Senior Software Engineer (C++ / Real-Time Systems)

Derq

$120K — $150K *
US-AnywhereRemote in Toronto, ON
Information Technology
8 - 10 years of experience
Job Overview by Ladders

Qualifications

  • Bachelor's degree in Computer Science, Software Engineering, Electrical Engineering, or a related field
  • 10+ years of professional experience in software engineering, systems engineering, or performance-critical systems
  • Strong hands-on experience with modern C++
  • Solid experience working with Linux-based systems
  • Experience building and optimizing real-time, high-throughput, or low-latency systems
  • Strong understanding of data structures, algorithms, and system performance optimization
  • Experience with automated testing and production debugging

Responsibilities

  • Design, develop, and maintain production-grade software systems with an eye on performance and reliability
  • Optimize system behavior for real-time, low-latency environments
  • Refine core system logic to boost performance and scalability
  • Analyze and optimize system performance across CPU, memory, I/O, and networking
  • Enhance system observability through effective logging and diagnostics
  • Oversee end-to-end development from design to support
  • Collaborate with Deployment, ML, and Systems teams on live environment improvements
  • Resolve complex production issues involving distributed or real-time systems

Benefits

  • 100% hands-on engineering role with full ownership of code
  • Opportunity to see your code impact the real world
  • Focus on shipping production-ready solutions
  • Work at the intersection of software and systems engineering
  • Engage with cutting-edge traffic and safety technologies
Full Job Description
Role Overview

Ever wanted to see your code directly impact the physical world? As a Senior Software Engineer at Derq, you will design, develop, and optimize the core production systems that power our real-time traffic and safety solutions. This is a 100% hands-on engineering role with full ownership of code, performance, and system behavior from initial development straight through to deployment.

This position sits at the sweet spot between software engineering and systems engineering. You will work directly on performance-critical, edge-deployed systems - improving efficiency, reliability, and scalability under unpredictable, real-world conditions. Our focus is strictly on shipping production-ready solutions.
  • The Stack: Standard C++ on Linux
  • The Environment: Make-based builds, shared libraries, and deployment patterns optimized for production roadside and edge hardware.
Key Responsibilities
  • Design, develop, and maintain production-grade software systems with a focus on performance, reliability, and scalability
  • Optimize system behavior for real-time, low-latency environments, including edge and cloud components
  • Design, implement, and refine core system logic that improves platform performance, reliability, and scalability under real-world conditions.
  • Profile, analyze, and optimize system performance across CPU, memory, I/O, and networking
  • Improve system observability through logging, monitoring, and diagnostics
  • Work on end-to-end development, from design and implementation to testing, deployment, and support
  • Collaborate with Deployment, ML, and Systems teams to validate and support improvements in production-like and live environments.
  • Debug and resolve complex production issues involving distributed or real-time systems
  • Write clean, maintainable, and well-tested code following engineering best practices
  • Participate in code reviews and contribute to improving engineering standards and tooling
  • Support production systems post-deployment and assist with performance tuning and issue resolution

Requirements

  • Bachelor's degree in Computer Science, Software Engineering, Electrical Engineering, or a related field
  • 10+ years of professional experience in software engineering, systems engineering, or performance-critical systems
  • Strong hands-on experience with modern C++
  • Solid experience working with Linux-based systems
  • Experience building and optimizing real-time, high-throughput, or low-latency systems
  • Strong understanding of:
    • Data structures and algorithms
    • System performance and resource optimization
    • Debugging complex system behavior
  • Experience with automated testing, system validation, and production debugging
  • Familiarity with distributed systems concepts and system reliability
  • Strong problem-solving skills and ownership mindset

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