Staff Engineer

About the role

Ideals seeks a Staff Engineer who will own the design and execution of complex technical initiatives that drive our modernization agenda forward. This role demands a hands-on contributor capable of writing high-quality code while simultaneously providing strategic technical leadership across multiple squads. You will be responsible for de-risking and guiding teams through intricate architectural challenges, with a specific focus on the integration and optimization of AI-driven solutions. The position involves elevating engineering standards by establishing best practices and ensuring that delivery is both sustainable and scalable. You will act as a key technical partner to product and design, translating ambiguous business problems into robust technological strategies. A significant portion of your impact will come from mentoring engineers and fostering a culture of craftsmanship within the engineering organization. You will continuously assess the technology landscape, identifying opportunities to refactor legacy systems and introduce modern tooling that enhances developer experience. Ultimately, this role is about owning the technical vision and ensuring that the engineering department operates at a world-class level of efficiency and innovation.

Key facts

What you'll do

Architect and implement critical backend services using C# and .NET, ensuring they are scalable, maintainable, and aligned with our cloud-native strategy.

Lead the technical design process by creating and communicating system architecture diagrams and decision records that capture the rationale behind complex implementations.

Champion the adoption of automated testing frameworks, driving initiatives to achieve high code coverage and robust test suites that prevent regressions.

Partner closely with product managers to translate business requirements into technical specifications, ensuring that the development roadmap delivers maximum user value.

Spearhead the integration of AI capabilities into our existing products, exploring new models and methodologies to enhance our service offerings.

Optimize database performance and structure, working with DevOps to ensure that data storage solutions are reliable, secure, and efficient.

Mentor junior and mid-level engineers through code reviews, pair programming, and technical coaching, helping them grow their skills in DevOps and cloud technologies.

Evaluate and select third-party tools and libraries, conducting technical spikes to assess their viability for integration into our tech stack.

Collaborate with the DevOps team to improve deployment pipelines, infrastructure as code, and monitoring solutions to increase system reliability.

Take ownership of specific product areas, being the go-to expert responsible for the technical health and future direction of those services.

Contribute to the development of our internal engineering standards and processes, ensuring that our practices reflect industry best practices.

Drive the refactoring of legacy codebases to reduce technical debt and improve the long-term maintainability of our applications.

Act as a liaison between the engineering team and senior leadership, providing clear updates on technical progress, risks, and dependencies.

Promote a culture of continuous learning by organizing knowledge-sharing sessions and staying current with the latest trends in AI and software engineering.

Requirements

You must possess a Bachelor's degree in Computer Science, Engineering, or a related technical field, or have equivalent practical experience.

You are required to have a minimum of 6 years of professional software development experience delivering production-grade applications.

You must demonstrate advanced proficiency in C# and a deep understanding of the .NET ecosystem, including its runtime and tooling.

You are required to have a strong grasp of system design principles and the ability to translate high-level requirements into concrete technical solutions.

You must have hands-on experience with cloud services and infrastructure, particularly in the deployment and management of distributed systems.

You are required to be fluent in English, with the ability to communicate effectively in written and verbal formats at an Upper-intermediate (B2) level or higher.

You must have a proven track record of working with databases, including SQL schema design, optimization, and query tuning.

You are required to be comfortable working in a fast-paced environment where priorities can shift rapidly and ambiguity is the norm.

Nice to have

Hands-on experience in developing or integrating AI-related functionalities.

A background in system design and making architectural decisions.

Familiarity with cloud services and microservices architecture.

Practical notes

This position is fully remote, offering flexibility in your work schedule.

Benefits include a budget for setting up your home office, a resilient home budget for team members based in Ukraine, and coverage for co-working space expenses.

An individual IT budget is allocated for acquiring additional equipment and high-quality tech tools.

Opportunities for professional growth include access to Ideals Academy, investment in external training, support for personal development plans, and coverage for professional literature.

Well-being benefits encompass medical insurance, a wellness package for fitness activities, full coverage of mental health sessions for Ukrainian team members, funding for sports competitions, 20 business days of paid leave, and unlimited health-related time off.

An internal referral program is also in place to encourage team members to recommend potential candidates.