Software Engineer
CircleCI · Ontario, Canada
- Hybrid
- Full-time
- CA$159,000 / year
- Ontario, Canada
Job highlights
- Build AI-native software and reinvent interfaces.
- Full-stack ownership with a high craft bar.
- Focus on reliability, responsiveness, and observability.
- Use Go for backend development and system design.
- Shape developer experience for thousands daily.
About the role
About CircleCI Engineering
CI/CD has been solved. Now it's being reinvented. AI agents don't just run pipelines. They write code, trigger builds, interpret failures, and propose fixes. The interfaces that developers use to understand and trust that work don't exist yet. We're building them.
At CircleCI, our guiding principles aren't posters on a wall. We learn fast: we run experiments, accept failure, and scale what works. We think like the customer: every decision connects back to the developer sitting in front of a failing build at 2 am. We own the outcome: not just our slice of it, but the whole thing. If that's how you already work, you'll fit here.
Team-Agnostic Placement
We don't hire for a team. We hire for CircleCI. Where you land depends on where your strengths create the most leverage, and we figure that out together. You might own the CI pipeline experience, deploy and release tooling, notification infrastructure, monetization flows, AI agent surfaces, or the foundational web platform. The through line across all of it is the same: full-stack ownership, a high bar for craft, and work that directly shapes how tens of thousands of developers experience CircleCI every day.
What You'll Do
- Build AI-natively. AI is how we work. It’s not a productivity layer on top of engineering, but the default starting point for how problems get approached and solved.
- Invent new interfaces. Software delivery is being reinvented. Pipelines run autonomously, generate fixes, and surface results that need human judgment. The tools developers use to understand, trust, and act on that work don't exist yet. You'll define what they look like.
- Obsess over craft. Reliability and responsiveness are design concerns, not afterthoughts. Care about how the interface holds up when stakes are high.
- Champion observability. Use Honeycomb, Datadog, and Rollbar to understand and improve your systems. Operational data drives stability, not just incident response.
- Pick up slack. You'll notice gaps and close them — not because you were asked, but because that's the standard we hold ourselves to.
What You'll Bring
- AI-native engineering practices. You use AI tools daily and can speak to what you've built, where they changed your approach, and where they fall short.
- A track record of shipping. You've built something real and put it in front of users.
- 3+ years of production full-stack, backend leaning experience.
- Backend depth. Strong backend expertise in Go, including API design, data modeling, and service integration, with the ability to contribute across the stack when needed.
- System design. You think about architecture, not just features. You make conscious tradeoffs and document your reasoning.
- Production mindset. Latency, responsiveness, and reliability are design concerns. You're comfortable operating services in a distributed environment.
About CircleCI
CircleCI is the world’s largest continuous integration/continuous delivery (CI/CD) platform, and the hub where code moves from idea to delivery. As one of the most-used DevOps tools - processing more than 3 million jobs a day - CircleCI has unique access to data on how the most effective engineering teams work, and the tools to help software companies successfully leverage the power of AI into their commercial applications. Companies like Hinge, HuggingFace, and Samsung use us to improve engineering team productivity, release better products, and get to market faster.
Founded in 2011 and headquartered in downtown San Francisco with a global, remote workforce, CircleCI is venture-backed by Base10, Greenspring Associates, Eleven Prime, IVP, Sapphire Ventures, Top Tier Capital Partners, Baseline Ventures, Threshold Ventures, Scale Venture Partners, Owl Rock Capital, Next Equity Partners, Heavybit, and Harrison Metal Capital.
CircleCI is an Equal Opportunity and Affirmative Action employer. We do not discriminate based upon race, religion, color, national origin, sexual orientation, gender, gender identity, gender expression, transgender status, sexual stereotypes, age, status as a protected veteran, status as an individual with a disability, or other applicable legally protected characteristics. We also consider qualified applicants with criminal histories, consistent with applicable federal, state and local law.
Key skills/competency
- Software Engineering
- AI-native development
- CI/CD
- Backend Development
- Go programming language
- API design
- System design
- Distributed systems
- Observability
- Production mindset
Skills & topics
- Software Engineer
- AI
- CI/CD
- Go
- Backend Development
- Full Stack
- System Design
- Observability
- Developer Tools
- Remote
How to get hired
- Tailor your resume: Highlight your AI-native practices, shipping track record, and 3+ years of full-stack, backend-leaning experience, especially with Go.
- Showcase system design: Emphasize your ability to think about architecture, make tradeoffs, and document reasoning in your application.
- Demonstrate production mindset: Detail your experience with latency, responsiveness, reliability, and operating services in distributed environments.
- Align with values: In your application and interviews, articulate how you learn fast, think like the customer, and own the outcome.
- Network and apply: Connect with current CircleCI engineers on LinkedIn and apply through their careers page.
Technical preparation
Behavioral questions
Frequently asked questions
- What is CircleCI looking for in a Software Engineer candidate?
- CircleCI is seeking a Software Engineer with AI-native engineering practices, a strong track record of shipping products, and 3+ years of full-stack, backend-leaning experience, particularly in Go. They value candidates who demonstrate expertise in system design, a production mindset focused on reliability, and a proactive approach to identifying and solving problems. Candidates should also align with CircleCI's guiding principles of learning fast, thinking like the customer, and owning the outcome.
- How does CircleCI incorporate AI into its engineering practices?
- At CircleCI, AI is not just a productivity tool but the default starting point for problem-solving. Software Engineers are expected to be AI-native, using AI tools daily and integrating them into their workflow to approach and solve problems. This includes building AI-natively and inventing new interfaces that leverage AI capabilities for software delivery.
- What is the expected experience level for this Software Engineer role?
- CircleCI is looking for Software Engineers with at least 3 years of production full-stack experience, leaning towards backend development. Strong backend expertise in Go, including API design and data modeling, is crucial. While 3+ years is the minimum, a solid foundation in system design and a proven ability to ship features are also key indicators of a suitable candidate.
- What does 'full-stack ownership' mean at CircleCI?
- Full-stack ownership at CircleCI means taking responsibility for a feature or component from end-to-end. This involves not only writing code but also considering the entire user experience, reliability, responsiveness, and operational aspects of the system. It emphasizes a high bar for craft and a direct impact on how tens of thousands of developers interact with CircleCI daily.
- How does CircleCI support remote work for its Software Engineers?
- CircleCI has a global, remote workforce and is headquartered in San Francisco. While the job description doesn't specify remote eligibility for this particular role, their company structure supports remote employees. Candidates should verify location and work arrangement details during the application process.
- What are the key technologies used by CircleCI engineers?
- Key technologies mentioned for this Software Engineer role include Go for backend development. Engineers also champion observability using tools like Honeycomb, Datadog, and Rollbar. The role involves building AI-natively and reinventing interfaces for CI/CD pipelines.
- What is the typical career progression for a Software Engineer at CircleCI?
- While specific career progression paths aren't detailed, CircleCI emphasizes learning fast, owning outcomes, and a high bar for craft. Engineers are placed where their strengths create leverage and have opportunities for full-stack ownership. This environment suggests growth through tackling complex problems, contributing to core product areas, and developing expertise in AI-native development and CI/CD.