Staff Frontend Engineer - Mapping & Spatial Platform

Verkada; Foster City (CA); On-site; USD 185,000 - 265,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Healthcare coverage

Vision & dental plans

HSA/FSA accounts

Mental health support

Parental leave & fertility benefits

Paid holidays & flexible PTO

Professional development stipend

Wellness benefits

Healthy lunches

Job summary

Verkada is seeking a founding Staff Engineer to lead the Spatial Platform, building a high-performance 3D engine for geospatial visualization and real-time collaboration.

You will architect a platform supporting 8+ product lines, tackling complex geospatial math and high-density rendering while ensuring buttery-smooth 60 FPS interactions.

Qualifications

• 5+ years of experience building complex, customer-facing web applications or high-performance graphics engines.
• Mastery of Web Technologies: JavaScript fundamentals and React expertise.
• CS Fundamentals: degree in Computer Science or related field.
• Eye for Detail: pixel-perfect execution and polished interactions.
• Product Grit: bridge CAD-level precision with consumer UX.
• Mathematical Precision: understanding of coordinate systems, geospatial projections, and 3D geometry.

Responsibilities

• Design a high-performance rendering architecture for interactive viewer and precision editing surface.
• Define interaction model for spatial editing with pixel-level polish across the platform.
• Solve latency with partial GPU updates and custom shaders for sub-millisecond input latency.
• Develop real-time 3D analysis tools like line-of-sight and heatmaps.
• Own client-side CRDT architecture powering offline-first multi-user editing.

Skills

Web Technologies

React

JavaScript

CS Fundamentals

Data Structures

Linear Algebra

Geospatial Math

3D Geometry

Education

Computer Science degree

Tools

Deck.gl

MapLibre

Three.js

WebGL

Job description

About the Role

We are looking for a founding Staff Engineer to lead the technical architecture of our next-generation Spatial Platform. For the past decade, floor plans have been static images; we are rebuilding that foundation from the ground up as a high-performance, interactive, and collaborative 3D engine.

This is a greenfield role for a builder who wants to own a core pillar of Verkada's infrastructure before we hit the public markets. You won't just build features—you will architect a platform that supports 8+ product lines, solving the "hard math" of geospatial projections and the "hard graphics" of rendering thousands of interactive assets at a buttery-smooth 60 FPS.

What You'll Do

• Build the Rendering Platform: Design a high-performance rendering architecture that supports both an interactive viewer for high-density geospatial visualization and a precision editing surface for real-time vertex manipulation.
• Set the UX Bar: Partner with Design to define the interaction model for spatial editing - easing curves, snapping behavior, cursor states, loading transitions - and hold the line on pixel-level polish across the platform.
• Optimize for Latency: Solve the "500-element wall" with partial GPU buffer updates and custom shaders, ensuring sub-millisecond input latency during real-time vertex manipulation.
• Spatial Intelligence: Develop power-user tools like real-time 3D line-of-sight analysis, signal strength heatmaps, and AI-driven hardware placement suggestions.
• Build the Sync Engine: Own the client-side CRDT architecture (Yjs/Automerge-class) powering offline-first, multi-user editing - document model, local persistence, presence, and conflict resolution.

What You Bring

• 5+ years of experience building complex, customer-facing web applications or high-performance graphics engines.
• Mastery of Web Technologies: JavaScript fundamentals (scoping, closures, contexts, prototypes, classes, etc.) and React expertise (common state and data libraries like React Query, Zustand, etc.)
• CS Fundamentals: A degree in Computer Science or a related field, with strong intuition for data structures, memory management, and linear algebra.
• Eye for Detail: Pixel-perfect execution - you notice the half-pixel misalignment, the 16ms jank, the easing curve that feels "off." You hold a high bar for visual polish and won't ship until interactions feel right.
• Product Grit: Ability to bridge the gap between CAD-level precision and consumer-grade UX, partnering closely with Design to turn rough specs into delightful, production-grade experiences.
• Mathematical Precision: Understanding of coordinate system conversions, geospatial projections, and 3D geometry.

Nice to Haves

• Graphics Stack: Experience with Deck.gl, MapLibre, Three.js, or raw WebGL/WebGPU.
• Collaborative Systems: Experience with real-time sync architectures (e.g., Yjs, Automerge, or Operational Transforms).
• Low-Level Web: Proficiency in high-performance 2D/3D graphics (Canvas API, low-level buffer management, or custom shaders).
• Geospatial Mastery: Familiarity with PostGIS, vector tiling (MVT), and GIS workflows.

US Employee Benefits

Verkada is committed to fostering a workplace environment that prioritizes the holistic health and wellbeing of our employees and their families by offering comprehensive wellness perks, benefits, and resources.

• Healthcare programs that can be tailored to meet the personal health and financial well-being needs - Premiums are 100% covered for the employee under at least one plan and 80% for family premiums under all plans
• Nationwide medical, vision and dental coverage
• Health Saving Account (HSA) with annual employer contributions and Flexible Spending Account (FSA) with tax saving options
• Expanded mental health support
• Paid parental leave policy & fertility benefits
• Time off to relax and recharge through our paid holidays, firmwide extended holidays, flexible PTO and personal sick time
• Professional development stipend
• Fertility Stipend
• Wellness/fitness benefits
• Healthy lunches provided daily
• Commuter benefits

Additional Information

• We do sponsor and take over sponsorship of employment visas for this role. If we make you an offer, we will make every reasonable effort to get you a visa.

Annual Pay Range

Estimated Annual Pay Range

$185,000 — $265,000 USD

Verkada Is an Equal Opportunity Employer

As an equal opportunity employer, Verkada is committed to providing employment opportunities to all individuals. All applicants for positions at Verkada will be treated without regard to race, color, ethnicity, religion, sex, gender, gender identity and expression, sexual orientation, national origin, disability, age, marital status, veteran status, pregnancy, or any other basis prohibited by applicable law.

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