Lead Backend Engineer

Job Description

What is the Opportunity?

We are seeking an experienced Lead Backend Engineer to join our engineering team and take ownership of building high-performance, scalable backend systems for mission-critical applications. This role requires deep expertise in designing and implementing RESTful and GraphQL APIs that interact with graph and non-relational databases in high-throughput, low-latency environments, with strong focus on microservices architecture and distributed system patterns.

What will you do?

Technical Leadership & Development

• Design, develop, and maintain high-performance RESTful and GraphQL APIs for enterprise-scale applications

• Build and optimize systems that handle high-throughput workloads with sub-millisecond latency requirements

• Architect and implement microservices using Saga pattern, CQRS, Event Sourcing, and other distributed system patterns

• Design solutions using graph and non-relational databases (e.g., Neo4j, MongoDB, Cosmos DB, DynamoDB)

• Implement event-driven architectures using Kafka for event triggering and emission

• Ensure system reliability, scalability, and performance across distributed systems

• Design and implement distributed transactions using orchestration-based and choreography-based Saga patterns

Team Leadership & Mentorship

• Lead and mentor a team of backend developers, fostering technical excellence and professional growth. Conduct code reviews and establish best practices for API design, data modeling, and system architecture.

• Provide technical guidance and support to team members on complex technical challenges

• Own end-to-end delivery of backend products and features from conception to production

• Strong problem-solving skills and ability to architect complex technical solutions

• Excellent communication skills with ability to explain technical concepts to non-technical stakeholders

• Self-motivated with strong ownership mindset and accountability for deliverables

Product Ownership & Collaboration

• Take ownership of developed products, ensuring quality, performance, and maintainability.

• Collaborate with product managers, architects, and stakeholders to translate business requirements into technical solutions.

• Drive technical decisions and advocate for architectural improvements.

• Participate in sprint planning, retrospectives, and technical design discussions

What do you need to succeed?

Must Haves:

• 8+ years of professional software development experience with expert-level proficiency in Spring Boot 2.x/3.x and Java (Java 11+) and understanding of Spring ecosystem (Spring Cloud, Spring Data, and Spring Security)

• Strong experience building RESTful APIs and GraphQL APIs in production environments

• Expert knowledge of microservices design patterns and distributed system architectures

• Hands-on experience with non-relational databases (MongoDB, Cassandra, DynamoDB, Cosmos DB) and graph databases (Neo4j, Amazon Neptune, or similar)

• Production experience with Apache Kafka for event streaming, triggering, and emission

• Strong experience with Azure, AWS, or Google Cloud Platform and knowledge of cloud-native architectures, containers (Docker, Kubernetes), and microservices

• 5+ years of experience in banking or financial services industry with experience with payment systems, transaction processing, or core banking platforms preferred Knowledge of distributed transaction patterns in financial services

Nice to have skills

• Knowledge of observability tools (Splunk, Dynatrace, Prometheus, Grafana)

• Understanding of security best practices (OAuth2, JWT, mTLS, encryption, secrets management)

• Experience with Agile/Scrum methodologies and DevOps culture

• Knowledge of chaos engineering and resilience testing practices

• Bachelor's or Master's degree in Computer Science, Engineering, or related field

What's in it for you?
We thrive on the challenge to be our best, progressive thinking to keep growing, and working together to deliver trusted advice to help our clients thrive and communities prosper. We care about each other, reaching our potential, making a difference to our communities, and achieving success that is mutual.

• A comprehensive Total Rewards Program including bonuses and flexible benefits, competitive compensation, commissions, and stock where applicable

• Leaders who support your development through coaching and managing opportunities

• Work in a dynamic, collaborative, progressive, and high-performing team

• A world-class training program in financial services

• Flexible work/life balance options

• Opportunities to take on progressively greater accountabilities

• Access to a variety of job opportunities across business and geographies

#LI-POST

#TECHPJ

Job Skills

Active Learning, Agile Methodology, Application Integrations, Detail-Oriented, Emerging Technologies, Enterprise Application Delivery, Group Problem Solving, Information Technology Trends, Programming Languages, Software Development Life Cycle (SDLC)

Additional Job Details

Address:

RBC CENTRE, 155 WELLINGTON ST W:TORONTO

City:

Toronto

Country:

Canada

Work hours/week:

37.5

Employment Type:

Full time

Platform:

TECHNOLOGY AND OPERATIONS

Job Type:

Regular

Pay Type:

Salaried

Posted Date:

2026-06-16

Application Deadline:

2026-07-01

Note: Applications will be accepted until 11:59 PM on the day prior to the application deadline date above

Our Employment Opportunities

At RBC, we are guided by living shared values of Client First, Integrity, Collaboration, Respect and Excellence and winning together as One RBC. We believe an inclusive workplace that has diverse perspectives is core to our continued growth as one of the largest and most successful banks in the world. Maintaining a workplace where our employees feel supported to perform at their best, effectively collaborate, drive innovation, and grow professionally helps to bring our Purpose to life and create value for our clients and communities. RBC strives to deliver this through policies and programs intended to foster a workplace based on respect, belonging and opportunity for all.

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Expand your limits and create a new future together at RBC. Find out how we use our passion and drive to enhance the well-being of our clients and communities at jobs.rbc.com.

RBC is presently inviting candidates to apply for this existing vacancy. Applying to this posting allows you to express your interest in this current career opportunity at RBC. Qualified applicants may be contacted to review their resume in more detail.