At a Glance
- Tasks: Develop and enhance Ably's core Pub/Sub platform with cutting-edge technology.
- Company: Join a dynamic tech start-up focused on planet-scale solutions.
- Benefits: Enjoy remote work, competitive salary, and generous holiday allowance.
- Other info: Collaborative culture with excellent growth opportunities and a focus on inclusivity.
- Why this job: Make a real impact by solving challenging distributed systems problems.
- Qualifications: Experience in distributed systems and proficiency in Node.js or Go preferred.
The predicted salary is between 60000 - 80000 £ per year.
The Pub/Sub team owns the core backend that underpins Ably's entire edge messaging platform. This is a rare opportunity to work on genuinely hard distributed systems problems at planet scale; designing and improving the infrastructure that developers and their users depend on in production every day.
You'll be hands-on, driving the development of new functionality and initiatives to scale and improve Ably's core Pub/Sub platform. We work in an AI-first engineering culture: AI tools are part of how we plan, prototype, and iterate - but engineers own every technical decision, and human judgment is the quality bar that everything is measured against.
Day to day you will:
- Deliver key platform functionality across Ably's realtime products including our low-level Pub/Sub APIs, our LiveObjects state synchronisation layer, and AI Transport, focusing on shipping new features, performance improvements, bug fixes and maintenance.
- Work fluently with AI tooling for planning, spike work, code generation, and documentation, while taking full ownership of correctness, architectural quality, and what actually ships.
- Solve hard distributed systems problems by collaborating with a talented engineering team.
- Stay driven by 'Developer First' principles, working closely with other engineers to identify and address the most important problems developers face when building on Ably.
- Push to see your work in customers' hands, moving with urgency to ship, because you care about the impact your work has on the developers and companies building on our platform.
We'd love to talk if you have:
- A strong interest in, or direct experience with, distributed systems and large-scale infrastructure.
- Experience working with or building messaging queues, pub/sub systems, or streaming systems at scale.
- Extensive experience with a high-level server-side language (Node.js or Go preferred).
- The ability to self-start, work through ambiguity, and make good decisions without a lot of hand-holding.
- A practical relationship with AI tooling, using it to go faster and think more clearly.
- A transparent, collaborative build in the open mindset, comfortable sharing your work publicly.
- Experience in dynamic, early-stage environments where adaptability and resourcefulness are core skills.
Bonus points if you have:
- Experience building developer-first products.
- Experience with products brought to market through a product-led growth approach.
What’s it like to work at Ably? We’re tackling planet-scale problems and our ambitions are a testament to that. You’ll join a successful, deeply motivated and collaborative team that thrives on innovation, experimentation and autonomy.
We believe in fostering a culture that’s built on inclusivity and mutual respect among all team members, providing a range of perks and benefits to aid folks' development and wellbeing.
- A remote-first and flexible work environment.
- Equity through our EMI share options programme.
- Enhanced holiday allowance of 28 days of paid annual leave.
- Enhanced parental leave package.
- Home workstation budget of £500 on joining.
- Personal learning and development budget of £1000 annually.
- Private healthcare with BUPA.
- Mental wellbeing coaching and counselling.
- Monthly wellbeing budget.
- Life assurance and income protection.
- Access to Tech & Cycle to Work schemes.
- A fully-paid one-month sabbatical after five years with Ably.
Diversity, Inclusion & Belonging at Ably: We believe our differences as individuals is what makes us great. We encourage applications from all backgrounds regardless of age, disability, gender, sexual orientation, parental status, race, religion, educational background or neurodiversity.
If you enjoy working as part of a technology company, value open source, and love solving hard problems - then we’d love to hear from you, regardless of whether you fit the job description exactly or not.
Software Engineer, Pub/Sub employer: SLAMcore
Ably is an exceptional employer that fosters a culture of innovation and collaboration, allowing software engineers to tackle challenging distributed systems problems at a planet scale. With a remote-first approach, generous benefits including enhanced holiday allowance, personal development budgets, and a commitment to inclusivity, Ably empowers its employees to thrive both personally and professionally while making a meaningful impact in the tech industry.
StudySmarter Expert Advice🤫
We think this is how you could land Software Engineer, Pub/Sub
✨Tip Number 1
Network like a pro! Reach out to folks in the industry, attend meetups, and connect with current Ably employees on LinkedIn. A personal introduction can make all the difference when it comes to landing that interview.
✨Tip Number 2
Show off your skills! Create a portfolio or GitHub repository showcasing your projects, especially those related to distributed systems or messaging queues. This gives us a tangible way to see what you can do and how you think.
✨Tip Number 3
Prepare for technical interviews by brushing up on your problem-solving skills. Practice coding challenges and be ready to discuss your thought process. We love seeing how you tackle tough problems, so don’t hold back!
✨Tip Number 4
Apply through our website! It’s the best way to ensure your application gets seen by the right people. Plus, we’re always on the lookout for passionate candidates who resonate with our values and culture.
We think you need these skills to ace Software Engineer, Pub/Sub
Some tips for your application 🫡
Show Your Passion for Distributed Systems:When writing your application, let us know why you're excited about distributed systems and large-scale infrastructure. Share any relevant experiences or projects that highlight your interest and skills in this area.
Be Specific About Your Technical Skills:We want to see your expertise shine through! Mention the high-level server-side languages you’ve worked with, like Node.js or Go, and any experience with messaging queues or pub/sub systems. The more specific, the better!
Demonstrate Your AI Tooling Experience:Since we work in an AI-first culture, it’s important to show how you've used AI tools in your previous roles. Talk about how these tools have helped you plan, prototype, or iterate on projects, and where you’ve applied your own judgement.
Keep It Authentic and Collaborative:We value transparency and collaboration, so don’t hesitate to share your thoughts on technical decisions or your approach to problem-solving. Let us see your personality and how you’d fit into our open-minded culture!
How to prepare for a job interview at SLAMcore
✨Know Your Distributed Systems
Make sure you brush up on your knowledge of distributed systems and messaging queues. Be ready to discuss your experience with these technologies, as well as any challenges you've faced and how you overcame them. This will show that you're not just familiar with the concepts but can also apply them in real-world scenarios.
✨Showcase Your AI Tooling Skills
Since the role involves working fluently with AI tools, prepare examples of how you've used AI in your previous projects. Discuss specific instances where AI helped you improve efficiency or solve complex problems. This will demonstrate your practical relationship with AI tooling and your ability to leverage it effectively.
✨Emphasise Collaboration and Transparency
Ably values a collaborative mindset, so be prepared to talk about your experiences working in teams. Share examples of how you've contributed to open discussions, shared your work publicly, or engaged with the developer community. This will highlight your alignment with their 'build in the open' philosophy.
✨Demonstrate Your Developer-First Approach
As the role is focused on solving developers' problems, think about how your past work has prioritised user experience for developers. Be ready to discuss any developer-first products you've worked on and how you approached building features that genuinely help users. This will show that you understand the importance of putting developers first.
