owe our success to our innovative product, emphasis on stores, commitment to our people, and the incredible connections we make in every community we're in.

As a company, we focus on creating positive change to build a healthier, thriving future. In particular, that includes creating an equitable, inclusive and growth-focused environment for our people.

about this team

The Guest and Educator Technology Enablement team is a large cross-functional, global group delivering programs across retail, guest support, B2B, and operations. The team is passionate about delivering robust, resilient, cloud-focused, real-time, secure solutions to support our business capabilities.

core responsibilities

As a Staff Engineer, you will be counted on as a leader in your technology space as you contribute to all areas of development and operations. You will contribute heavily to our Engineering Principles by maintaining the practical "how we do it," documentation, and by partnering with Senior Leadership and Principal Engineers to lead a Community of Practice aimed at increasing engineer training and development for your technology stack. Staff engineers work to elevate the engineering community by designing/introducing tools and systems that accelerate and support engineering best practices. The Staff Engineer role allocates 25% to leadership, 25% to strategy, 30% to delivery, and 20% to research, development, and innovation, emphasizing AI-driven efficiencies and platform evolution.

• Lead the design and roadmap of Java-based platforms, integrating AI-driven tools to enhance scalability and performance for cross-domain engineering teams.
• Collaborate with architects and executives to define engineering vision and strategic roadmaps, incorporating modern technology for innovation and efficiency.
• Maintain Java engineering best practices, lead a Community of Practice to promote platform and AI adoption, and mentor engineers through hands‑on guidance.
• Champion engineering efficiencies, such as automated code optimization and intelligent monitoring, to enhance platform reliability and cost‑effectiveness.
• Oversee high‑quality platform delivery, ensuring security, reliability, and adherence to SLOs.
• Research emerging Java, AWS, and AI technologies to evolve platforms and align with long‑term organizational goals.
• Represent engineering in strategic forums, advocating for scalable, sustainable, secure, and efficient modern solutions.

qualifications

• 10+ years of experience in software development/engineering.
• 8+ years of hands‑on Java (Spring Boot) experience, with expertise in designing scalable platforms using the Spring Framework and building RESTful APIs and microservices in AWS.
• Advanced proficiency in AWS services (EC2, ECS/EKS, Lambda, API Gateway, S3, Step Functions) and DevOps practices (CI/CD with AWS CodePipeline/CodeBuild, Terraform, CloudWatch, X‑Ray) for Java platforms.
• Experience integrating AI/ML technologies (e.g., AWS SageMaker, Comprehend, Forecast, or TensorFlow/PyTorch) and optimizing Java applications with AI‑driven data processing and monitoring.
• Strong skills in Java build tools (Maven/Gradle), testing frameworks (JUnit/TestNG), and database management (RDS PostgreSQL/MySQL, DynamoDB), and event‑driven architectures (Apache Kafka).
• Proven leadership in Java platform initiatives, defining SLOs, surfacing metrics, and collaborating with architecture, security, and operations teams, with excellent documentation and Community of Practice leadership skills.

must haves

• Acknowledge the presence of choice in every moment and take personal responsibility for your life.
• Possess an entrepreneurial spirit and continuously innovate to achieve great results.
• Communicate with honesty and kindness and create the space for others to do the same.
• Lead with courage, knowing the possibility of greatness is bigger than the fear of failure.
• Foster connection by putting people first and building trusting relationships.
• Integrate fun and joy as a way of being and working, aka doesn't take yourself too seriously.

additional notes

Authorization to work in Canada is required for this role.

compensation and benefits package

lululemon's compensation offerings are grounded in a pay‑for‑performance philosophy that recognizes exceptional individual and team performance. The typical hiring range for this position is from $148,000 - $194,300 annually; the base pay offered is based on market location and may vary depending on job‑related knowledge, skills, experience, and internal equity. As part of our total rewards offering, permanent employees in this position may be eligible for our competitive annual bonus program and, subject to program eligibility requirements.

At lululemon, investing in our people is a top priority. We believe that when life works, work works. We strive to be the place where inclusive leaders come to develop and enable all to be well. Recognizing our teams for their performance and dedication, other components of our total rewards offerings include support of career development, wellbeing, and personal growth:

• Extended health and dental benefits, and mental health plans
• Paid time off
• Savings and retirement plan matching
• Generous employee discount
• Fitness & yoga classes
• Parenthood top‑up
• Extensive catalog of development course offerings
• People networks, mentorship programs, and leadership series (to name a few)

Note: The incentive programs, benefits, and perks have certain eligibility requirements. The Company reserves the right to alter these incentive programs, benefits, and perks in whole or in part at any time without advance notice.

workplace arrangement

Hybrid. In‑person collaboration and connection is important to our culture. Work is performed onsite, minimum 4 days per week.

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