Senior Software Engineer (Back-end, Core Services) - Prague, Czechia

As a Senior Software Engineer (Back-end, Core Services) at Outreach, your primary responsibilities include building and enhancing microservices that support our email and calendar functionalities. You will tackle challenging technical problems, design scalable system architectures, and write high-quality code using languages like Go and Ruby on Rails. Collaborating with product managers, you'll translate requirements into actionable solutions while keeping user experience and performance at the forefront.

Candidates for the Senior Software Engineer (Back-end, Core Services) position at Outreach should have demonstrated experience in software engineering, specifically with distributed systems and cloud service-oriented architectures. Proficiency in Go or Ruby programming is advantageous, as well as familiarity with database systems like MySQL and NoSQL options. Strong communication skills and a commitment to teamwork are essential, as you will be taking ownership of features and delivering solutions collaboratively.

In your role as a Senior Software Engineer (Back-end, Core Services) at Outreach, you will work with a modern tech stack that primarily includes Go for backend development, alongside Ruby on Rails for legacy applications. You will interact with various databases, including MySQL, PostgreSQL, and AWS DynamoDB, and utilize messaging systems like Kafka and RabbitMQ. Additionally, involvement with GraphQL for data layer transitions is expected in this dynamic environment.

The team culture at Outreach for the Senior Software Engineer (Back-end, Core Services) role is centered around collaboration, support, and shared success. Team members embody core values such as grit, honesty, and responsibility, and everyone is encouraged to contribute their unique perspectives. With an open-door policy and fun team outings, the atmosphere is welcoming, allowing you to thrive both personally and professionally as part of a diverse community.

Senior Software Engineers at Outreach enjoy a comprehensive benefits package, which includes a highly competitive salary, flexible time off policy with 5 weeks of vacation, and supplementary pension contributions. You’ll also have access to private medical care, life insurance, meal vouchers, and family-related leave options, ensuring both you and your family’s well-being are prioritized. Plus, the company supports diversity and inclusion initiatives, enriching the workplace experience.

When answering this question, focus on your passion for problem-solving and the challenge of building scalable systems. Discuss your interest in the technologies used at Outreach like Go or Ruby, and mention how you enjoy transforming complex ideas into functional and efficient code. It’s also beneficial to touch upon your enthusiasm for collaboration within a team-oriented environment.

In your response, share a specific example of a project where you identified a performance bottleneck. Detail the approaches you took to analyze the issue, any optimizations you implemented, and the measurable outcomes of your improvements. Highlight collaborative efforts if you worked with teammates to achieve these results, showcasing your problem-solving skills and dedication to quality.

Discuss your approach to writing tests, conducting code reviews, and following best practices such as test-driven development (TDD). Mention any specific tools or frameworks you find useful for maintaining code quality. Additionally, emphasize the importance of continuous learning in improving your coding techniques and staying updated with industry standards as a Senior Software Engineer.

Provide a clear example of your previous experience with microservices, outlining the advantages you've seen, such as improved scalability or maintenance of services. Talk about your understanding of service interactions and how they fit within cloud architectures, and reference any relevant projects you've worked on that may align with Outreach's goals.

Explain your flexibility and adaptability when dealing with shifting project requirements. Talk about your communication strategies with product managers and stakeholders to clarify needs and iterate on solutions. Perhaps include an instance where you successfully navigated changes to deliver a project that met new specifications effectively.

Share your preferred monitoring and debugging tools, such as Prometheus, Grafana, or Sentry, and explain how they have helped you identify and rectify issues in live systems. Discuss the importance of error tracking and performance metrics in maintaining high service reliability, as well as any experience you have in using these tools at Outreach.

Tailor your answer to highlight your experience with relational and NoSQL databases, particularly MySQL, PostgreSQL, and AWS DynamoDB. Provide examples of database design or optimization work you've completed, and describe how your knowledge of databases enhances your back-end development skills, particularly in a high-demand environment like Outreach.

Discuss the importance of reliability, transparency, and efficient system performance in fostering user trust. Draw on experiences where you’ve prioritized user feedback or proposed solutions that bolstered user confidence in the products you’ve developed. The focus should be on understanding user pain points and actively addressing them within the scope of your engineering work.

Mention methods you utilize to stay abreast of technological advancements, such as following industry blogs, participating in coding communities, attending conferences, or engaging in online courses. Highlighting your commitment to continuously learning will resonate well with Outreach, which emphasizes innovation and growth.

For this question, it’s essential to connect your skills and career goals with Outreach's mission and values. Discuss how their commitment to improving revenue workflows resonates with your interests in building impactful software. Highlight the company’s culture around diversity and inclusion and your eagerness to contribute to their vision, making a strong case for your alignment with the organization.