Systems Architect

Who We are?

In a world where political polarization and media distrust are at an all-time high, Ground News offers people a better way to stay informed and open-minded. Our mobile app, web app, and browser extension are home to a community of mindful newsreaders who use our news comparison platform to easily see every side of a story and engage with news beyond their filter bubble.

Unlike most news companies, our audience and our values do not align with any specific political ideology. Unlike most tech platforms, we don’t use manipulative algorithms to keep users on our platform to sell more ads. We are supported by our readers who pay for a subscription to build a more nuanced understanding of the news, the world, and themselves.

• #1 on Product Hunt (Oct 19, '20), #2 (Nov 17, '21), #2 (Mar 26, '21)

• Techstars portfolio company

• Winner of Digital News Innovation Challenge by Facebook

• Winner of Mobile Apps Showdown at CES

• Featured at Mobile World Congress

• Featured on New York Times, Financial Times, Newsmax, Forbes and more

• Our site has even been retweeted by the POTUS

The Opportunity: Systems Architect ( Remote - Canada)

As Ground News continues to evolve and expand its offerings, we are integrating increasingly complex systems to introduce new functionalities and improve user experiences. To support this growth, we are seeking to hire a candidate who can facilitate the broad understanding of the technologies and systems we use to the company at large.

What You’ll Do:

• Develop a comprehensive understanding of our platform's various systems by collaborating closely with system owners. Your goal will be to attain not just a surface-level knowledge but a deep, nuanced understanding that allows you to see the interconnectedness of all parts.

• Act as the pivotal technical intermediary among the engineering teams. Your task involves fielding technical inquiries, suggestions, and feedback, translating complex system functionalities into actionable plans, and conveying these insights in an accessible manner

• Design, develop, and test system architecture across the layers of the stack on time and on budget

• Be involved in high level designs for systems within the portfolio along with the authoring and maintenance of key architectural artifacts including Architectural Blueprints and System Design Specifications

• Define & maintain architecture principles, patterns, and standards with particular attention to scalable, and high performing design

• Triage and correct performance and/or data integrity concerns by reviewing & evaluating code, data patches, system logs, and process/memory/disk consumption utilization

• Partner with product, customer success, sponsorship, DevOps, and other engineering teams of  on features and support cases, supporting technical decision making, and leading work that affects more and more complex systems and critical areas of our application

• Provide guidance to junior-intermediate engineers on the team and others when possible.

What You’ll Have:

In this role, you will engage with a diverse set of technologies that underpin the Ground News platform. You should have experience with, or the ability to quickly get up to speed on, the following key technologies and concepts:

• Deep Expertise: Strong knowledge and  practice in a variety of technology, algorithms & data-structures, systems design, performance tuning, benchmarking, programming languages and frameworks (e.g. JavaScript/TypeScript, Node.js, React.js, and Next.js), databases (e.g. Postgres, MySQL, SQL Server), operating systems (e.g. Mac, Unix, Windows), containerization and cloud environments (AWS, GCP, Azure) experience is an asset.

• Communication: Able to effectively deliver written and verbal communications that are clear, compelling, to socialize ideas and get buy-in. Proven mentorship and assistance in up-skilling teammates.

• API Architecture: You have a firm understanding of the relationship between back-end servers and front-end clients and know in general which is responsible for what in the platform.

• AWS Dev-Ops Infrastructure: You’ve done at least some work with AWS services including EC2, RDS, CloudFront, CloudWatch, ECS, Elasticache, Route 53, WAF & Shield, Lambda, SQS, and SNS and are familiar with the role each plays.

• Mobile Technologies: You’re familiar with at least the basics of native Android and iOS development concepts. While direct development skills are not required, a familiarity with the key distinctions between and standard practices within both ecosystems is essential.

What You might Have:

• A deep curiosity and interest in the political system, and the relationship between tech and media

• Experience using any of Ground News’ products (app, website, extension, newsletters)

• A passion for data analysis and the tools that facilitate it

Why work at Ground?

Co-founded by a former NASA engineer and Bain consultant, a position with Ground News provides an unparalleled learning experience both personally and professionally. At Ground, we prioritize growth: both for our business and team members. You’ll have the freedom to work remotely and play a key role in the development of Ground News products. 

This is an opportunity to work with a growing and mighty team that is fighting every day to build a world where cooperative, civil debate is the norm, media is accountable, and critical thought is the baseline of our information consumption. Ground is based in Kitchener, Ontario, Canada, but this role is remote.

Ground news takes pride in being a harassment- and discrimination-free space for everyone, regardless of age, disability, ethnicity, gender identity or expression, nationality, neurotype, personal appearance, political affiliation, professional background, race, religion, or sexual identity or orientation. Our culture is one of collaboration, creativity, and diverse perspectives. We are committed to building and fostering an inclusive, accessible environment for everyone. If you have any questions, concerns, or requests regarding accessibility needs, please contact talent@ground.news, and a member of our team will be happy to help.

Apply Now 

Have we got your attention? Submit your application today and a member of our Talent team will be in touch with you shortly!