Senior Backend Engineer - Cloud-Native, Real-Time Data

IBM; Ottawa; On-site; CAD 120,000 - 150,000; Full time

Job summary

IBM Confluent is building a cloud-native data platform and we’re seeking senior backend engineers to design and operate multi-tenant, real-time services at scale. You will own complex backend systems, drive architecture decisions, and collaborate across teams to deliver reliable, secure cloud solutions.

Join a culture of continuous improvement, mentor others, and help shape a platform that serves large enterprise customers with high availability requirements.

Qualifications

• 7+ years industry experience designing, building, and supporting backend systems in production.
• Strong knowledge of Python runtime environments (virtual environments, package management, and interpreter configurations).
• Strong programming and algorithmic skills. Proficiency in a major programming language, e.g. Python, Go, C / C++, Java, etc.
• Strong experience running services in a public cloud (AWS, GCP, or Azure), including containers and orchestration (Docker, Kubernetes) and modern cloud native technologies.
• Expertise in other Language Runtimes / VMs (JVM/WASM, etc.) a big plus
• A track record of technical leadership: driving projects, influencing architecture, and coordinating work across multiple engineers or teams.
• Strong communication and collaboration skills, with the ability to align stakeholders, explain complex ideas clearly, and drive decisions.
• BS, MS, or PhD in computer science or a related field, or equivalent work experience

Responsibilities

• Own and lead the design and implementation of complex backend services and systems in a cloud-native, microservices-based environment.
• Make architecture and technical decisions that balance reliability, scalability, performance, and operability, and clearly communicate the tradeoffs.
• Drive projects end to end: from requirements and design through implementation, rollout, and ongoing operation in production.
• Improve service reliability and operations by defining SLOs/SLAs, strengthening observability, and participating in on-call as needed.
• Collaborate across teams to define APIs, integration points, and data models that keep the platform coherent and evolvable.
• Identify and drive platform and productivity improvements (tooling, automation, process) that raise the bar for the broader engineering organization.
• Mentor and support other engineers through code reviews, design reviews, and technical guidance, helping grow the team’s capabilities.
• Contribute to a culture of continuous improvement, inclusive collaboration, and high technical standards.

Job description

IBM Confluent is building a cloud-native data platform and we’re seeking senior backend engineers to design and operate multi-tenant, real-time services at scale. You will own complex backend systems, drive architecture decisions, and collaborate across teams to deliver reliable, secure cloud solutions.

Join a culture of continuous improvement, mentor others, and help shape a platform that serves large enterprise customers with high availability requirements.