Senior Backend Developer

Company Description Off2Class has been supporting English as a Second Language (ESL) teachers since 2014 with tools and curriculum that simplify lesson planning and address diverse language learning needs. The company collaborates closely with educators worldwide to save time, reduce frustration, and help them focus on teaching. Off2Class provides ready-to-use lesson content, tools for tracking learner progress, and teacher training to support varied implementation models. Its solutions are designed to be practical, user-friendly, and impactful, empowering teachers in different educational settings. Prospective team members join a mission-driven organization dedicated to improving language education through thoughtful technology and content. Role Description The Senior Back-End Developer is responsible for strengthening and extending the Off2Class software platform through reliable, scalable, and maintainable back-end development. This role focuses on server-side architecture, APIs, database performance, infrastructure reliability, integrations, testing, and deployment quality. The Senior Back-End Developer will work closely with the Lead Developer and Technical Project Manager to deliver high-quality back-end solutions that support product growth, platform stability, and a smooth experience for schools, teachers, and learners. Job Duties Back-End Development Design, build, and maintain reliable server-side application logic, APIs, services, and integrations.Develop scalable back-end features from technical planning through deployment.Improve existing back-end systems for performance, maintainability, security, and reliability.Collaborate with front-end developers to ensure APIs and data flows support product requirements effectively. Architecture & Code Quality Contribute to back-end architecture decisions and help evolve the platform’s technical foundations.Write clean, maintainable, well-documented code that follows established engineering standards.Review pull requests with attention to performance, security, reliability, and long-term maintainability.Identify and reduce technical debt in core systems. Database & Performance Management Design, optimize, and maintain database queries, schemas, and data access patterns.Monitor and improve the performance of SQL databases, Redis, background jobs, and other back-end services.Investigate bottlenecks, failed jobs, production errors, and performance spikes.Support reliable data processing and system availability across the platform. Infrastructure & Dependency Management Maintain and update back-end dependencies, software packages, server components, and plugins.Support cloud infrastructure and services, including AWS EC2 and RDS.Monitor server environments, resource usage, and application health.Contribute to secure and reliable deployment practices. Quality Assurance & Testing Write comprehensive tests for new back-end code, including unit, integration, and regression tests where appropriate.Support debugging and root-cause analysis for production issues.Improve error handling, logging, monitoring, and alerting.Ensure back-end changes are delivered with a strong focus on stability and reliability. Continuous Integration/Continuous Deployment (CI/CD) Create, update, and review Pull Requests (PRs).Support smooth deployment processes using CI/CD best practices.Help maintain reliable release processes and reduce deployment risk.Collaborate with the development team to improve build, test, and deployment workflows. Collaboration & Technical Planning Work with the Lead Developer, Technical Project Manager, product team, and other developers to clarify requirements and define technical solutions.Break down technical work into clear, manageable tasks.Communicate trade-offs, risks, dependencies, and implementation options clearly.Proactively suggest technical improvements that strengthen the platform. Competencies Back-End Engineering: Strong ability to design, build, and maintain robust server-side systems.System Reliability: Focused on uptime, stability, monitoring, and production readiness.Database Expertise: Skilled at working with SQL databases, query optimization, and data integrity.Problem-Solving: Able to diagnose complex technical issues and resolve them efficiently.Code Quality: Committed to clean, testable, maintainable code and thoughtful peer review.Security Awareness: Understands secure coding practices and infrastructure considerations.Communication: Able to explain technical issues, risks, and solutions clearly to technical and non-technical colleagues.Adaptability: Comfortable learning new tools, frameworks, and technologies as platform needs evolve.Teamwork: Works collaboratively with developers, product, and project stakeholders to achieve shared goals. Job Qualifications Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science, Software Engineering, or equivalent experienceMinimum of 8+ years of professional software development experience, with significant back-end development responsibilityStrong proficiency in PHP and server-side application developmentExperience with JavaScript, HTML, and Frontend framworks, sufficient to collaborate effectively with front-end development workExperience with server management: Ubuntu, Nginx, SQL, RedisExperience managing AWS infrastructure and services, including EC2 and RDSExperience designing, building, and maintaining APIs and integrationsStrong experience with testing, debugging, performance optimization, and production supportExperience using project management and development tools, such as Jira, GitHub, or LinearBased in the Greater Toronto Area Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) Back-End Delivery: Number and quality of back-end features, services, APIs, and improvements delivered within planned timeframes.System Stability: Reduction in production bugs, failed jobs, downtime, and recurring technical issues.Bug Resolution Time: Average time taken to identify, address, and resolve back-end defects.Code Quality: Frequency of critical issues found in code after deployment.Performance Improvements: Measurable improvements in application speed, query efficiency, background job reliability, or infrastructure utilization.Pull Request Cycle Time: Time from PR creation to merge, indicating efficiency in development and review processes.Deployment Reliability: Frequency of successful deployments and reduction in deployment-related incidents.Technical Debt Reduction: Progress on refactoring, dependency updates, and maintainability improvements. What Success Looks Like 30 Days Complete architecture and codebase onboarding across core PHP services, databases, and AWS environments.Ship first bug fixes and minor backend feature PRs through standard CI/CD and review workflows.Establish smooth collaboration rhythms with the Lead Developer, TPM, and frontend team. 60 Days Independently build, test, and deploy new backend features and APIs aligned with product roadmap priorities.Optimize database queries, Redis caching, or background job performance to resolve bottlenecks.Actively review peer PRs and expand automated unit and integration test coverage. 90 Days Own end-to-end technical delivery of complex backend epics from architectural planning to production release.Drive platform reliability, technical debt reduction, and AWS infrastructure maintenance (EC2/RDS).Ensure high deployment reliability, low PR cycle times, and proactive error monitoring.