Senior Software Engineer

About the role

This role builds and maintains backend systems for a wholesale distribution software company. The engineer scales order processing, purchasing, accounts payable, and critical business workflows. The role balances independent execution with shaping product features alongside product and customer teams.

Software engineers turn product ideas into working code. Engineers work in small teams, review each other's work, and ship in small batches. Most teams follow agile practices such as sprints and daily standups. Engineers also write tests, fix bugs, and improve performance. The field values clear communication as much as technical skill. Engineers spend part of every week on planning, code review, and debugging, not just writing new code. The ability to explain a technical decision in plain words separates strong engineers from the rest.

Key facts

What you'll do

Complex projects move from planning through deployment, enabling fast growth while meeting high quality and reliability standards.

Direct collaboration with product and customer teams ensures engineering solutions address real business needs and unblock delivery.

Hands-on coding, thoughtful code reviews, and architectural feedback guide the team's technical direction and decisions.

Backend work that serves industries keeping the real economy running helps the growing customer base and supports product-market fit.

Requirements

Senior-level experience as a backend engineer building scalable, high-performance systems is required in a fast-paced, product-focused environment.

Ownership of deliverables ensures projects are completed to a high standard without constant supervision or delay.

Guidance for other engineers includes unblocking work, providing code reviews, and offering architectural feedback to improve quality.

Experience in high-growth startups or small teams is preferred to navigate rapid scaling and deliver meaningful impact.

Comfort working independently with a sense of urgency is necessary in a fast-paced, product-focused environment.

Practical notes

Canals is an equal opportunity employer that values ownership, transparency, and continuous improvement.

Typical interview steps

Hiring for engineering roles usually starts with a recruiter screen, followed by one or two technical rounds. Candidates often solve a coding problem, discuss past projects, and answer system design questions. Some loops include a take-home task. Final rounds typically cover team fit and give candidates a chance to ask questions. Interviewers look for how you break down an unfamiliar problem, not just whether you reach the answer. Practicing a few problems aloud and reviewing your own past projects are the best preparation.

Good to know

Engineers in this role work with tools and practices common in modern backend development.

The role involves continuous learning to keep pace with evolving technologies and industry needs.

Collaboration across regions requires clear communication and strong written skills.

Problem solving focuses on reliability, performance, and scalability for critical business workflows.

The team culture emphasizes ownership, transparency, and direct collaboration.

Questions to ask

Worth asking in any interview: how the team measures success, who the role works with daily, what the onboarding looks like, and what the company is trying to achieve this year. Asking what past hires did well is a strong final question. Keep the list short and pick the questions that matter most to you.

Career growth

Engineering careers usually progress from individual contributor to senior, staff, and principal levels. Some engineers move into management and lead teams of five to twenty people. Others stay on the technical track. Growth follows demonstrated impact, not tenure alone. A typical engineering ladder has clear levels with defined expectations for scope, quality, and mentorship. Moving up usually requires owning outcomes end to end rather than completing assigned tickets.

About the company

Canals or artificial waterways are waterways or engineered channels built for drainage management or for conveyancing water transport vehicles. They carry free, calm surface flow under atmospheric pressure, and can be thought of as artificial rivers.