Lead Software Engineer - job 18 of 44

As a Lead Software Engineer at our company, you will be responsible for mastering the MAP systems that support our merchants, quickly resolving support issues within established SLAs, and collaborating with teams to optimize the development process. You will build monitoring tools, automate production support activities, ensure smooth releases in production, and create performance models for our payment processing systems.

To be eligible for the Lead Software Engineer role, candidates should have hands-on experience with Unix/Linux environments and a strong understanding of system internals. Proficiency in programming languages like Java and Python is essential, along with experience in performance strategy and monitoring tools. A Bachelor's degree in Computer Science or Engineering is required, while a Master's degree is preferred.

The Lead Software Engineer role is crucial for our team's success as it involves optimizing performance, reducing detection times for issues, and ensuring the reliability of our payment processing systems. By collaborating effectively with development and product teams, you will promote a culture of innovation and efficiency that directly impacts our merchant support and overall productivity.

The work environment for the Lead Software Engineer position is a hybrid model, allowing some flexibility with in-office days to be confirmed by your Hiring Manager. This setup promotes collaboration while also providing the comfort of working from home, fostering a productive and engaging workspace.

Beyond the essential technical skills, a Lead Software Engineer will greatly benefit from strong communication and teamwork abilities. Familiarity with Agile methodologies, monitoring tools like Splunk and Grafana, and an understanding of disaster recovery protocols will also enhance your contributions and effectiveness within the team.

In your answer, highlight specific challenges you've navigated and tools you've used in Unix/Linux environments. Share examples of how you optimized performance and how this experience benefits system reliability.

Talk about your structured approach to identifying bottlenecks, the tools you leverage for testing, and how you implement changes. Use specific metrics or past experiences for context.

Share a specific example where your automation efforts resulted in significant improvements in efficiency. Highlight the tools and scripts you used, and the impact on the team's productivity.

Discuss your methodology for pre-release testing, post-release monitoring, and how you work collaboratively with teams to mitigate potential release issues. Mention any tools you use to facilitate this process.

Explain your criteria for prioritization based on business impact, SLA requirements, and urgency. Share an example that demonstrates your effective prioritization skills.

Detail any specific projects where you successfully utilized these tools to conduct load testing, explaining the results and improvements achieved for system performance.

Share a specific incident where you employed troubleshooting and analytical skills to resolve a production issue. Discuss the steps taken and the outcome.

Emphasize the importance of strong communication, especially when collaborating with different teams or stakeholders. Share an example of how effective communication made a difference in a project.

Describe the key components of a performance strategy, including identifying baselines, monitoring tools, and the importance of regular evaluations. Offer insight into how you would implement and adjust this strategy over time.

Discuss current trends such as microservices architecture, serverless computing, or cloud-native approaches. Offer your perspective on how these trends can enhance scalability and performance in systems.