We are looking for a hands-on Principal Developer to provide technical leadership across a high-scale, real-time transactional platform operating in the automotive space.About the Company: This is a Canadian-based technology company building a high-scale digital marketplace that powers real-time transactions across North America. The platform handles complex, time-sensitive workflows where performance, reliability, and accuracy are critical to the business.The engineering team is small, experienced, and highly collaborative, with direct access to senior leadership and the opportunity to influence both product and technical direction. There’s a strong emphasis on ownership, where engineers are trusted to make decisions, solve meaningful problems, and see their work through in production.The business is well-established and profitable, with a steady stream of real-world complexity to solve. It’s not a “move fast and break things” environment, it’s a “move thoughtfully and make it work at scale” kind of place.If you enjoy working on systems that actually have to perform under pressure, and you like understanding the business behind what you’re building, you’ll probably feel at home here.About the RoleThe Principal Software Engineer is a hands-on technical leader responsible for building, optimizing, and maintaining the core backend systems that power a real-time digital marketplace platform.This role is highly execution-focused and sits at the intersection of backend engineering, system performance, and business-critical operations. The successful candidate will spend the majority of their time writing code, debugging production issues, and improving system performance, while also contributing to technical decision-making and mentoring other engineers.This is not an architecture-only or management role. It is a deeply hands-on position focused on solving complex technical problems in a high-scale, real-time environment. This individual will play a key role in maintaining system reliability, supporting production operations, and ensuring the platform can scale effectively as the business grows.ResponsibilitiesOwn and drive architectural decisions across a complex backend platform, ensuring scalability, performance, and resiliencyTranslate ambiguous business requirements into clear, actionable technical solutionsLead end-to-end technical initiatives from problem definition through design, implementation, and deliveryContribute hands-on to the codebase, primarily within a Java/Spring ecosystemProactively identify risks and opportunities within the codebase and address issues before they become problemsPartner closely with product managers, engineering leaders, and stakeholders to align on technical directionImprove application performance, observability, and system reliabilityInfluence and mentor engineers across multiple teams, raising the overall technical barBalance delivery of new features with technical debt management and long-term platform healthSupport production systems when needed and contribute to incident resolution and root cause analysisQualifications10+ years of professional software development experienceStrong background in backend development, with deep experience in Java and Spring BootProven experience designing and scaling large, complex distributed systemsExperience owning and delivering technical initiatives from conception through productionStrong understanding of system design, performance optimization, and concurrencyExperience working closely with product and business stakeholders to translate requirements into solutionsDemonstrated ability to operate autonomously in ambiguous environmentsStrong communication skills, with the ability to explain complex technical concepts to non-technical audiencesTrack record of influencing technical direction across multiple teamsTechnical EnvironmentBackend: Java, Spring BootAPI Layer: GraphQLFrontend: React (web), Flutter (internal tools), mobile applications (iOS/Android)Data: MySQL, ElasticsearchCloud & Infrastructure: AWS, Infrastructure as Code (e.g., Terraform/CDK)Tooling: CI/CD pipelines, Git, MavenPreferred SkillsExperience with AWS infrastructure and Infrastructure as CodeExposure to full-stack development (React or similar frameworks)Experience working on real-time, high-concurrency systemsInterest or experience in applying AI tools to improve engineering productivity and workflowsExperience in marketplace or transactional platformsCore CompetenciesStrong ownership mindset with a bias toward actionAbility to operate independently and take initiative without directionExcellent problem-solving skills and systems thinkingStrong communication and stakeholder managementAbility to move from ambiguity to structured, scalable solutionsPassion for mentoring and elevating engineering teamsWhy JoinThis is an opportunity to take ownership of a critical platform and influence its technical direction at scale. You will work closely with experienced engineering leadership, solve meaningful problems, and have a direct impact on a system that powers real-world transactions. You’ll be part of a collaborative, high-performing team where engineers are encouraged to take ownership, work closely with the business, and continuously improve how systems are built and scaled.Pay range and compensation packageBase Salary: CAD $200,000 – $220,000Performance Bonus: ~15%Additional Compensation:RRSP matching programExtended health, dental, and vision benefitsPaid time off (3–4 weeks, negotiable)Flexible working environmentTotal compensation is flexible and may be adjusted based on experience and impact potential.