Staff Engineer

The Role Rakuten Kobo is looking for a Staff Software Engineer, Front-End, to join our awesome development team that owns the front-end web platform and in-house design system. The team is responsible for enabling and empowering the delivery of delightful, performant, and accessible user experiences. This is a remote position based in Toronto, Canada.As a Staff Software Engineer, you'll be a technical leader and mentor to the team. You’ll work closely with cross-functional stakeholders and senior leadership to drive decision making and alignment. Our engineers are enthusiastic and operate across the development spectrum, including front-end architecture, design system, back-end integrations, infrastructure, and deployment pipelines. We take full responsibility for our work, from driving requirements gathering and solutioning, to implementation and testing, through to releasing and monitoring. Rakuten Kobo is looking for an engineer who shares these passions, takes pride in delivering high-quality solutions, and is eager to elevate the craft of software engineering.Reporting to the Senior Software Engineering Manager, the Staff Software Engineer will play a pivotal role in shaping the technical direction and execution across all aspects of delivery. This includes leading technical design discussions, strategic planning, navigating complex challenges, and ensuring the reliability and observability of our systems in production.ResponsibilitiesLead the development of the front-end web platform, identifying areas of opportunity and points of friction in enabling other teams to effectively build on top of it.Work closely with architects and principal engineers to define and implement our vision for our front-end architecture, alongside advancements to underlying frameworks.Take ownership of technical decisions and guide the team through complex challenges, ensuring best practices are followed and scalable solutions are implemented.Lead the expansion of our in-house design system, ensuring consistency and reusability of components and patterns. Work closely with design and accessibility teams.Explore opportunities to expedite the process of moving from designs to display, with minimal developer involvement, by leveraging automation and the latest AI tooling.The SkillsetRequiredComputer Science or Computer Engineering degree, or equivalent experience.Ability to clearly communicate and collaborate with various teams and cross-functional stakeholders. Comfortable presenting to both technical and non-technical audiences.Passionate about fostering a culture of learning and technical excellence through knowledge sharing, mentorship, meticulous code reviews, and constructive feedback.Comfortable working in a fast-paced environment, with a focus on iterating quickly and improving continuously. Familiar with Agile methodologies, such as Kanban and Scrum.Expertise with front-end development frameworks, ideally React and Next JS. Extensive knowledge of CSS, including libraries such as Tailwind and Styled Components.Excellent understanding of web and accessibility standards, including interactivity, responsiveness, performance, security, and cross-browser compatibility.Extremely high level of proficiency with JavaScript and TypeScript.Expertise with design systems, preferably React Aria, and Storybook.Experience with trunk-based development and version control systems, preferably Git.Knowledgeable about testing strategies and techniques (unit, integration, end-to-end).Nice to HaveKnowledge of scripting languages, such as Python or Ruby.Knowledge of object-oriented programming and principles.Experience with test automation using Selenium or Playwright.Experience with CI/CD pipelines, leveraging GitHub Workflows and Argo CD.Familiar with communication protocols, including HTTP, RPC, and WebSockets.Experience with containerization and orchestration, using Docker and Kubernetes.Familiar with message brokers and streaming platforms, such as RabbitMQ and Kafka.Familiar with architectural patterns, such as back-end for front-end and API gateways.The PerksFlexible hours and hybrid remote working environmentSubsidized in-office lunchesFull benefits starting from your first dayPaid Volunteer days, unlimited sick days, and 3% RRSP matchingMonthly commuting allowance for those who are hybridLifestyle spending accountTalent and development training budgetFree Kobo device + free weekly e-book or audiobookWeekly Kobo Tech University sessionsMaternity/paternity leave top upDog friendly office