Lead Software Engineer - job 6 of 44

As a Lead Software Engineer at our company in Foster City, your primary responsibilities will include managing our 24/7 systems that support merchants. You will troubleshoot issues within SLAs, collaborate with development and product teams to improve processes, and build next-gen monitoring tools to enhance our systems' efficiency. Moreover, you'll participate in post-release activities, ensuring that production remains stable and that application performances are optimized for our scalable payment processing environment.

To apply for the Lead Software Engineer role in Foster City, you'll need a Bachelor's degree in Computer Science or Engineering, with a Master's degree being a plus. Additionally, hands-on experience in Unix/Linux OS environments, expertise with performance testing tools such as LoadRunner and JMeter, and coding knowledge in either Java or Python are essential. Being familiar with APM solutions and having experience working in a fast-paced 24/7 environment will significantly enhance your application.

The Lead Software Engineer position is hybrid, allowing you flexibility in your work location. The expected number of days in the office will be communicated by your Hiring Manager. This setup gives you the opportunity to balance in-person collaboration with the comfort of working from home.

Preferred skills for the Lead Software Engineer role include a strong understanding of Disaster Recovery methodologies, experience working with Agile teams, and proficiency in monitoring tools like Splunk and Grafana. Familiarity with containerized microservices and being able to define performance strategies will also set you apart from other candidates.

As a Lead Software Engineer in Foster City, you will have on-call responsibilities, which means being available to respond to urgent issues that may arise outside of regular business hours. This requires not only technical expertise but also effective communication skills to coordinate with team members and address incidents swiftly.

In answering this question, highlight your hands-on experience with Unix/Linux, including any specific projects where you utilized operating system internals, file systems, and networking protocols. Discuss how your knowledge has contributed to successfully resolving issues or improving system performance.

Your response should outline your methodology for identifying performance bottlenecks, addressing them through monitoring tools and coding solutions. Provide examples of tools like LoadRunner or APM solutions you have used and specific outcomes of your optimization strategies.

Use the STAR method (Situation, Task, Action, Result) to structure your response. Share a specific example from your past where you faced a significant challenge, what steps you took to investigate and resolve it, and what the final outcome was, emphasizing your technical skills and teamwork.

Discuss your familiarity with various monitoring tools like AppDynamics, Dynatrace, or Grafana. Share your reasons for preferring specific tools and how you've employed them in past projects to proactively monitor and improve application performance.

Focus on your interpersonal skills and leadership abilities. Emphasize the importance of clear communication, setting expectations, and possibly helping the team member with resources or support to ensure project timelines are met.

Share specific experiences where you implemented Agile practices in your previous roles. Discuss your familiarity with Scrum or Kanban, how you've interacted with product owners or stakeholders, and the outcomes of using Agile methodologies in project delivery.

Outline your experiences with disaster recovery exercises and planning. Discuss the importance of having robust recovery strategies in place, and describe any previous scenarios where you've successfully developed or executed a disaster recovery plan.

Talk about your approach to task prioritization, perhaps mentioning specific tools you use (like JIRA) and how you assess the urgency and importance of tasks to keep projects moving forward efficiently.

Clearly outline your proficiency in coding languages such as Java or Python. Provide examples of projects where you applied these languages to solve complex problems or enhance system functionality.

Use an example from your work history to illustrate how you assessed a process that needed improvement, the changes you proposed or implemented, and the positive impact those changes had on your team or project outcomes.