Senior Software Engineer, Payroll

As a Senior Software Engineer at Justworks, you'll be responsible for designing, implementing, and maintaining the payroll and payroll taxation services. This means you'll create the APIs that process complex tax calculations and improve the performance of mission-critical systems that require high accuracy. You'll also collaborate with your team to translate product requirements into actionable deliverables, ensuring we meet our customers' needs effectively.

To qualify for the Senior Software Engineer role at Justworks, candidates should have a minimum of 5 years of experience in software engineering, focusing on backend and API development. Proficiency in a server-side language like Ruby, Python, Go, or Node is essential, along with experience in relational database schema design. A strong understanding of building maintainable systems in complex business domains is also crucial.

In the Senior Software Engineer role at Justworks, you will work with various technologies, including Ruby on Rails, Go, ReactJS, MySQL, PostgreSQL, and Redis. Familiarity with software testing and monitoring infrastructure is also beneficial as you enhance our systems for scalability and resilience.

Teamwork is vital in the Senior Software Engineer role at Justworks. You will collaborate closely with product managers, fellow engineers, and various stakeholders to develop solutions that enhance the user experience. Effective communication and a collaborative spirit are encouraged, as they lead to greater innovations and successful project outcomes.

Justworks values critical thinking, resourcefulness, and strong communication skills in its Senior Software Engineers. Additionally, a commitment to mentoring and knowledge-sharing within the team is essential. Understanding payroll taxation intricacies and demonstrating empathy towards internal stakeholders also reflect our company's core values.

When asked about implementing a payroll calculation API, describe your approach to researching payroll requirements, defining endpoints, and structuring the API for performance. Detail your choices of technologies and how you would ensure accuracy and compliance with regulations.

When addressing your experience with database schema design, highlight specific projects where you developed or optimized schemas. Discuss how you handled relational data and ensured integrity, especially in a regulatory context.

In your response, discuss your method for prioritizing tasks based on project impact and deadlines. Expand on the tools or techniques you use to keep track of milestones and ensure that development aligns with business objectives.

When sharing a complex problem-solving experience, choose a specific project, describe the problem clearly, and outline the steps you took to analyze and resolve it. Highlight the tools or methodologies you used and the outcome achieved.

Discuss your rigorous testing methodologies, including unit tests, integration tests, and performance validation. Explain how you ensure that software meets high standards of quality through automated testing and peer reviews.

Explain your strategies for staying current, such as attending industry conferences, participating in online courses, or being part of developer communities. Highlight how you’ve applied newly learned technologies in your projects.

In answering this question, detail specific instances where team collaboration led to successful project outcomes. Emphasize your role in facilitating communication and resolving conflicts to keep projects on track.

Discuss best practices you've implemented to enhance reliability, such as redundancy, monitoring, and automated recovery protocols. Share experiences when these strategies averted crises or improved system performance.

Detail how you would approach mentoring by offering guidance on both technical skills and soft skills. Discuss specific methods you would use to ensure the junior engineer feels supported and encouraged to ask questions.

Reflect your passion for using technology to solve real-world problems, especially in payroll. Tie in your admiration for Justworks’ mission and how you believe your skills can contribute to the company's goals.