Staff Software Engineer, Core Applications

STAFF SOFTWARE ENGINEER, CORE APPLICATIONS Level: P4 Location: Ottawa, ON | Hybrid Reports To: Xiaokun Xu, Application Team Lead Type: Permanent | Full-Time ABOUT SOLINK At Solink, our mission is to safeguard what matters most. We provide businesses with the tools to know sooner and act faster by transforming video security into real-time operational insights. Our cloud-based platform integrates seamlessly with your existing cameras and systems, turning them into intelligent sensors that detect and interpret key moments. This empowers teams to make data-driven decisions, enhance security, and improve operational efficiency. Trusted by over 36,000 locations across 60+ countries - including brands like McDonald’s and JYSK - Solink delivers clarity when it counts. Our solutions help businesses reduce shrink, optimize performance, and respond proactively to potential threats. We're growing rapidly, earning industry recognition, and scaling with purpose. We’ve been recognized by Deloitte’s Fast 50™ and Fast 500™, Business Intelligence Group, and as one of Ottawa’s Best Places to Work. And we’re just getting started! THE ROLE The Core Applications team owns what our customers interact with every day — the web app and the mobile app. Our web application has been running in production for over a decade, trusted by thousands of operators across countries. This isn’t a greenfield role; it’s a stewardship role. We’re looking for a Staff Software Engineer, Core Applications (P4) who takes genuine pride in the quality, reliability, and feel of software that people actually depend on. At this level, you’re trusted to set technical direction across web, mobile, and API layers, to be a strategic collaborator on team- and org-wide initiatives, and to mentor colleagues both within Core Applications and cross-functionally. You’ll work across a React/TypeScript web app and a React Native mobile app, owning features end-to-end from design through delivery. You build APIs, ship UI, write tests, monitor production, and come back the next day looking for what to improve next. You care about the craft: clean code, thoughtful API design, smooth UI, and a codebase future teammates will thank you for. You’re also AI-native, you use AI tools as a force multiplier and bring that mindset into everything you do. WHAT YOU’LL DO - Build and improve features across the web (React/TypeScript) and mobile (React Native/Expo) applications, constantly raising the bar on what “good” looks like for our customers - Own features end-to-end, collaborate with product and design, design and implement APIs, write the code, write the tests, ship it, monitor it - Drive architecture and technical direction across web, mobile, and API layers, and document key decisions so they scale beyond you - Drive meaningful improvements to stability, performance, and UX, identifying and eliminating pain points proactively, not just reactively - Design and build APIs in NestJS/TypeScript that power rich, responsive experiences across web and mobile - Leverage AI tools to move faster and write better code, treating AI assistants as a core part of your workflow for coding, debugging, code review, and research - Raise the bar on code quality through thoughtful code reviews, targeted refactoring, and knowledge sharing - Triage and resolve bugs with urgency and care, minimizing customer impact - Act as a strategic collaborator on technical decisions regarding architecture, tooling, and patterns within the applications team - Mentor and support teammates, including more junior & senior engineers and cross-functional partners, share what you know and lift the team ROLE EXPECTATIONS This is a P4 - Staff level role. At Solink, individuals at this level are strategic collaborators who set technical direction, mentor across and beyond their immediate team, and can be relied on to drive team- and org-wide initiatives with minimal direction. In this role, you’ll be expected to: - Strategize with teammates and leaders cross-functionally on key Core Applications initiatives - Lead projects end-to-end, keeping key stakeholders informed and anticipating issues before they block delivery - Coach and mentor other engineers through complex problems, and give constructive, direct feedback - Build frameworks, standards, and tooling that scale the team’s effectiveness beyond any single feature - Continuously grow your own expertise and share learnings back with the team What success looks like: - Web and mobile applications that are measurably more stable, performant, and pleasant to use - A codebase and set of engineering practices that the rest of the team points to as