Company Description

WE EMBRACE A TALENT-LED CULTURE

Our work is driven by our team’s desire to be pioneers.

In 2009, we created Robots & Pencils with the then-contrarian view that mobile would be more transformative than the Internet. Turns out we were right.

Today, our thinking is rooted in the belief that, in the age of unprecedented technology acceleration, maintaining a competitive advantage requires new strategies and a focus on innovation.

Our approach has been to create a company designed to follow the talent, allowing us to amass an unfair share of hyper-skilled people who call Robots & Pencils home. A team of people who not only develop innovative solutions to transform businesses, but also create products that have been previously inconceivable.

Our Core Values:

• Strong Work Ethic
• Top Drawer
• Always Learning
• Heart
• Discipline
• Efficacy
• Together

Robots & Pencils Offers:

We care about Talent. Hard stop.

We do this in many ways, by offering:

• An attractive compensation package

• A fast paced environment with a culture that embraces change, and working together to find a far better way

• Work remotely, or in an office: you can reside anywhere in North America, and work remotely. You also have the option to work in our offices if you live in an area where we have a local office.

• High quality talent: we hire only the best talent we can find. You do remarkable things and solve tough problems where many others have failed before.

• Excellent benefits Medical, Dental, Vision etc. (this routinely gets reviewed each year for enhancements)

• Paid stat/federal holidays, vacation and sick days

• Flexible paid stat/federal holidays (because we care about what you care about and want to celebrate our culturally diverse team!)

• R&P branded swag

• Parental & adoption leave top up / salary continuance

• 401K/RRSP matching

But we also know a job isn’t just defined by the above, so we pride ourselves in being a company that also offers: 

• A #FollowTheTalent mentality -- meaning you can be located anywhere in North America and work remotely. (We have 10+ years of experience building virtual working environments #WeKnowWhatWereDoing)

• A dynamic, fast-paced environment where we’re constantly #alwayslearning.

• And lastly, a team that cares about you and wants to drive the talent experience. How do we do this? Over the years we’ve hosted comedian shows, had holiday parties, happy hours, brunches with the CEO, surprise coffee runs for the team, health & wellness events and prizes, trivia nights, surprise dinners for R&P team members and their family and so much more! (And yes, we’ve prioritized a way to do these things in a virtual setting and not just in person - thank you Zoom!)

Job Description

We're looking for a Principal Back-End (Node.js) Software Developer, Engineer who is recognized by their teammates, leaders, and stakeholders (referred to as "others" from here out) as being a trusted advisor and capable shipper.

Are you the person we're looking for?

Robots & Pencils is a talent led organization with a helper culture and an unfair share of creative makers who are passionate about finding a far better way to deliver new products to market and to develop innovative solutions that transform businesses. Talent who find the most success at R&P are reliable, credible, open-minded, and altruistic. If you're not sure whether you demonstrate those qualities, there are questions at the end of this description that might help you find out

Qualifications

• 7+ years of delivering software
• B.S. or higher in Computer Science, Computer Engineering, or equivalent work experience

• Proficiency in designing and architecting software, including interactions with hardware, databases, browsers, file systems, and various infrastructure types
• Strong grasp of and ability to teach others's about design's impact on comprehensibility, maintainability, performance, and availability in software development

• Stories that express why you believe what are best practices for applying systematic and disciplined approaches to software development, including requirements gathering, software design, testing, debugging, and maintenance
• Deep expertise in writing, analyzing, and debugging code in various programming languages
• Excellent problem solving skills, including a strong understanding of data structures and algorithms 
• Sound understanding of computer networks, protocols, network security, and internet data transmission.
• A rigorous approach to achieving software privacy and security, including secure coding practices, threat avoidance, and threat mitigation
• Procedural knowledge for when and how to leverage parallel and distributed computing
• Demonstrated ability to learn new skills and technologies
• Excellent communication skills, including the ability to share insights and expectations with stakeholders, clients, team members, and various levels of management across multiple time zones
• Ethical, pragmatic approach to computation theory, considering automation, human involvement, and ethical boundaries
• Commitment to incorporating human-centered, universal design with empathy for user and developer experiences
• Sharpies, Post-its and robot dreams

Desired Specifics:

• Experience with NodeJS, koa or express, and either or both of JavaScript and TypeScript
• Experience working with microservices-based architecture
• Experience with PostgreSQL or other relational databases
• Experience leading a team of developers and QA
• Experience with containerization (Docker, Kubernetes) a plus
• Background or experience in education, financial, or healthcare industries a plus
• Github profile or link to open source work a plus
• Experience building time machines a plus

Additional Information

Robots & Pencils aspires to have a workforce that is representative of the diversity of our country and encourages applications from everyone.