Staff Software Engineer - Backend (Java)

TL;DR

Staff Software Engineer - Backend (Java): Architect, build, and scale server-side services for device authenticators and Okta’s identity platform with an accent on high-performance Java/Spring systems, REST API design, and security. Focus on leading cross-functional delivery, mentoring engineers, and driving AI-native engineering practices while maintaining rigorous code quality and security standards.

Location: Toronto, Ontario, Canada (Hybrid)

Salary: CAD 170,000 — 220,000 (annual base range for candidates located in Canada)

Company

Okta builds trusted identity infrastructure that enables organizations to securely adopt AI.

What you will do

• Drive cross-functional collaboration with Product, Design, and QA to deliver critical engineering initiatives.
• Lead design and implementation of new features and services in the core Java platform, owning work from conception to deployment.
• Define and champion engineering best practices and contribute to technical designs, proposals, and long-term architecture decisions.
• Mentor and coach engineers through code reviews, technical guidance, and raising quality and security standards.
• Develop maintainable server-side software with comprehensive test coverage and improve testing and CI/CD strategies.
• Adopt AI-native engineering practices using AI coding assistants while ensuring security and code quality.

Requirements

• 7+ years of software development experience building scalable, high-performance server-side features with Java and Spring.
• Deep expertise with high-performance Postgres or MySQL (schema design and query optimization).
• Extensive experience designing, building, and securing RESTful APIs for large-scale systems.
• Expert knowledge of server-side technologies including caching, asynchronous processing, and multi-threading.
• Strong understanding of design patterns, scalability patterns, security engineering, and object-oriented principles.
• Experience in fast-paced agile environments with CI/CD and automated testing; excellent communication skills.

Nice to have

• Knowledge of Identity and Access Management protocols (FIDO, U2F, WebAuthn, SSO, SAML, OAuth, Federation).
• Cybersecurity principles and secure coding practices; certifications such as CISSP or Security+.
• UI experience with ReactJS.
• gRPC API development experience.
• Microservice architecture experience.

Culture & Benefits

• Hybrid work model (LI-Hybrid).
• Annual base salary range in Canada plus equity (where applicable), bonus, and benefits including health, dental, and vision insurance.
• RRSP with a match, healthcare spending, telemedicine, and paid leave (including PTO and parental leave).
• In-person onboarding experience and a global community across 20+ offices.

Hiring process

• Interview process to evaluate engineering depth, design thinking, and collaboration skills.
• Technical discussions focused on building scalable backend systems and security practices.