Software Engineer / Senior Software Engineer

Leadership Connect; Montreal (administrative region); Hybrid; CAD 90,000 - 140,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Extended Health Care

Dental Care

Life & Disability insurance

Health spending accounts

Unlimited Vacation Leave

12 Paid Holidays

Employee Referral Program

VRSP

Rewards and recognition programs

Job summary

Leadership Connect is seeking a Software Engineer or Senior Software Engineer to join the Entitlements Team in Montreal, QC. You’ll design and build production applications and services powering the Leadership Connect platform, working across backend services, APIs, data, search, cloud infrastructure, and distributed systems.

The role emphasizes strong fundamentals and the ability to adapt across Kotlin/Java and Python ecosystems, with AI-assisted coding tools and ownership of quality, security,

Qualifications

• 2+ years of professional software development for mid-level candidates; 6+ years for senior-level.
• Strong CS fundamentals via degree or equivalent experience.
• Experience designing and building production web apps, APIs, or backend services.
• Strong understanding of HTTP, REST, SQL, data modeling, and DB design.
• Proficiency in Kotlin/Java with Spring Boot or Python ecosystems.
• Willingness to work across JVM and Python technologies as needed.
• Experience writing maintainable, tested production code.
• Strong debugging, problem-solving, and analytical skills.
• Experience with Git and modern collaborative workflows.

Responsibilities

• Design, build, test, deploy, and maintain production applications and services.
• Develop APIs and backend services using Kotlin/Java, Python, Spring Boot.
• Work with relational and NoSQL databases, search technologies, and large datasets.
• Contribute to distributed systems and microservices on AWS.
• Participate across the development lifecycle from planning to deployment.
• Use AI coding tools to accelerate research, planning, development, and testing.
• Review AI-generated implementations for quality, security, and maintainability.
• Collaborate with engineers, product managers, and stakeholders.
• Contribute to design discussions, coding standards, and practices.

Skills

Kotlin/Java

Python

Spring Boot

AWS

Elasticsearch

API design

Git

CI/CD

Docker

Terraform

Education

CS-related degree

Tools

Kotlin/Java

Spring Boot

Python

AWS

Elasticsearch

SQL/NoSQL

Git

Docker

Terraform

Job description

Who are we?

At Leadership Connect, we believe that relationships are everything in business and in life. Founded by two former CEOs of S&P 500 companies and a former presidential press secretary, our premier information service is built for developing relationships that impact decisions in government, business, and media. Utilizing deep research expertise and cutting-edge technology, we help our clients win business and influence policy across various specialties and verticals. We are a close-knit team dedicated to helping each of our users make a difference. Leadership Connect Canada (LCC), a subsidiary of Leadership Connect Inc., is our Canadian entity operating in the Quebec province. This opportunity requires an applicant to live and work within the Quebec province.

About the Role

We are looking for a Software Engineer or Senior Software Engineer to join our Entitlements Team and help design and build the applications and services that power the Leadership Connect platform.

This is a hands‑on role for someone with strong software engineering fundamentals who enjoys solving product and technical problems across backend services, APIs, data, search, cloud infrastructure, and distributed systems.

Our environment includes Kotlin/Java, Spring Boot, Python, AWS, Elasticsearch, and modern cloud‑native technologies. We value deep expertise in at least one area, strong fundamentals, and the adaptability to become productive across technologies.

We also believe AI is changing how software is built. We are looking for engineers who use modern AI coding tools and agents to significantly increase productivity while maintaining strong engineering judgment and ownership.

Core Functions of the Role

• Design, build, test, deploy, and maintain production applications and services.

• Develop well‑designed APIs and backend services using Kotlin/Java, Python, Spring Boot, and related technologies.

• Work with relational and NoSQL databases, search technologies, and large datasets.

• Contribute to distributed systems and microservice architectures running in AWS.

• Participate throughout the development lifecycle: planning, design, estimation, implementation, testing, deployment, and continuous improvement.

