Software Engineer II
Description
We’re Ookla, the company behind Speedtest, Downdetector, Ekahau, RootMetrics, and an ever-expanding suite of connectivity solutions. Our team is a group of people brought together through passion and inspired by possibility. We are looking for team members who enjoy solving complex problems, are motivated to challenge themselves, and are delighted with turning clever ideas into unique products.
Downdetector, the world’s leading platform for real-time outage and service status reporting, is seeking innovative and driven individuals to join our team. As a Software Engineer, you’ll tackle unique technical challenges while serving millions of users worldwide. Our high-profile product often becomes the centre of attention during outages of major services like Facebook, Google, and AWS, giving you the opportunity to work on solutions that truly matter.
In this role, you will play a key role in designing, developing, and maintaining features for a platform that provides real-time status and outage alerts for essential services. SE2 engineers are expected to take ownership of implementation plans, write clean, maintainable and testable code, and enhance the observability and scalability of the system. You will also mentor junior engineers on well-defined topics, conduct code reviews, and troubleshoot moderately complex technical issues.
This role offers the opportunity to deepen your full-stack expertise with technologies like AWS, Python/Django, React, and modern DevOps tools, while directly impacting millions of users worldwide.
What You’ll Do
- Design, develop, and maintain features for serverless web applications across the full stack.
- Take ownership of implementation plans for moderately complex tasks, driving the delivery of scalable and maintainable solutions that contribute to the platform’s success.
- Write clean, testable, and efficient code, optimising for performance and observability.
- Troubleshoot and resolve technical issues, contributing to system reliability and scalability.
- Conduct code reviews, provide constructive feedback to peers, and mentor junior engineers on defined topics.
- Actively participate in DevOps processes, including CI/CD workflows, containerisation, and observability.
- Collaborate with cross-functional teams to align features with customer needs and business objectives.
- Proactively learn new skills and integrate best practices into your work.
- Utilize serverless technologies to provide instant scalability
What We’re Looking For
- A degree in Computer Science, Software Engineering, or a related field, or equivalent practical experience.
- Proven experience in developing and maintaining software applications with a focus on scalability and maintainability.
- Strong programming skills in Python, JavaScript, or similar languages.
- Familiarity in frameworks like Django and React.
- Hands-on experience with APIs, databases (e.g. MySQL, PostgreSQL), and frontend development.
- Knowledge of developing in a cloud environment (e.g. AWS, GCP).
- Knowledge of DevOps practices, including containerisation, CI/CD workflows, and observability tools (e.g. Datadog, Grafana).
- Effective collaboration skills and a proactive mindset for learning and mentoring.
- Ability to identify gaps in requirements, ask clarifying questions, and deliver features aligned with business objectives.
Why You’ll Love Working Here
We are committed to your professional growth and will provide:
- Contribute to a platform used by millions of users globally to track service disruptions
- Cloud first architecture, you will collaborate on cost-efficient, highly available solutions to provide reliable services
- Opportunities to own and deliver impactful features that enhance the platform’s scalability and reliability
- A supportive team environment that encourages mentorship, knowledge sharing, and professional growth
- Access to cutting-edge technologies and tools, including AWS, Python/Django, and React
- A flexible working culture that values individuality and collaboration
Your First Year at Ookla
In your first year as a Software Engineer II at Ookla, you will:
- Gain a strong understanding of our platform, tools, and technologies, including Python/Django, React, AWS, and DevOps practices like CI/CD pipelines and observability tools.
- Own implementation plans for moderately complex features, from design to deployment, improving platform scalability and usability.
- Mentor junior engineers, contribute to team processes, and actively participate in code reviews.
- Enhance your skills by optimising databases, building APIs, and developing frontend interfaces using scalable cloud-based solutions.
- Develop systematic troubleshooting skills to resolve increasingly complex issues and minimise platform disruptions.
- Collaborate with cross-functional teams to design features that meet customer needs and drive business objectives.
- Expand your technical knowledge through workshops, knowledge-sharing sessions, and staying current with industry trends.
By the end of your first year, you’ll have established yourself as a key contributor to the Downdetector team, delivering impactful features, mentoring junior engineers, and driving improvements to our platform’s reliability and scalability.
Application Process
To help us assess your programming skills, the application process will include a short coding challenge or a review of your portfolio of completed projects. Our coding challenge is designed to reflect real-world scenarios, such as implementing a simple API or debugging an application, giving you a chance to showcase your problem-solving skills.
Benefits
We care deeply about each other and the work we do, and our perks are just one way we demonstrate this. We offer a comprehensive benefits package, including (but not limited to):
- Competitive annual leave
- ESPP options
- Comprehensive benefits plans
- Pension plan contribution
- Paid maternity and parental leave
- Wellness benefits (Calm app, gym reimbursement, ERG groups, etc)
You will have the best hardware, software, and tools available for you to do your work, and we provide excellent flexibility for working remotely as time and responsibilities allow. To promote your success and growth we offer educational opportunities, and anti-racism and LGBTQIA+ resource libraries, team activities, and many more. Visit our Built In Seattle page for even more information on what it's like to work at Ookla.
If you’re passionate about joining the work we’re doing, we welcome your application and encourage applicants with both traditional and non-traditional experience that makes them an excellent candidate for the role. We strongly believe diversity of all kinds makes us better. We are an equal opportunity employer actively working to build an inclusive workforce at all levels of the company. [Read our latest diversity report from our parent company here.] Ookla is an equal opportunity employer, and qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender perception or identity, national origin, age, marital status, protected veteran status, disability status, or any other characteristic protected by law.