Senior Backend Developer
Published on November 30, 2024
PurposeMed was founded in 2019 with the mission of improving access to complex care for underserved communities. We’ve grown quickly in our first few years, and now our exceptional team serves thousands of patients each month across our multiple verticals.
PurposeMed consists of three complex care business units: Freddie, Frida, and Foria, and partners with Affirming Care Pharmacy. Freddie is focused on improving sexual health through education, prevention, and treatment with a focus on the LGBTQ2S+ community—we’re now the largest HIV prevention service in Canada and have recently expanded to the USA to further increase access to care! Frida is changing the lives of patients with easier access to adult ADHD diagnosis, and fast and affordable treatment. Foria Clinic provides trans, non-binary, and gender-diverse Canadians with gender-affirming healthcare. Affirming Care Pharmacy is a specialty pharmacy with locations in Calgary, Alberta, and Mississauga, Ontario. This partnership provides our patients with an end-to-end healthcare experience, from treatment, to prescription delivery, to continuous affirming care.
We’re one of LinkedIn’s Top 15 Startups in Canada, the #2 Company-to-Watch in Deloitte’s prestigious Technology Fast 50® program, and a member of the Team True North® roster as one of Canada’s fastest-growing and most promising startups. Our culture is highly mission-driven; our team is passionate about bringing healthcare to those who need it most. Best of all—we have fun doing it.
About us:
PurposeMed was founded in 2019 with the mission of improving access to complex care for underserved communities. We’ve grown quickly in our first few years, and now our exceptional team serves thousands of patients each month across our multiple verticals.
PurposeMed consists of three complex care business units: Freddie, Frida, and Foria, and partners with Affirming Care Pharmacy. Freddie is focused on improving sexual health through education, prevention, and treatment with a focus on the LGBTQ2S+ community—we’re now the largest HIV prevention service in Canada and have recently expanded to the USA to further increase access to care! Frida is changing the lives of patients with easier access to adult ADHD diagnosis, and fast and affordable treatment. Foria Clinic provides trans, non-binary, and gender-diverse Canadians with gender-affirming healthcare. Affirming Care Pharmacy is a specialty pharmacy with locations in Calgary, Alberta, and Mississauga, Ontario. This partnership provides our patients with an end-to-end healthcare experience, from treatment, to prescription delivery, to continuous affirming care.
We’re one of LinkedIn’s Top 15 Startups in Canada, the #2 Company-to-Watch in Deloitte’s prestigious Technology Fast 50® program, and a member of the Team True North® roster as one of Canada’s fastest-growing and most promising startups. Our culture is highly mission-driven; our team is passionate about bringing healthcare to those who need it most. Best of all—we have fun doing it.
Permanent, full-time opportunity
Location - Remote (Canada)
Though we have an office based in Calgary, this is a remote position that is open to candidates across Canada. PurposeMed's office is located on the unceded and traditional territories of the peoples of the Treaty 7 region which includes the nations of the Siksika, the Piikani, the Kainai, the Îethka Stoney Nakoda which consists of the Chiniki, Bearspaw, and Good Stoney. Bands, and people of the Tsuut’ina First Nation. The city of Calgary is also homeland to the historic Northwest Métis and to the Otipemisiwak Métis government, Métis Nation Battle River Territory, Nose Hill Métis District 5 and Elbow Métis District 6.
Who we hope to find:
We’re looking for a Senior Backend Developer to take a leading role in evolving our platform’s architecture. This includes maintaining and extending our existing backend systems while also designing and implementing new integrations. This role will lead the technology design and ensure teams strike the right balance between efficient delivery and the implementation of technologically sound and scalable systems. We are looking for someone who is excited to design scalable solutions to help improve access to healthcare for underserved communities.
Our platform currently uses Ruby on Rails for the backend, REST and GraphQL APIs for integrations, and PostgreSQL for relational database management. We’re hosted on Heroku and use GitHub Actions for CI/CD. While experience with these technologies is a plus, we’re more interested in candidates with the ability to adapt and problem-solve effectively.
