\r\n\r\nJob ID: R2000605075 \r\n \r\n\r\nJob Description:\r\n\r\n \r\n\r\nAs a Staff Backend Developer at Loblaw Digital, you will serve as a strategic technical leader across core platform experiences within the Engage domain, including Gateway orchestration, Server-Driven UI (SDUI), and BFF (Backend for Frontend) architecture.\r\nYou’ll partner deeply with cross-functional teams spanning Mobile, Web, Design, Product, and Infrastructure to architect scalable APIs, power dynamic experiences, and enable composable feature delivery across banners like PC Express, Shoppers Drug Mart, and Joe Fresh. This is a critical leadership role that shapes the technical direction of shared infrastructure powering millions of customer interactions per day.\r\n \r\n\r\nWhat You’ll Do:\r\n\r\n \r\n\r\nTechnical Strategy & Architecture:\r\n\r\n\r\n\tDefine and evolve the architecture of Gateway, OneBFF, and SDUI backend services to support multi-banner, multi-tenant delivery.\r\n\tOwn and advocate for the long-term technical vision behind server-driven page composition and orchestration layers (e.g. layout resolver, view resolver).\r\n\tLead and contribute to high-impact Technical Design Documents (TDDs) with clear tradeoffs, scaling patterns, and roadmap implications.\r\n\r\n\r\n \r\n\r\nSystems Design & Implementation:\r\n\r\n\r\n\tBuild and optimize high-throughput backend services using Node.js, TypeScript, and Java/Kotlin, with integration to systems like Helios, Assetful, and upstream services.\r\n\tImplement caching, observability, and graceful degradation patterns across SDUI surfaces.\r\n\tChampion schema evolution strategies (e.g., GraphQL federation, REST layering, JSON layouts) for forward compatibility and resilience.\r\n\r\n\r\n \r\n\r\nCross-Team Leadership & Collaboration:\r\n\r\n\r\n\tPartner with Frontend and Mobile Staff Developers to define the API contracts, SDUI component APIs, and backend composition rules.\r\n\tGuide vertical teams (PDP, Browse, Homepage) in integrating with shared BFF and SDUI systems, ensuring performance and developer experience.\r\n\tRepresent Gateway and BFF concerns in domain-wide conversations around performance, experimentation, personalization, and SSR.\r\n\r\n\r\n \r\n\r\nPlatform Enablement:\r\n\r\n\r\n\tDrive initiatives that improve developer productivity, such as API mocking frameworks, CI pipelines, and schema validators for SDUI layout payloads.\r\n\tContribute to platform-wide observability (Snowplow, OTEL), error handling, and tracing efforts to support performance-led engineering.\r\n\tShape reusability strategies and modularization efforts across backend repositories.\r\n\r\n\r\n \r\n\r\nDoes This Sound Like You?\r\n\r\n\r\n\t8+ years of backend development experience with modern service-oriented architecture.\r\n\tDeep expertise in at least one backend language (Node.js/TypeScript preferred, Java/Kotlin acceptable).\r\n\tProven experience designing composable APIs, orchestration layers, or middleware gateways.\r\n\tExperience leading backend architecture for dynamic frontend experiences (e.g., SDUI, layout-as-data, CMS-driven rendering).\r\n\tStrong knowledge of API contract design, caching, observability (OTEL, Datadog), and production hardening techniques.\r\n\tDemonstrated ability to lead cross-functional projects and mentor other engineers.\r\n\tComfort with ambiguity, excellent written communication, and a track record of delivering high-leverage platform work.\r\n\r\n\r\n \r\n\r\nNice to Have:\r\n\r\n\r\n\tExperience with GraphQL, Next.js, React SSR, or Framer Motion is a plus.\r\n\tFamiliarity with multi-banner / multi-tenant product platforms.\r\n\tUnderstanding of performance instrumentation, deep linking, and BFF unification strategies.\r\n\tContributions to design systems, layout renderers, or SDUI SDKs.\r\n\r\n\r\n \r\n\r\nGateway / Apigee / API Management\r\n\r\n\r\n\tBuilding or operating high-throughput API Gateways (internal or external-facing).\r\n\tExperience with Apigee Edge/X, Kong, Express Gateway, or custom Node.js middleware orchestration layers.\r\n\tDeep understanding of rate limiting, token forwarding, header injection, proxy chaining, and other common gateway patterns.\r\n\tDesigning multi-tenant routing, fallback behaviours, and token introspection across a distributed gateway mesh.\r\n\r\n\r\n \r\n\r\nServer-Driven UI (SDUI)\r\n\r\n\r\n\tDesigning or integrating with layout-as-data systems (e.g., JSON/DSL-based rendering strategies).\r\n\tBuilding or scaling layout resolver/view resolver services that power mobile/web SDUI clients.\r\n\tExperience working with CMS or backend-defined UI schemas, and coordinating dynamic rendering across surfaces.\r\n\tFamiliarity with composition boundaries, component hydration, and dynamic navigation structures.\r\n\r\n\r\n \r\n\r\nBackend for Frontend (BFF)\r\n\r\n\r\n\tLeading development of BFFs that orchestrate multiple upstream services and expose clean APIs to the frontend/mobile.\r\n\tProven success in reducing complexity through thoughtful contract design and caching strategies.\r\n\tComfortable working with GraphQL, REST aggregation, and API versioning best practices.\r\n\tSupporting multi-surface delivery (web, native iOS/Android, kiosk/tablet) through adaptive response logic.\r\n\r\n\r\n \r\n\r\nHow You’ll Succeed: \r\n\r\n \r\n\r\nAt Loblaw Digital, we seek great people to continually strengthen our culture. We believe great people model our values, are authentic, build trust and make connections. \r\n\r\n \r\n\r\nWe’re able to keep innovating because our colleagues are passionate about their work and excited about the future of eCommerce.\r\n\r\n \r\n\r\nIf you have big ideas, undeniable enthusiasm, and thrive in a collaborative, creative, and diverse group, we’ll get along just fine.\r\n\r\n \r\n\r\nLooking for a challenge? Good. Love an innovative work environment? Even better.\r\n\r\n \r\n\r\nApply today.\r\n\r\n \r\n\r\nEmployment Type:\r\n\r\nFull time\r\n\r\n \r\n\r\nType of Role:\r\n\r\nRegular\r\n\r\n \r\n\r\nLoblaw Digital recognizes Canada's diversity as a source of national pride and strength. We have made it a priority to reflect our nation’s evolving diversity in the products we sell, the people we hire, and the culture we create in our organization. Accommodation is available upon request for applicants with disabilities in the recruitment and assessment process and when hired.\r\n
