Alar Software | Chicago, IL | Full-time, ONSITE | Position: Scala Back-End Engineer
Please email resumes to REDACTED_EMAIL
We are looking for experienced Scala back-end-focused engineers to help design and build out our SaaS product for trucking companies. We’re taking logistics data from various real-time sources to enable our customers to increase efficiency and provide lead generation by connecting them with other trucking companies. We’re onto something big but to get there we’re working through complex problems in a complex and often old-fashioned problem domain. We’re taking an unconventional approach (event sourcing with a twist and a touch of farmville) and dealing with big data to boot.
BACK-END POSITION
This isn’t a run-of-the-mill MVC app and requires solving performance and scalability problems in distributed systems using data combined from many sources, several of which are real-time sources including GPS data.
Because of this complexity, we're limiting our search to two kinds of people: experienced engineers who can bring structure to the chaos as we grow or those who can make up for lack of experience with passion and creativity. Please don't apply unless you can demonstrate one, if not both, of these.
Back-end stack: Our product is built on Scala, Postgresql, Event Sourcing using Apache Beam atop Google Data Flow, Akka, and the Scala Play framework. Our front-end is predominantly AngularJS.
A LITTLE ABOUT US
Alar Software is not a typical startup. We're the skunkworks off-shoot of an existing logistics company, Experior Transport. We founded this startup to address logistics challenges we've faced since we started Experior nearly 20 years ago. It turns out most of our trucking competitors face the same problems, and the industry at-large isn't making much progress to solve them. The solutions we're developing are targeting real problems with real monetization potential. The founders have a good understanding of both the logistics industry, trucking, and programming - so working with us isn't going to be an exercise in dealing with a pointy-haired boss with an MBA. We believe in, preach, and practice solid development behaviors that minimize technical debt and increase the probability of a high-quality product. We also believe in independence and accountability - not looking to add 'babysitter' to anyone’s job description here.
We've been trying to tackle these problems in some fashion for many years, but development only really picked up in the last year. Right now, we've got a remote team of 10, but we're looking to build a local team here in Chicago - the complex nature of the problems and the domain means we're really going to benefit from having a solid core group with plenty of face-time.
WHAT YOU’LL DO
  Help design and build the core architecture that drives our platform
  Tackle problems unique to integrating big data
  Build multiple new and enhance existing nascent decoupled services that make up our platform
  Occasionally put your full-stack hat on and add or update pieces of our AngularJS front-end

WHAT YOU’LL NEED
  Several years of Scala experience
  Experience building applications with
  Talent for creative and functional solutions to difficult problems
  Strong computer science fundamentals
  Excellent grasp and evidence of practicing outstanding software engineering practices: designing software, automated testing, continuous integration, automated deployments, code reviews, and more
  A stomach for working in rapidly evolving and often uncertain and complex problem domain
  Ability to ship quality code quickly and strong judgement on making good decisions to iterate on code

BIG PLUSSES IF YOU BRING THESE TOO
  Akka and Scala Play experience
  Data processing with Apache Beam/Spark/Dataflow
  Event Sourcing / CQRS experience
  Experience with real-time web applications (i.e. Socket.IO, Firebase, Meteor, and/or others)
  Experience, interest, and appreciation in several other languages and frameworks (i.e. Java, C#, Ruby, Clojure, Elixir, C/C++, Assembler, and so forth)
  Big Data Experience

COMPENSATION, BENEFITS, PERKS
  Competitive base salary
  Stock options
  Medical, dental, and other benefits
  Stocked kitchen
  Paid parking