Optical engineer Jobs in Toronto, ON

Who We Are ZOLEO is building the next generation of connected communication devices — integrating hardware, firmware, mobile applications, and cloud services into one seamless global experience. We design technology that keeps people connected when it matters most, combining satellite and cellular networks into a reliable, global messaging ecosystem.

Our products are trusted by adventurers, remote workers, and emergency responders around the world. We’re driven by the challenge of bridging the gap between devices, apps, and cloud services to create a truly unified user experience — one that works anywhere. Why This Role Matters We are building a greenfield platform — a core system that will power ZOLEO and future products, enabling us to create technology we own, control, and evolve for the next generation of global connectivity.

As the Staff Engineer, you’ll help architect and develop this platform from the ground up, establishing the technical foundation for ZOLEO’s evolution into a truly product-led organization.

You’ll use an AI-First approach to design scalable systems using AWS and TypeScript and set the standard for engineering excellence across our platform.

This is not just a development role — it’s a foundational opportunity to shape ZOLEO’s technology, culture, and products.

What’s In It For You Impact and Ownership.

You’ll architect and deliver one of the most critical systems in ZOLEO’s history — a core platform that becomes the backbone of ZOLEO’s next-generation services.

Success means seeing your work in production, powering global communication with reliability, speed, and scale.

A True Greenfield Challenge.

You’ll design cloud-native architecture from the ground up. You’ll work in an AI-enhanced engineering environment that uses tools like GitHub Copilot, Cursor and others, to accelerate exploration, improve code quality, and reduce friction in day-to-day development.

These tools augment your expertise and support a modern, forward-leaning approach to building cloud-native systems.

Technical Leadership and Growth .

You’ll set architectural direction and technically guide a small team, helping keep our systems coherent, scalable, and cloud-native.

You’ll work directly with the Principal Developer and VP of Technology in a fast, low-bureaucracy environment where decisions are made through clear technical reasoning, not layers of process.

Your voice will shape our platform’s evolution and the engineering culture around it.

A Culture That Values Curiosity and Craftsmanship.

We’re a team of builders who believe in doing things the right way — with technical rigor, code reviews, test driven development, and a spirit of collaboration.

You’ll see the results of your decisions in real-world performance metrics, seamless integrations, and a team executing cohesively across geographies.

What You’ll Do Design for Scale and Impact.

Architect and implement core services and APIs that support ZOLEO’s growth and new product experiences.

You’ll define architecture that is secure, scalable, and cloud-native, ensuring it performs reliably and integrates seamlessly with ZOLEO’s hardware, mobile app and infrastructure.

Build What Powers Connection.

Develop a core geographically resilient backend services in TypeScript and Node.js, leveraging AWS tools such as SQS, Lambda, EC2, S3, and Temporal.

Apply test-driven development (TDD) and contribute to CI/CD pipelines, delivering production-ready software that’s stable, efficient, and measurable in its performance improvements.

Lead Through Craft and Clarity.

Provide technical leadership to a small team of developers — guiding architecture and solution design, reviewing code, and upholding strong engineering standards.

Your technical leadership will be measured by the clarity of your technical direction, the quality of your team’s work, and the culture of collaboration you help foster.

Partner Across Teams for Seamless Integration.

Collaborate closely with Product Management, and other engineering teams to ensure our systems deliver low-latency, high-reliability experiences.

Your success will be measured by the seamlessness of integration and positive feedback from internal stakeholders.

Evolve How We Build and Deliver.

Champion modern development practices and AI-assisted workflows to reduce repetitive work, accelerate scaffolding, and unlock more time for high-value design and architectural innovation.

Always experimenting.

What you Bring AI-Native System Design.

A proven AI-first approach to architecture and software engineering Technical Mastery that Builds the Future.

You bring 8+ years of backend engineering experience with deep expertise in TypeScript and Node.js, and a proven track record building distributed, cloud-native systems at scale.

You’re fluent in AWS services — SQS, Lambda, EC2, S3, and ideally Temporal — and you design systems for performance, reliability, and security.

You believe in TDD, CI/CD, and writing code that’s not only functional but built to last.

Leading by Building.

You can unify a distributed team around shared technical principles, drive alignment across stakeholders, and set a standard for thoughtful, reliable engineering.

You measure your impact by system stability, delivery velocity, and team cohesion.

A Problem Solver’s Curiosity.

You love to explore, question, and refine.

You approach every challenge as a system to understand — breaking it down, evaluating trade-offs, and finding better ways forward.

Collaboration that Scales.

You communicate with clarity and purpose.

You thrive in environments where engineering and product collaborate closely, and you know that great software is built through open discussion, shared ownership, and continuous learning.

You value feedback loops and alignment as keys to sustainable, cross-functional success.

What We Offer Salary Range.

• $170,000 - $190,000 CAD base salary.

Flexible Work.

A hybrid model; balancing collaboration and lifestyle flexibility.

Comprehensive Benefits.

Health, dental, and flexible spending accounts tailored to your needs.

Time to Recharge.

Vacation and sick days to help you rest, recharge, and stay well.

Growth Investment .

A continuous learning environment backed by a professional development budget.

Inclusive by Nature.

A values-driven workplace where diverse perspectives are celebrated.

Apply Now Our recruitment process may use artificial intelligence tools, alongside human review, to assist with the screening or assessment of candidates.

We are currently hiring for this role and welcome candidates from all backgrounds and experiences.

We are committed to fostering an inclusive, accessible workplace.

If you meet around 70% of the qualifications, we still encourage you to apply — we’d love to hear from you.

We’re happy to provide reasonable accommodations throughout the recruitment process; if you require support, please let us know when you apply, and we’ll work with you to meet your needs.

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