Staff Software Engineer - Core Identity
Staff software engineer on Okta's Device Identity team, architecting and scaling server-side Java/Spring services behind device-based, passwordless authentication (FastPass, Device Access) in Okta's Zero Trust identity platform. Day to day: lead design and delivery, mentor engineers, and uphold CI/CD and security standards using Postgres/MySQL, REST APIs, and AI coding assistants.
- Compensation
- CA$160K–CA$220K / yr
- Location
- Toronto, Ontario, Canada
- Work setup
- Not specified
- Seniority
- Staff
- Employment
- Not specified
- Experience
- 7+ years
- Category
- Software engineering
- Posted
Skills
Must have
- 7+ years of software development experience
- Proven track record designing and building scalable, high-performance server-side features with Java and Spring
- Deep expertise with high-performance Postgres or MySQL environments, including schema design and query optimization
- Extensive experience designing, building, and securing RESTful APIs for large-scale systems
- Expert knowledge of server-side technologies including caching, asynchronous processing, and multi-threading
- Deep understanding of design patterns, scalability patterns, security engineering, and object-oriented principles
- Experience in fast-paced agile environments with strong understanding of CI/CD and automated testing
- Excellent communication skills; ability to articulate complex technical concepts and influence technical direction
- Proficiency leveraging AI coding assistants (e.g., GitHub Copilot) while maintaining code quality and security
- Bachelor's degree in Computer Science or equivalent experience
Nice to have
- Understanding of Identity and Access Management protocols and technologies (FIDO, U2F, WebAuthn, SSO, SAML, OAuth, Federation)
- Knowledge of cybersecurity principles, secure coding practices, and certifications like CISSP or Security+
- Experience with UI technologies such as ReactJS
- Exposure to gRPC API development
- Exposure to microservice architecture
Full description
**Secure Every Identity, from AI to Human
**Identity is the key to unlocking the potential of AI. Okta secures AI by building the trusted, neutral infrastructure that enables organizations to safely embrace this new era. This work requires a relentless drive to solve complex challenges with real-world stakes. We are looking for builders and owners who operate with speed and urgency and execute with excellence.
This is an opportunity to do career-defining work. We're all in on this mission. If you are too, let's talk.
Staff Software Engineer, Device Identity (Java)Device Identity and Access Organization
The Device Identity and Access organization is at the forefront of Okta’s Zero Trust vision. As a foundational pillar within Okta Research and Development (ORD), our mission is to transform the device itself into a secure, trusted, and effortless identity factor. We are the teams responsible for ensuring users can seamlessly interact with their work from any endpoint, anywhere in the world.
We engineer the end-to-end device experience—from our flagship FastPass, Okta Device Access (ODA), and Device Assurance. Our teams own the continuous authentication pipeline, device lifecycle management, and the sophisticated cloud services that analyze real-time trust and assurance signals to make frictionless, passwordless access a reality across Windows, macOS, iOS, Linux and Android.
Our organization is comprised of engineers who thrive at the intersection of deep client-side platform engineering and massive-scale distributed systems. The work we do secures millions of enterprise endpoints globally, prevents modern identity attacks, and fundamentally changes how people work by making world-class security completely invisible to the end user.
Explore our culture and technical innovations on the Okta Engineering Blog.
The Staff Software Engineer Opportunity
We seek a dynamic and influential Staff Software Engineer to join our Device Identity engineering team. The ideal candidate will leverage their deep Java experience to architect, build, and scale the critical server-side software and services at the heart of our security and identity platform. This is a high-visibility, hands-on opportunity to design solutions for current and emerging industry challenges.
You will not only demonstrate an aptitude for software engineering excellence but also act as a player-coach, mentoring other engineers and elevating the team's capabilities. You will join an engineering team that shares a passion for elegant solutions and believes in designing for scale, rigorous code reviews, automated testing, and an iterative process to build high-quality enterprise software.
What you’ll be doing
- Drive cross-functional collaboration with Product, Design, and QA to ensure the seamless delivery of our most critical engineering initiatives.