Front end developer Jobs in Ottawa, ON

About RBR: Making waves since 1973

At RBR, we’ve been designing cutting-edge instruments to measure our blue planet for over 50 years. Built to withstand the harshest environments on Earth, our instruments are deployed from the ocean’s deepest trenches to the polar ice caps, capturing essential data on water temperature, salinity, pH, and more. This data empowers researchers in the global fight against climate change, and our technology supports groundbreaking science with partners like Fisheries and Oceans Canada, Woods Hole, the Scripps Institution, and the British Antarctic Survey.

At RBR, we care deeply about our work, each other, the environment, and the global communities we serve. We value teamwork, continuous improvement, and having fun along the way. From weekly lunches to social events, we’re a crew that thrives on complex, exciting challenges that have a meaningful impact on the blue planet! Ready to make waves with us? Apply below!

About the Role

As the Senior Software Developer, you’ll be joining a small, collaborative software team at RBR. Your primary focus will be Ruskin, RBR’s flagship cross-platform desktop application (Mac and Windows) that connects to, configures, and deploys our full instrument lineup, and integrates with other internal systems to keep everything in one place. A secondary focus is our calibration software ecosystem, including a standalone calibration application currently being spun out of Ruskin into its own product.

You’ll work closely with every engineering discipline at RBR, which means your code has a direct impact on the physical instruments our customers rely on. This is a full-stack role with real breadth: from UI and databases through to low-level instrument communications and release engineering. You’ll own 3–4 projects at a time, seeing them from requirements through to delivery, and interfacing directly with other teams to make it happen.

This is a fast-moving environment where priorities shift by the hour, the right person finds that energising, not frustrating.

What you'll build:

🏗️ Next-gen architecture

• Evolve Ruskin’s sophisticated multi-layered Java-based desktop platform and design scalable systems for processing sensor data

• Drive the software roadmap and long-term architectural vision

• Contribute to and improve our CI/CD pipelines, build system, and release planning

• Build and improve automated testing and DevOps processes, everyone on this team chips in here

⚡ Real-time systems & instrument communication

• Develop robust communication protocols between Ruskin and RBR’s instrument lineup

• Optimise database and storage interactions

• Architect and maintain instrument communication frameworks

🔬 Calibration software & APIs

• Build and maintain calibration software systems and REST APIs using Spring/Spring Boot

• Develop and improve our standalone calibration application (currently being spun out of Ruskin)

• Integrate calibration workflows with QA, manufacturing, and lab operations

🎨 User experience

• Design intuitive UIs for both researchers (customers) and RBR’s internal Calibration team

• Balance functionality with usability for mission-critical desktop applications

• Bring a UI/UX lens to design discussions, we want someone who thinks about the end user, not just the code

🔧 Team & support

• Provide internal support to Engineering, Production, and Calibration teams

• Action support tickets from external users and the global oceanographic community

• Review and test code changes from other developers, QA is a shared responsibility, not a separate function

• Provide technical mentorship and conduct design and code reviews

🌐 Global & scientific impact

• Support researchers deploying instruments worldwide and contribute to open science

• Provide developer-level support to the global oceanographic community

• Ensure data accuracy through reliable, well-integrated calibration systems

What you bring:

• Hands-on Java development experience (J2SE, J2ME, or J2EE) - you’ve built real software and can show it

• Experience developing desktop applications (Windows and/or macOS) - this is not a SaaS or cloud role

• Comfort spanning the full stack: UI through to backend, data, and external system integrations

• A track record of contributing to QA and testing - not handing it off to someone else

• Some exposure to DevOps practices and build automation; you’ve created or improved automated processes

• Strong OOP fundamentals, design patterns, and cross-platform development experience

Nice to haves:

• UI frameworks: SWT, Swing, or JavaFX for desktop; HTML and REST for where we’re headed

• SQLite for database experience; Spring or Spring Boot signals awareness of our modern Java direction

• Eclipse IDE familiarity

• UI/UX sensibility — even informal experience thinking about usability and design

• Familiarity with AI development tools (GitHub Copilot, ChatGPT, Claude, Gemini, etc.) or a genuine interest in working with them — this is a real differentiator for us

• Experience architecting complex, multi-tiered systems integrating hardware, databases, APIs, and user interfaces

Salary range: $120,000–$155,000
The final salary and job level will depend on your experience and qualifications. We know great talent shows up at different points in a career - whether you’re earlier in your journey or bring senior-level experience, we encourage you to apply. Depending on fit, the role level may shift accordingly.

Why you'll love working at RBR

• 🌴 20 days of vacation, plus a company-wide holiday shutdown and paid sick days

• 🩺 Benefits from day 1 & RRSP contribution matching

• 💰 Bonus program

• 🏋🏽 Annual fitness reimbursement program

• 🚴 Greener commuting incentive program (bike-to-work, carpool, or transit passes)

• 🚗 EV reimbursement program + on-site charging stations

• 💝 Charitable donation matching

• 🌮 Weekly lunches (on us!)

• 🎉 Team events and social activities

• 🤝 Collaborative, supportive work environment

• 🧠 Work alongside passionate experts spanning multiple disciplines

• 🌊 Direct impact on climate science and ocean research

At RBR, we celebrate and support diversity in our workplace. As an equal-opportunity employer, we welcome people from all backgrounds and aim to find the most talented person for each role. Accommodations are available upon request at every stage of the selection process.

AI statement: At RBR, we may use artificial intelligence (AI) tools during parts of our hiring process. These tools may be used to support note-taking, scheduling, and/or organizing candidate information. Final hiring decisions are made by our people.