Senior Back End Engineer in Kitchener

About Us: Ground News is a platform that makes it easy to compare news sources, read between the lines of media bias and break free from algorithms. In a world where political polarization and media distrust are at an all-time high, Ground News offers people a better way to stay informed and see every side of the story. Our mobile app, web app, and browser extension are home to a community of mindful readers who use our news comparison platform to engage with news beyond their filter bubble. Unlike most news companies, our values do not align with any specific political ideology. Unlike most tech platforms, we don’t rely on algorithms to keep users on our platform to sell more ads. We are supported by our readers who pay for a subscription to build a more nuanced understanding of the news, the world, and themselves.

The Opportunity: As a Senior Software Engineer, you'll be working on the core systems that make Ground News tick and ready to serve millions of readers. You'll sit with our backend chapter and work with out of the Core Experience pod. Reporting to the Head of Engineering, you will work closely with the engineering team to design, build, and operate the services that empower our users to see every side of the story. Our development team is fairly small, so you will represent a significant portion of the developing power behind the product. Your ideas and work will quickly and frequently become part of the product. This is a hands-on role where you’ll bring fresh ideas to a fast-growing consumer platform, balancing technical excellence with operational rigor. From designing and shipping backend services to improving observability, reliability, and performance, your work will directly impact how dependably people engage with the world’s news.

What You’ll Do:

• Rapid Ownership and Delivery: Quickly take ownership of customer-facing features and products, with an expectation to roll out new developments within weeks of joining.
• End-to-End Project Involvement: Engage in projects from conception and design to implementation and delivery, collaborating with stakeholders to refine solutions.
• Flexible Development Approach: Operate in an environment that values lean and agile methodologies, though not strictly adhering to any one framework.
• Cross-Department Collaboration: Work closely with team members from various departments, effectively communicating technical aspects to non-technical stakeholders and translating their needs into implementable solutions.

What You’ll Bring:

• At least 5 years of experience with TypeScript, including Async/Await syntax
• At least 3 years of experience with NodeJs
• At least 3 years of experience with Relational Databases (MySQL/Postgres ideally, but other RDs also good)
• Strong desire to learn and progress as a developer
• Ability to think critically and make informed decisions
• Knack for writing efficient and scalable code, and for recognizing bad patterns to avoid
• At least some experience with ElasticSearch, Redis/Valkey or similar caching system
• A track record of shipping and scaling reliable services for a successful consumer product.
• Experience planning and executing rollouts safely, including monitoring stability and mitigating risk.

Why Work at Ground? Co-founded by a former NASA engineer and Bain consultant, a position with Ground News provides an unparalleled learning experience both personally and professionally. At Ground, we prioritize growth: both for our business and team members. You’ll have the freedom to work remotely and play a key role in the development of Ground News products. This is an opportunity to work with a growing and mighty team that is fighting every day to build a world where cooperative, civil debate is the norm, media is accountable, and critical thought is the baseline of our information consumption. Ground is based in Kitchener, Ontario, Canada, but this role is remote. Our culture is one of collaboration, creativity, and diverse perspectives.