the standard - Junior and intermediate engineers who are visibly leveling up because of your mentorship - AI tooling meaningfully embedded in how the team designs, builds, reviews, and ships WHAT YOU BRING Must-Have: - Strong production TypeScript and React experience, ideally with long tenure on a single mature product, not just a series of greenfields - Full-stack ownership: comfortable designing REST APIs (NestJS is a bonus), working with PostgreSQL and Redis, and tracing issues across the stack - Demonstrated ownership of end-to-end system architecture across web, mobile, and API platforms, including establishing documentation practices that scale technical decision-making across teams. - Track record on a mature, customer-facing product, you know how to improve something trusted by thousands of customers without breaking it - You actively use AI tools to accelerate your work, and you’re constantly looking for more leverage from them - Solid understanding of REST APIs and how frontend and backend systems interact — you’re comfortable owning both sides - Awareness of performance trade-offs in web and mobile contexts, you know when something will feel slow before it ships - Ability to trace bugs across layers (UI → API → DB) and communicate clearly about root causes - Strong opinions, held loosely, you bring perspective to technical discussions and remain open to better ideas - Product instinct: you ask ‘is this the right thing to build?’ before diving into implementation, and you engage with product and design as a true partner - Clear communicator, your PR descriptions, Jira comments, and Slack messages make sense to both engineers and non-engineers - Comfortable with ambiguity and large surface area, you can self-direct, prioritize, and ask the right clarifying questions without hand-holding Nice-to-Have: - Hands-on React Native experience, you understand the differences between web and native rendering Experience with video streaming, security camera systems, or POS/retail tech - Familiarity with automated testing in React and React Native (Jest, Detox, Playwright, or similar) - Exposure to mobile CI/CD and App Store / Play Store release pipelines - Experience building or integrating AI-powered features and LLM capabilities into user-facing products - NestJS or other Node.js backend framework experience SECURITY REQUIREMENTS - Candidates must undergo a criminal records check upon hire; - Be a Canadian Citizen (dual citizens included), or eligible to work in Canada; - Be willing to comply with Solink’s own security policies and standards. OUR VALUES We do things the Solink way: - Act with URGENCY – Our customers move fast, so we do too. - Deliver with QUALITY – We sweat the details and hold a high bar. - Win with TEAM – No egos. Just outcomes, built together. - Lead with TRUST – We earn it through clarity, consistency, and care. These aren’t just words—they shape how we hire, lead, and grow. WHY SOLINK? We’re not just building tech - we’re building a place where great people do great work. - Clarity and trust: Where the role allows, we support flexibility in how and where work gets done - and we’re upfront about what’s required. - Meaningful equity: Every full-time, permanent employee has a stake in our growth. - Comprehensive benefits: Fully paid health & dental (no waiting period) + $500 health spending account. - Wellness support: Monthly reimbursement for fitness, wellness, or mental health programs. - Growth through merit: Advancement is based on contribution, initiative, and the ability to raise the bar - together. - Candid culture: Clear expectations, honest feedback, and no politics. - Social connection: From So-learns to Solink-o and So-lunches, we stay connected in ways that actually feel fun. WHAT TO EXPECT FROM THE HIRING PROCESS We respect your time and value transparency. Here’s a general idea of what to expect: 1. Intro call with our Talent Team 2. Interview with the Hiring Manager 3. Technical Panel (in person) 4. Final interviews with our CTO 5. Reference Checks 6. Offer & onboarding 🎉 PLEASE NOTE: THIS IS SUBJECT TO CHANGE AT ANY POINT IN THE RECRUITMENT PROCESS BASED ON THE NEEDS OF THE BUSINESS. HOW TO APPLY Submit your resume and a short cover letter via our [Careers Page https://solink.com/careers/]. Let us know what excites you about this role, and how you’d help move Solink forward. NOTICE: SOLINK USES ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE (AI) TO SCREEN, ASSESS, AND/OR SELECT CANDIDATES FOR THIS POSITION. SOLINK IS AN EQUAL OPPORTUNITY EMPLOYER. WE’RE COMMITTED TO BUILDING A DIVERSE AND INCLUSIVE WORKPLACE. IF YOU REQUIRE ACCOMMODATION DURING THE SELECTION PROCESS, PLEASE LET US KNOW.