Top Hat is hiring for a Senior Backend Software Engineer on our Aktiv Platform team. This is a great opportunity to drive force behind the technical excellence of our ecosystem. You will operate with a high degree of autonomy, leading the delivery of complex features and ensuring the stability of our high-traffic systems. This role is designed for an engineer who is not only a master of their craft in Java and Spring Boot but also a dedicated mentor and a proactive problem-solver.
Independent Implementation: Lead the full software development lifecycle for complex features, including implementation, comprehensive testing, and debugging of robust code.
Technical Leadership: Drive the technical delivery of projects, influencing architectural decisions and ensuring solutions are scalable, maintainable, and aligned with long-term business goals.
Mentorship & Guidance: Actively mentor junior and intermediate engineers, providing constructive feedback through code reviews and documentation to support their professional growth.
Operational Excellence: Proactively identify operational risks and control deficiencies. Drive discussions regarding system redundancy, disaster recovery, and service availability.
Cross-Functional Collaboration: Partner closely with Frontend Engineers, Product Managers, and Designers to build cohesive, user-centric solutions.
Process Innovation: Identify opportunities for automation and suggest UI improvements to enhance the overall user experience and internal delivery efficiency.
Expert Java Foundation: Extensive experience with Java and a deep understanding of core programming principles and best practices. Proven expertise in Spring Boot for building scalable microservices and experience managing data with MongoDB.
Enterprise Experience: A track record of working on enterprise-level software systems that require high reliability and performance.
Architectural Vision: Ability to design and implement forward-thinking architectures that balance short-term value with long-term sustainability.
Quality Focused: Strong commitment to delivering testable, observable, and maintainable code.
High-Traffic Systems: Experience designing and maintaining systems that handle high volumes of traffic and parallel connections.
Open Source Passion: A demonstrated passion for contributing to or leveraging open-source technologies.
UI/UX Awareness: A keen eye for user interface improvements and the ability to contribute to frontend-related technical discussions.
Infrastructure & Cloud: Familiarity with cloud platforms (AWS/GCP) and containerization tools like Jenkins, Docker, or Kubernetes.
Why team members love working at Top Hat:
A noble mission that creates meaningful, fulfilling work
A team that cares deeply for customers and for each other
Flexible, remote first work environment
Professional learning and development for all role levels
An awesome and welcoming Toronto HQ
Competitive health benefits that start on day one
A management team focused on performance, growth, engagement and connection
Our winning strategy and market potential
Innovative PTO policy with lots of time and space for self-care
Passionate customers that believe in us—and what we do
A chance to work with new tech like generative AI—and see the customer impact
Reimagining Engagement in Higher Education
Top Hat is the leader in student engagement for higher education. Grounded in learning science and powered by AI, our platform helps educators create interactive, personalized learning experiences that deepen connection, strengthen belonging, and drive student success.
A Platform Built for the Way Students Learn
What started as a tool to make lectures more interactive has grown into something bigger—a platform that makes learning come alive, from the first class to the final exam. Everything we build supports how students learn best: by doing, questioning, solving, and applying knowledge.
Today, 30,000+ instructors at over 1,500 institutions use Top Hat to support more than 3 million students, turning classrooms into spaces of active exploration and connection. Our platform combines real-time engagement tools with customizable, interactive textbooks, homework, testing, and powerful analytics—all in one integrated experience.
With Top Hat Ace, our AI-powered teaching and learning assistant, educators save time on course prep, and students get the personalized study help they need to stay confident and on track.
Sparking Better Teaching and Learning
Learning happens when students feel connected to their instructors, their peers, and the material. That’s why Top Hat is built to do more than deliver content. We help educators teach with proven practices that boost engagement, comprehension, and outcomes—while keeping the human element at the heart of it all.
