Senior Software Engineer, Backend — Toast International

Senior Software Engineer, Backend — Toast International Location: Toronto, ON / Canada Hybrid (Ontario) Who We Are Toast is driven by building the restaurant platform that helps restaurants adapt, take control, and get back to what they do best: building the businesses they love. Are you bready* for a change? As a Senior Backend Engineer on the Toast International team, you’ll play a pivotal role in engineering the platform that powers the next generation of guest reservations, dynamic floor management, and table operations across global markets like the UK, Europe, and Canada. You will lead the design and execution of core backend services—building scalable backend systems, robust integrations, data processing pipelines, and core platform capabilities. You’ll collaborate closely with engineering teams in North America and Europe, product managers, and designers to win high-value full-service restaurants worldwide. About this roll* (Responsibilities) • Architect, implement, and scale distributed backend microservices (Java / Kotlin / AWS) powering reservations and guest management. • Build core transactional and payment capabilities for the platform. • Design robust integrations with third-party aggregators and partners and two-way POS synchronization. • Implement tiering, entitlements, and usage metering services across freemium waitlists and premium subscription tiers. • Partner cross-functionally with Mobile, Web/Frontend, Product Management, and UX to deliver seamless end-to-end features. • Drive high standards of code quality, observability, test automation (unit, integration, and contract tests), and operational excellence. • Mentor team members, participate in technical design reviews, and leverage modern AI development workflows to accelerate velocity and code quality. Do you have the right ingredients*? (Requirements) • 5+ years of software engineering experience building scalable, distributed backend microservices in production. • Deep proficiency in Java or Kotlin, relational and NoSQL databases (e.g., PostgreSQL, DynamoDB), and event-driven architectures (Pulsar / Kafka / AWS). • Proven experience designing clean, versioned REST / GraphQL APIs and handling asynchronous workflows at scale. • Experience integrating payment workflows (e.g., card tokenization, pre-auth, Stripe/Adyen/payment gateway integrations) or compliance-sensitive systems. • Strong focus on software reliability, schema design, latency optimization, and distributed systems resilience. • Passion for collaborating across distributed global time zones with a single-threaded ownership mindset. AI at Toast At Toast, one of our company values is that we're hungry to build and learn. We believe learning new AI tools empowers us to build for our customers faster, more independently, and with higher quality. We provide these tools across all disciplines, from Engineering and Product to Sales and Support, and are inspired by how our Toasters are already driving real value with them. The people who thrive here are those who embrace changes that let us build more for our customers; it’s a core part of our culture. Our Total Rewards Philosophy We strive to provide competitive compensation and benefits programs that help to attract, retain, and motivate the best and brightest people in our industry. Our total rewards package goes beyond great earnings potential and provides the means to a healthy lifestyle with the flexibility to meet Toasters’ changing needs. Learn more about our benefits at https://careers.toasttab.com/toast-benefits. The base salary range for this role is listed below. The starting salary will be determined based on skills, experience, and geographic location. In addition to base salary, our total rewards components include cash compensation (overtime, bonus/commissions if eligible), equity, and benefits. Pay Range $115,000—$165,000 CAD How Toast Uses AI in its Hiring Process Throughout the hiring process, our goal is to get to know you. We use AI tools to support our recruiters and interviewers with tasks like note-taking, summarization, and documentation of interviews to ensure they can be fully focused on your conversation. All hiring decisions are made by people. We ask that you complete interviews and assessments on your own, without real-time AI tools, recording, or transcription bots, unless we tell you otherwise in advance. To learn more: https://careers.toasttab.com/ai-in-hiring Our Approach to Hybrid Working We embrace a hybrid work model that fosters in-person collaboration while valuing individual needs. Our goal is to build a strong culture of connection as we work together to empower the hospitality community, regardless of location. Please visit the Locations page on our career site to learn more about our in-office expectations by region: https://careers.toasttab.com/locations-toast People Are the Secret Ingredient in Our Recipe for Success At Toast, our employees are our secret ingredient—when they thrive, we thrive. The restaurant industry brings together people with a wide range of backgrounds, experiences, and perspectives, and we value that same breadth at Toast. We strive to build a culture grounded in authenticity, respect, and humility, where every Toaster has a real opportunity to grow, contribute, and do their best work—raising the bar in delivering exceptional experiences for our customers and each other. Apply today! Toast is committed to creating an accessible and inclusive hiring process. As part of this commitment, we strive to provide reasonable accommodations for persons with disabilities to enable them to access the hiring process. If you need an accommodation to access the job application or interview process, please contact candidateaccommodations@toasttab.com. ------ For roles in the United States, it is unlawful in Massachusetts to require or administer a lie detector test as a condition of employment or continued employmen