Senior Python Developer

Pinnacle; Toronto; On-site; CAD 120,000 - 180,000; Full time

Job summary

Pinnacle is seeking a seasoned backend engineer to own architecture and implementation across our Python-based platform. You'll make high-level technical decisions, mentor engineers, and work across the full stack—from cloud infrastructure to external-facing APIs.

This senior individual contributor role offers meaningful influence over system design and engineering culture. You will collaborate with business analysis, marketing, and cross-functional product teams to deliver robust software.

Qualifications

• 10+ years general programming; 7+ years Python 3.
• 7+ years developing web APIs and backend systems.
• 5+ years Linux environment experience.
• 3+ years AWS IaC, Code Pipeline, Terraform.
• Strong PostgreSQL experience.
• Strong Redis experience.

Responsibilities

• Own architectural decisions for software design and implementation; act as technical authority.
• Handle the full SDLC — design, development, testing, debugging, and deployment.
• Provide mentorship and technical guidance to developers and engineers.
• Collaborate with product, BA, and marketing to deliver fully-featured products for external customers and internal staff.
• Participate in design reviews, progress meetings, and technical troubleshooting sessions.
• Read, understand, and improve code written by others (legacy systems).
• Produce thorough technical documentation and uphold engineering standards.
• Support customers and internal teams on escalations; be a resource, not a helpdesk.

Skills

Strong analytical

Translate requirements into code

System architecture

Ambiguity handling

Mentorship

Tools

AWS IaC

Terraform

Code Pipeline

PostgreSQL

Redis

Git

Job description

We're looking for a seasoned backend engineer to take ownership of architecture and implementation across our Python-based platform. You'll be making high-level technical decisions, mentoring engineers, and working across the full stack — from cloud infrastructure to external-facing APIs.

This is a senior individual contributor role with meaningful influence over system design and engineering culture. You'll work closely with Business Analysis, Marketing, and cross‑functional product teams to deliver robust, scalable software.

Job Functions & Responsibilities

• Own architectural decisions for software design and implementation; serve as a technical authority on the team.
• Handle the full SDLC — design, development, testing, debugging, and deployment.
• Provide mentorship and technical guidance to developers and engineers.
• Work closely with product, BA, and marketing stakeholders to deliver fully-featured products for both external customers and internal staff.
• Participate in design reviews, progress meetings, and technical troubleshooting sessions.
• Read, understand, and improve code written by others — including legacy systems.
• Produce thorough technical documentation and uphold engineering standards.
• Support customers and internal teams on technical escalations — you'll be a resource, not a helpdesk.

What We're Looking For

• Strong analytical and problem-solving ability; rigorous attention to detail.
• Ability to translate business requirements into clean, maintainable, well-documented code.
• Comfort operating across ambiguity and competing priorities.
• Deep understanding of modern system architecture, distributed systems, and cloud-native patterns.

Required Knowledge & Experience

• 10+ years’ general programming experience, with 7+ years’ experience in Python 3.
• 7+ years developing web-oriented APIs and backend systems.
• 5+ years’ operating and developing in a Linux environment.
• 3+ years’ experience with AWS IaC, Code Pipeline, Terraform etc.
• Strong experience with PostgreSQL.
• Strong experience with key-value/data-structure stores, especially Redis.

Also required

• Python web frameworks: Django, Flask, FastAPI, or similar.
• Service-oriented architecture and messaging patterns (req/rep, pub/sub).
• Testing practices and tooling (unit, integration, coverage).
• Git and modern source control workflows.
• Experience with service-oriented architecture and common messaging patterns (eg: req/rep, pub/sub).
• Experience with Python-based web frameworks such as Django, Flask, or Bottle.

Nice to Have

• Elasticsearch or Splunk for search and log analytics.
• Kubernetes or other cloud orchestration platforms.
• OpenAPI / Swagger specification and documentation.
• CI/CD tooling: TeamCity, Jenkins, Octopus, GitHub Actions.
• Modern JS frameworks: React, Vue, Angular.
• Agile/Scrum methodology and experience in sprint-based teams.
• Exposure to alternative Python runtimes such as PyPy.
• Understanding data ingest and transformation pipelines, event sourcing, and CQRS patterns.
• Experience working in regulated sectors (e.g. financial services, healthcare, government) with awareness of compliance, audit trails, and data governance requirements.

Equal Opportunity Employer

We are an equal opportunity employer dedicated to fostering an inclusive and diverse workplace. We prioritize hiring the best candidates based on their skills and qualifications, irrespective of race, gender, age, religion, or any other characteristic. Our strength lies in our diverse teams, and we proudly celebrate and empower everyone to embrace and promote diversity throughout their time with us.