In this role, you’ll make an impact by:
- Collaborating with cross-functional teams to understand and define requirements, while advocating for scalable and strategic solutions that align with business needs
- Partnering closely with Product Managers, Data Analysts, and other Engineers to align on goals and deliverables
- Designing and maintaining scalable, high-performance backend systems that enhance user experience and operational efficiency
- Communicating effectively across teams to ensure clarity, alignment, and successful outcomes
- Investigating and resolving complex technical challenges
- Collaborating with vendors and internal teams to navigate API limitations and improve system performance
- Mentoring the engineering team to adopt best practices in building scalable and maintainable systems, while fostering a collaborative and growth-oriented engineering culture
We need someone who has:
- A strong foundation in backend development, including designing and implementing scalable, maintainable systems
- Proficiency in problem-solving across various programming languages, databases, and cloud infrastructures, with the ability to adapt to new technologies as needed
- Experience working with relational databases, building and consuming APIs (REST/GraphQL/SOAP), and integrating third-party systems
- A practical understanding of cloud-based infrastructure and CI/CD pipelines to support deployment and scalability
- Strong expertise in third-party integrations, with the ability to collaborate effectively with vendors across a spectrum of developer experiences
- A proactive mindset when tackling challenges, including navigating less-documented systems with creativity and persistence
- Demonstrated ability to mentor and guide junior developers while fostering collaboration
- Strong interpersonal and communication skills for cross-functional teamwork
- A pragmatic approach to balancing legacy systems with new solutions
Compensation:
- $110,000 - $130,000 CAD a year
- Earn stock options through our Equity Incentive Plan—connect your efforts to PurposeMed’s growth as we work together to improve the lives of our patients across North America.
- The compensation listed above refers to a yearly base salary that may vary depending on a candidate's relevant qualifications, knowledge, competencies and work experience, and other factors including market conditions. Base pay is just one aspect of our total rewards at PurposeMed—see our other exciting benefits below!
Do you think you could be our next Backend Developer? We look forward to seeing your application!
#LI-Remote
Why you should join us:
- Be part of a team of great people who don’t take themselves too seriously. While we’re serious about the problems we solve, we believe in having fun along the way.
- Make an impact, every single day. We’re providing compassionate, affirming care to many people who have never received the proper support before.
- Be confident in bringing your whole self to work. Inclusivity is core to how we take care of our patients, our teammates, and ourselves. We create spaces that are safe and affirming.
What we’re offering (based on full-time, permanent roles in Canada):
Work/life flexibility and time off:
- Work flexibly within a team that’s remote friendly; we believe that work should fit around your life*
- 20 vacation days and a team that will remind you to use them!
- Annual winter break closure
Care for your physical and mental health:
- Extended medical, dental, and vision care starting on your first day of work!
- 8 wellness days
- $500 health and wellness spending account
- $2,000 mental health coverage with additional free online counseling through Inkblot Therapy and FeelingBetterNow mental health assessments
- $20,000 of lifetime coverage for gender-affirming care and procedures
Investment in your learning and growth:
- $500 learning fund to use towards courses and other professional development
- Our unique People Potential program, in which you'll partner with your manager to identify opportunities to grow and achieve your full potential
Family care:
- $3,400 lifetime coverage for fertility drugs
- Parental leave program for birthing and non-birthing parents–your choice of:
- Short term: 4 weeks off to use flexibly in your first year of parenting
- Long-term: 13 weeks EI top-op
Eligible team members and their dependents** also receive no-cost access to PurposeMed’s services:
- Freddie: PrEP assessment and follow-up appointments
- Frida: ADHD assessment
- Foria: Gender-affirming care services
If you are looking for a place that sparks your creativity, helps others, and will push you to be your best, then you’ll love PurposeMed.
PurposeMed is committed to being an equal-opportunity employer, and we highly encourage those from excluded and marginalized communities to apply. This includes groups such as (but not limited to): Indigenous, Black, and racialized communities, trans and non-binary, LGBTQ2S+, disabled, and HIV-positive people. You don’t have to check every single box above. If the job description gets you excited and you think you could contribute your expertise to our team—we hope you’ll apply!
*Most of our roles are performed virtually from home across Canada. Team members working onsite at Affirming Care pharmacies do need to be physically present.
**Permanent team members (employees) and their dependents are eligible, however, the person receiving the assessment must live in a province or state in which Freddie, Frida, or Foria operates, and be over the age of 18. Additional restrictions apply.