Senior Software Engineer, Backend - job 1 of 2

As a Senior Software Engineer, Backend at Grab, you will be responsible for collaborating with product and design teams to understand requirements, owning and implementing features for our Catalog and UGC platforms, and ensuring high-quality code delivery. Your role will also entail technical discussions with engineering teams, reviewing peer code, and troubleshooting production issues during on-call duties.

To qualify for the Senior Software Engineer, Backend role at Grab, candidates should possess a Bachelor's degree in Computer Science or related fields, a strong foundation in algorithms and data structures, as well as at least 5 years of software engineering experience. Familiarity with distributed systems and cloud technologies is essential, along with experience shipping products to production.

While a good coder in any language can succeed in the Senior Software Engineer, Backend role at Grab, candidates should be willing to work with Golang. Familiarity with other languages and experience in creating robust backend services will also be beneficial.

Grab offers a supportive environment for the professional growth of its Senior Software Engineers. You will have opportunities to collaborate with top engineers, participate in technical discussions, receive constructive feedback during code reviews, and propose engineering enhancements, which all contribute to continuous learning and development within the organization.

At Grab, benefits for Senior Software Engineers include comprehensive medical and term life insurance, flexible work arrangements, parental and birthday leave, and access to the Grabber Assistance Programme, which supports personal and family well-being. Additionally, Grab emphasizes community engagement through volunteering opportunities.

In responding to this question, highlight specific projects or experiences where you designed, implemented, or operated distributed systems. Discuss the tools and technologies used and the scale at which you operated, as well as any lessons learned about handling failures or optimizing performance.

When answering, mention key principles such as modular design, code reuse, implementing algorithms for efficiency, and ensuring proper documentation. Example best practices include using design patterns that promote scalability and maintaining clean code for easier maintenance.

Discuss your systematic approach to troubleshooting, including gathering relevant data, using logs for insights, and collaborating with team members for diverse perspectives. Highlight the importance of analyzing root causes to prevent similar issues in the future.

In your response, emphasize your time management skills, prioritization techniques, and ability to communicate effectively with team members. Provide examples of how you've successfully met tight deadlines without compromising on code quality.

Be sure to list specific cloud providers you've used, such as AWS, Google Cloud, or Azure, and mention particular services like serverless architecture, container orchestration, or storage solutions. Discuss how you've implemented these technologies in previous roles.

When discussing your code review process, explain how you provide constructive feedback, the importance of maintaining consistency in coding standards, and how you encourage a culture of learning and improvement within the team.

Provide a specific example of a project that required coordination between product design, engineering, and QA teams. Highlight your role, communication strategies, and how you ensured that all teams worked towards a common goal.

In your answer, discuss your passion for problem-solving, your drive to create impactful solutions, and the joy you find in collaborating with others. Mention any specific challenges that have inspired you in your career.

Explain your commitment to quality by discussing practices such as thorough testing, implementing CI/CD pipelines, and conducting code reviews. Illustrate how these practices enhance reliability and performance in the applications you develop.

Share your enthusiasm for Grab’s mission to empower users across Southeast Asia. Discuss how your skills align with Grab’s core values, your interest in contributing to a transformative platform, and how you look forward to working with a talented team.