Software Engineering Expert

AutoTrader.ca; Toronto; On-site; CAD 149,000 - 168,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Gym discounts

EAP program

Virtual wellness events

Conferences & training budget

Internal training programs

3% pension match

Competitive salary

Annual bonus

Job summary

AutoTrader.ca is seeking a hands-on Engineering Expert to set technical direction across product boundaries, shape designs, and review production code. The role acts as the senior engineering authority for the Consumer Conversion domain, turning ambiguous requirements into durable architecture and reducing integration risk.

You will lead technical delivery, translate goals into actionable specifications, and own the path to production readiness, including deployment, monitoring, and post-launch

Qualifications

• 8+ years of software engineering experience with hands-on leadership across complex, customer-facing products.
• Demonstrated success owning platform architecture and delivery across multiple teams.
• Strong language-agnostic full-stack background and experience building scalable web-based applications and integrations.
• Practical experience with distributed systems, APIs, data flows, cloud infrastructure, and AWS.
• Track record of improving requirements quality, design, release readiness, observability, and operational outcomes through direct engineering involvement.
• Experience leading through ambiguity and staffing transitions while staying close to the work.
• Proven use of AI-assisted engineering tools with emphasis on verification, security, privacy, and quality.
• Commitment to coaching, inclusive leadership, and growth of engineers and technical leaders.

Responsibilities

• Shape and implement platform architecture across product boundaries.
• Own the technical shape of domain services and integrations (APIs, data flows, environments, deployments).
• Be hands-on: prototype critical paths, review production code, debug failures, pair with engineers.
• Translate product goals into clear technical specs, acceptance criteria, and dependency maps.
• Drive staging readiness, environment automation, release workflow, and post-launch support.

Skills

Platform architecture

Full-stack development

Distributed systems

AWS

AI-assisted engineering

Technical leadership

Mentoring

Communication

Job description

We are TRADER, a Canadian leader in digital automotive solutions. Our flagship brands — AutoTrader.ca, AutoSync, Dealertrack Canada and CMS — help Canadians buy, sell, and finance vehicles with confidence.

As part of AutoScout24 group, Europe’s largest online car marketplace, we’re shaping the future of automotive retail in Canada and beyond.

Learn more at tradercorporation.com.

Location: Toronto, ON, Canada

Team: AutoSync / Consumer Conversion

The opportunity

We are looking for a hands‑on Engineering Expert who will be: setting technical direction across product boundaries while shaping designs, writing and reviewing production code, debugging difficult problems, and helping teams deliver. You will be the senior engineering authority for the Consumer Conversion domain. This is not a purely advisory or governance role. You will spend meaningful time in the systems and delivery work, turning ambiguous requirements into durable architecture, reducing integration risk, and helping teams move from fragmented delivery to a credible path to production and sustainable operation.

What you’ll do

• Shape and implement platform architecture
• Own the technical shape of domain services and initiatives and its key integrations, covering APIs, data flows, shared services, environments, deployment paths, and operational dependencies.
• Be hands‑on: prototype or implement critical paths, review production code, debug cross‑system failures, pair with engineers, and remove technical blockers.
• Make architecture decisions explicit and pragmatic, balancing scalability, performance, security, privacy, resilience, maintainability, cost, and delivery speed.
• Lead technical delivery and readiness
• Translate product goals into complete, testable requirements, technical specifications, acceptance criteria, dependency maps, and clear decision records.
• Own the technical path to green: clarify the critical path, expose risks early, align decision owners, and make milestone confidence visible through evidence.
• Drive staging readiness, environment automation, release workflow, rollback planning, production support ownership, and post‑launch hypercare.
• Protect continuity through documentation, pairing, and knowledge transfer as project staffing and ownership change.
• Establish engineering and operational standards
• Set a practical definition of done across design, implementation, testing, observability, documentation, rollout, and support readiness.
• Embed reliability practices through meaningful SLOs, monitoring, alert quality, runbooks, incident learning, data‑quality checks, and measurable post‑release outcomes.
• Create reusable patterns and lightweight architecture reviews that reduce fragile coupling, duplicated capability, and unsupported operational knowledge without adding unnecessary process.
• Multiply engineering capability
• Coach engineers and technical leads through architecture, coding, debugging, delivery, operational ownership, communication, and decision‑making.
• Make the engineering growth framework concrete through clear expectations, actionable feedback, mentoring, stretch opportunities, and evidence of progression.
• Help teams adopt AI‑assisted engineering safely across coding, reviews, testing, documentation, requirements analysis, and decision support, with appropriate verification and data protection.
• Create an environment where people can challenge designs, learn from incidents, and contribute across product boundaries; this role influences people but is not defined as a line‑management position.
• Connect technical choices to customer and business outcomes
• Make complex trade‑offs understandable to Product, Design, QA, Data, Sales, Operations, and leadership, and turn decisions into clear action.
• Align application and portfolio architecture with customer value, commercial outcomes, and the Consumer Conversion operating model.
• Set a high bar for clarity, follow‑through, transparency, and respectful challenge across teams.

What we’re looking for

• 8+ years of software engineering experience, including significant hands‑on technical leadership across complex, customer‑facing products.
• Demonstrated success owning platform architecture and delivery across multiple teams, systems, or product domains.
• Strong language‑agnostic full‑stack background and experience building scalable web‑based applications and integrations.
• Practical experience with distributed systems, APIs, data flows, cloud infrastructure, platform capabilities, and modern software architecture patterns; AWS experience is a must.
• A track record of improving requirements quality, technical design, release readiness, observability, and operational outcomes through direct engineering involvement.
• Experience leading through ambiguity, recovery, staffing transitions, or competing priorities while remaining close to the work.
• Proven use of AI‑assisted engineering tools in daily work, with sound judgment around verification, security, privacy, and quality.
• A genuine commitment to coaching, inclusive leadership, feedback, and the growth of engineers and technical leaders.
• Exceptional communication skills and the ability to adapt your approach across engineers, product partners, executives, and customers.
• Data‑informed decision‑making balanced with empathy, pragmatism, and a strong sense of ownership.

What success looks like

In your first 6–12 months, you will have established a trusted platform architecture for E‑Commerce, improved confidence in its requirements and release path, and made operational readiness visible. You will also have delivered or materially advanced the highest‑risk technical paths, created practical shared patterns across various platforms within the domain, and helped engineers grow through hands‑on technical leadership.

What’s In It For You?

We understand that there is life at work and life outside of work. Here are a few benefits we all benefit from that support us to be our creative best.

Benefits from Day 1

• Gym discounts
• Employee and Family Assistance program
• Virtual wellness events
• Conferences & training budget
• Regular internal training programs
• Financial planning with 3% matching Pension
• Competitive salary
• Annual bonus structure

Compensation

Our ranges reflect the expected compensation at the time of posting. The final offer may vary and can be higher based on relevant skills, experience, location, and market conditions. Based on the role, the total rewards package may also include benefits, bonus, and other employee offerings.

The base salary range for this position is: $149,000 CAD - $168,000 CAD

Use of Artificial Intelligence in Hiring: We use artificial intelligence (“AI”) in our hiring process, including to screen, assess, or select applicants for this position. Vacancy Status: This job posting is for an existing vacancy.