Senior Backend Engineer

At Sonder, we believe that every person deserves to feel safe, supported, and empowered to be at their best - wherever they are. That’s why we’re redefining workplace health, safety, and wellbeing through a seamless blend of technology and human expertise. Sonder’s mobile platform provides 24/7, real-time support from a dedicated team of safety, medical, and mental health professionals - ensuring that our members receive immediate care when they need it most. In critical situations, we go beyond digital support, offering on-the-ground assistance to manage time-sensitive incidents.

By harnessing real-time insights, we enable organisations to take proactive steps toward a healthier, safer future, which leads directly to tangible bottom-line business outcomes.

An Exciting Time to Join Sonder!

Since our founding in 2017, Sonder has experienced rapid growth, expanding operations across Australia, New Zealand, and the UK. Backed by Australia’s leading venture capital firms, Seek and Blackbird, we are well-capitalised and on a mission to scale globally, partnering with corporations, educational institutions, and government agencies to transform workplace wellbeing at scale.

Our impact and scale:

• 1,000,000+ members across multiple countries
• 200+ team members, plus an extensive network of on-the-ground responders

If you’re passionate about using technology and human expertise to drive meaningful change, join us in shaping the future of workplace wellbeing!

About the role

As a Senior Backend Engineer at Sonder, you'll play a pivotal role in delivering high-quality backend solutions within a fast-paced and dynamic environment. You'll work closely with the product team and other engineers to design and build scalable, maintainable, and efficient backend systems. In this role, you'll have the opportunity to lead and mentor junior engineers while contributing directly to key projects like user management and scaling systems.

What you’ll be doing

• Designing Scalable Systems: Architect and build backend solutions that can scale to support exponential user growth, leveraging microservices architecture and event-driven systems.
• Cloud Integration: Deploy and manage backend services in AWS, utilising cloud technologies, ensuring seamless integration and high availability.
• CI/CD Pipeline Implementation: Lead the design and ongoing management of CI/CD pipelines, ensuring efficient, automated workflows from code to production, supporting continuous delivery.
• Optimising Performance: Focus on optimising system performance through relational databases, improving query performance, and ensuring efficient indexing.
• Production Support: Provide critical support for production issues, quickly identifying and resolving problems, and collaborating with teams to minimise downtime.
• Collaborating with Product Teams: Work alongside product managers to translate business needs into technical solutions, documenting requirements, and helping drive the development process.
• End-to-End Ownership: Take full ownership of feature development, from initial design through to implementation and ongoing maintenance, ensuring robust and scalable solutions.
• Mentoring and Leadership: Mentor mid-level and junior engineers, sharing technical expertise, guiding them through architectural decisions, and reviewing their code to elevate team standards.

Who are we looking for?

The ideal candidate has a growth mindset and is passionate, self-motivated, and takes pride in producing high-quality work every day. Above all else, you - the ideal candidate - will embody the Sonder values and love working in a fast-paced, dynamic workplace.

What you bring to the team;

• 7-8+ years of hands-on backend development experience, with a strong foundation in Java, Kotlin, and Spring Boot.
• Experience with AWS services (e.g., S3, SQS, IAM) and containerised environments using Docker.
• Deep understanding of microservices architecture, service orchestration, and event-driven systems.
• Strong knowledge of RESTful and GraphQL API design, with the ability to build robust and scalable APIs.
• Advanced skills in relational database management, query optimisation, and indexing for improved database performance.
• Proficiency in managing CI/CD pipelines to ensure smooth and automated code integration and delivery.
• Strong expertise in unit and integration testing, ensuring high-quality code and maintaining reliability in production environments.
• Excellent communication skills to work closely with product managers, engineers, and non-technical stakeholders, ensuring alignment across teams.
• Ability to mentor junior engineers, providing guidance and support to help them grow within the team.
• Strong analytical and troubleshooting skills to resolve issues and optimise existing systems.
• Comfortable working in an Agile environment (SCRUM), with the ability to manage multiple priorities and deliver high-quality solutions in a fast-paced setting.

Why join Sonder?

At Sonder, we thrive in a fast-paced, high-performance environment with a strong commitment to our people. Our team is a collaborative, vibrant group of passionate professionals, dedicated to making a real impact on people’s lives every day.

• Hybrid and flexible working environment. Enjoy the perfect balance of in-office collaboration and work from home flexibility, empowering you to optimise your productivity and work-life balance.
• Gain free access to the Sonder app for you and your family, offering 24/7 on-demand support for health, wellbeing, and safety.
• $1000 annual contribution as part of your development plan + 2 days of study leave
• Paid parental leave with an attractive return to work policy, 12 weeks for Primary Carers and 4 weeks for Secondary Carers, plus our Primary Carers return to work at 80% for the first 3 months at full pay.
• Participate in our Employee Share Option Plan (ESOP) for you to be a part of Sonder’s success. 
• Salary packaging novated leasing.
• ​​Access $250 annually to fund to invest in your wellbeing, empowering you to choose the support that best fits your needs.
• Free coffee on Tuesdays and catered lunch on Thursdays.
• Team social fund to connect with your team, plus monthly company wide social events. 
• Dog-friendly office. 
• Volunteer leave. 2 days per year to participate in meaningful causes and contribute back to the community.

Check out our life page for more info - https://www.linkedin.com/company/sondersafe/life/

Sonder is committed to creating an inclusive and diverse workplace for everyone. We offer equal opportunities to all, regardless of race, gender, age, disability, political beliefs, sexual orientation, or any protected status. All qualified applicants are encouraged to apply and join us in fostering a respectful and empowering environment.

Due to the nature of our industry, all Sonder employees are required to complete a National Police Check and WWCC
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