Full Stack Engineer

As a Full Stack Engineer at Nautical, your primary responsibilities will include building and maintaining backend APIs and frontend applications that form our marketplace platform. You'll engage in various phases of product development—planning, building, testing, and deploying code. Collaborating closely with other engineers and product managers, you will also work on improving our products based on customer feedback, ensuring we deliver the best value in the ecommerce space.

To qualify for the Full Stack Engineer role at Nautical, candidates should have experience in building and scaling web applications. A solid understanding of various web frameworks, as well as proficiency with REST and GraphQL APIs, is essential. You should also be skilled in creating user interfaces that adhere to UX best practices. Familiarity with cloud architecture and containerization through Kubernetes is a plus, especially if you have worked in fast-paced startups focusing on ecommerce or fintech.

At Nautical, we utilize a modern tech stack to build our platform. For the backend, we rely on Django, Postgres, and GraphQL, while our frontend applications are developed using Typescript, Remix, and Next.js. In terms of infrastructure, we leverage cloud platforms like GCP, Kubernetes, and Terraform to ensure our system is scalable and efficient. Our engineers are encouraged to explore and suggest improvements, making it a collaborative environment.

The work environment for a Full Stack Engineer at Nautical is a hybrid model that promotes collaboration and flexibility. We believe in face-to-face interaction and expect our team to be present in the office three days a week—Tuesday through Thursday. This setup allows for dynamic brainstorming sessions and hands-on teamwork while offering the option to work remotely on other days. Our office is located in the heart of Downtown Toronto, making it accessible and inviting.

At Nautical, we hold several core values that we expect all team members to embody, especially our Full Stack Engineers. These include intellectual honesty, accountability, embracing failure as a learning opportunity, and fostering a collaborative spirit where the best ideas prevail. We celebrate diverse thoughts and perspectives, ensuring that everyone feels respected and supported in their efforts to carry forward our mission to democratize marketplace technology.

When responding to this question, highlight a specific project where you faced significant obstacles. Discuss the technologies you used, the collaborative efforts with your team, the problem-solving strategies implemented, and ultimately, how the project success reinforced your skills as a Full Stack Engineer.

When asked this, explain your methodical approach to API design. Discuss starting with understanding the data model and user needs, how you define endpoints, and consider security measures. Mention testing and documentation processes to ensure the APIs are user-friendly and effective.

Here, you could talk about your practices like writing unit tests, code reviews, and adhering to coding standards. Emphasize any tools you employ to maintain code quality and collaboration with other engineers to improve performance and reliability.

In response, discuss how you evaluate tasks based on their impact on the product and deadlines. Talk about your prioritized communication with stakeholders to align goals and how you adapt to changing requirements while maintaining a focus on delivering value.

Mention reputable resources such as online courses, tech blogs, forums, and developer communities that you follow to stay updated. Stress the importance of continuous learning and how you like to experiment with new technologies through side projects.

Discuss your familiarity with cloud platforms like GCP and any hands-on experience you've had with services like Kubernetes, Docker, or Terraform. Provide examples of projects where you utilized cloud technologies and the benefits they brought to your development processes.

Reflect on the importance of customer feedback in the product development cycle. Explain your approach to collecting feedback, analyzing it, and incorporating changes to enhance the user experience while ensuring stakeholders are informed about updates.

To address this, mention the importance of open communication and using collaboration tools (like Slack, Zoom, or project management software) that facilitate teamwork. Talk about setting regular check-ins to stay connected with remote team members and value the time spent together in the office.

Highlight qualities such as adaptability, strong problem-solving skills, technical expertise, and the ability to communicate effectively with both technical and non-technical stakeholders. Emphasize how these traits enable a Full Stack Engineer to contribute significantly to the team's success.

In your answer, explain that handling deadlines requires proper time management and prioritization. Share techniques such as breaking tasks into smaller pieces, effective communication with team members, and maintaining flexibility to adapt to challenges as they arise.