• Use AI coding assistants and agents to accelerate research, planning, development, testing, debugging, refactoring, and documentation.

• Critically review AI-generated implementations and remain accountable for quality, correctness, security, and maintainability.

• Collaborate with engineers, product managers, and stakeholders to turn requirements into high‑quality technical solutions.

• Contribute to design discussions, code reviews, engineering standards, and development practices.

About You

• 2+ years of professional software development experience for mid‑level candidates or 6+ years for senior‑level candidates.

• Strong computer science and software engineering fundamentals through a CS‑related degree or equivalent professional experience.

• Experience designing and building production web applications, APIs, or backend services.

• Strong understanding of HTTP, REST, API design, relational databases, SQL, data modeling, and database design.

• Strong proficiency in Kotlin/Java with Spring Boot or a comparable JVM framework, OR Python and its modern application ecosystem.

• Willingness and ability to work across JVM and Python technologies as needed.

• Experience writing maintainable, well‑tested production software.

• Strong debugging, problem‑solving, and analytical skills.

• Experience with Git and modern collaborative development workflows.

AI‑Augmented Software Development

AI‑assisted development is an important part of how we approach modern software engineering. We are particularly interested in candidates who meaningfully use tools such as Claude Code, OpenAI Codex, GitHub Copilot, or comparable coding agents in their regular workflow.

We want engineers who use AI to expand what they can accomplish while retaining responsibility for understanding and validating the result.

• Use AI to understand unfamiliar codebases, research technologies, plan implementations, write and modify code, develop tests, debug problems, refactor systems, and automate repetitive work.
• Critically evaluate AI‑generated solutions, recognize incorrect assumptions, validate implementations, and know when direct engineering investigation is the better approach.
• Experience with repository‑level agent instructions, reusable agent workflows, MCP integrations, custom tooling, or agentic development processes is a plus.

Additional Experience We'd Value

• AWS
• Terraform or other infrastructure‑as‑code technologies
• Docker or other container technologies
• CI/CD pipelines
• Elasticsearch or other search technologies
• Microservices and distributed systems
• Event‑driven architectures
• Linux, command‑line tooling, and Bash
• Large‑scale or data‑intensive applications

For Senior‑Level Candidates

• Strong system‑design and architectural judgment.

• Ownership of systems from design through production.

• Ability to evaluate scalability, reliability, performance, maintainability, security, and cost tradeoffs.

• Ability to diagnose complex problems across distributed systems.

• Ability to turn ambiguous requirements into clear technical approaches.

• Thoughtful code and design review skills.

• Ability to mentor engineers and improve team effectiveness.

What Is It Like to Work Here?

We foster an environment that encourages all our team members to excel by offering competitive compensation for top talent. We believe in creating a friendly and enjoyable workplace, with regular team‑building events, happy hours, and more. Transparency is key within our company, and we hold monthly town halls led by our CEO to address questions regarding business plans, product direction, and company goals. In addition, we provide flexible PTO policies to ensure you can enjoy your time outside the office and focus on your personal life.

Benefits/Rewards

• Awesome Extended Health Care Plan
• Dental Care
• Life & Disability insurance
• Health spending accounts
• Unlimited Vacation Leave
• 12 Paid Holidays
• $3,000 Employee Referral Program
• Employer contribution to VRSP
• Rewards and recognition programs

If you’re excited about this role but don’t meet 100% of the requirements, we still want to hear from you!

Leadership Connect is committed to building a diverse and inclusive workforce where unique experiences are valued and everyone has the opportunity to contribute. Research has continuously shown that women and people of color are less likely to apply for jobs unless they meet all of the listed qualifications. We want to help overcome this trend and seek to make space for unique and relevant skills and attributes. So, when applying to Leadership Connect we focus on evaluation based on key competencies needed for success in the position. We look forward to receiving your application!

Leadership Connect is committed to creating a diverse environment and is an equal opportunity employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, gender, gender identity or expression, sexual orientation, national origin, genetics, disability, age, or veteran status.