About the role
Hybrid: Markham, Ontario
Job Description Job Overview We are seeking a seasoned and forward-thinking Senior Applications Developer Contractor with deep expertise in cloud-native application development, particularly within the Microsoft Azure ecosystem. This role exists to participate in the design, development, and evolution of scalable, secure, and high-performance applications that power our business. As a senior member of the team, you will play a pivotal role in shaping technical direction, mentoring developers, and driving initiatives that enhance our digital platforms. You will collaborate closely with cross-functional teams to deliver impactful solutions that align with our strategic goals and elevate the customer experience. This is a unique opportunity to influence our cloud strategy, champion engineering excellence, and make a lasting impact across the organization.
Essential Duties And Responsibilities
- Design and Development: Significantly contribute to the design, lead the development, and deployment of scalable, secure, and high-performance applications in Microsoft Azure. Provide deep participation and contribution to the full application lifecycle—from requirements gathering and architecture through development, testing, deployment, and long-term maintenance.
- Cloud Architecture: Partner with cloud architects and technical leads to define and implement robust cloud-native solutions that align with business goals, architectural standards, and industry best practices.
- Azure Services Utilization: Expertly leverage Azure services such as Azure Functions, App Services, Logic Apps, Cosmos DB, Service Bus, Azure Storage, and others to build resilient, cloud-native applications that are optimized for performance and cost.
- API Development: Design, develop and maintain RESTful APIs and microservices with a focus on scalability, security, and maintainability. Champion best practices in API design and integration patterns.
- Code Quality & Best Practices: Set and uphold high standards for code quality by writing clean, maintainable, and well-tested code. Lead code reviews, identify technical debt, and drive continuous improvement in development practices across the team.
- DevOps & CI/CD: Architect and implement robust CI/CD pipelines using GitHub Actions, Azure DevOps, or equivalent tools. Promote DevOps culture by automating deployments, improving release cycles, and ensuring system reliability.
- Monitoring & Troubleshooting: Proactively monitor application health using Azure Monitor, Application Insights, and other observability tools. Lead root cause analysis and resolution of complex production issues, ensuring minimal impact to users.
- Collaboration: Work closely with cross-functional teams—including developers, product managers, QA, and business stakeholders—to ensure technical solutions align with business objectives. Translate complex requirements into actionable development plans.
- Documentation: Create and maintain comprehensive technical documentation, including architecture diagrams, system workflows, and API specifications. Ensure documentation is current, accessible, and supports knowledge sharing across teams.
- People Leadership & Mentorship: Foster a culture of growth and collaboration by mentoring junior and intermediate developers, providing constructive feedback, and modeling engineering excellence. Contribute to team health by promoting shared ownership, continuous learning, and inclusive practices.
Skills, Experience, Education, Certifications
- Bachelor's degree in Computer Science, Engineering, or related field.
- Minimum of 6 years of professional experience in software development, with 4 years focused on Azure cloud platform and related services.
- Deep expertise in Azure cloud services, including but not limited to Azure Functions, App Services, AKS, Azure Cosmos DB, Event Hubs, Service Bus, and Azure SQL Database.
- Proven experience with cloud-native application design patterns such as microservices, serverless, and containerization (Docker, Kubernetes).
- Advanced proficiency in programming languages such as C#, .NET, JavaScript (Node.js), or Python.
- Strong experience with RESTful API design, microservices architecture, and integrating third-party services.
- Demonstrated hands-on experience in implementing CI/CD pipelines with GitHub Actions, Azure DevOps or other relevant tools (Git, Jenkins, etc.).
- Deep understanding of security best practices in cloud applications, including identity and access management (IAM), encryption, and secure coding practices.
- Experience with performance tuning, diagnosing, and optimizing cloud-based applications.
- Hands-on experience with agile development methodologies and participating in sprint planning, retrospectives, and daily stand-ups.
- Familiarity with services like JIRA, Confluence and Azure DevOps Boards.
- Strong analytical, problem-solving, and organizational skills, with a proven ability to lead complex technical initiatives.
- Excellent communication and collaboration skills, with experience working in globally distributed teams.
- Relevant certifications in Azure development or architecture (e.g., Microsoft Certified: Azure Developer Associate, Azure Solutions Architect Expert) are a strong asset.
- Experience with MuleSoft or other middleware and/or integration platforms is a plus.
About Pet Valu
As Canada’s largest pet retailer, we’re dedicated to strengthening the bond between Devoted Pet Lovers and their pets. From guiding new pet parents to creating a lifetime of memorable moments, love lives here™ in everything we do.
With nearly 50 years of animal care expertise, Pet Valu has grown to a network of 800+ neighbourhood stores across Canada, delivering knowledgeable customer care and premium products to support every pet’s journey. Our modern corporate office and state-of-the-art distribution centers allow us to efficiently serve these communities, ensuring consistency and top-quality service at every location.
Pet Valu is committed to fostering an open, equitable and inclusive workplace culture. Central to this is our aspiration to have our corporate ACE and franchisee staff reflect the diversity of the devoted pet lovers and neighbourhoods we serve. To demonstrate our commitment, we conduct a search for diverse candidates for all senior leadership positions, as well as potential director nominees for election to our Board.
We’re also proud to support local pet rescues and charities through our Companions for Change™ program, which has so far raised over $31 million, sponsored 200+ Dog Guides teams, and helped find forever homes for over 47,000 pets.
Headquartered in Markham, Ontario, Pet Valu trades on the Toronto Stock Exchange (TSX: PET). Find open opportunities on our careers page at petvalu.ca/careers.
About the role
Hybrid: Markham, Ontario
Job Description Job Overview We are seeking a seasoned and forward-thinking Senior Applications Developer Contractor with deep expertise in cloud-native application development, particularly within the Microsoft Azure ecosystem. This role exists to participate in the design, development, and evolution of scalable, secure, and high-performance applications that power our business. As a senior member of the team, you will play a pivotal role in shaping technical direction, mentoring developers, and driving initiatives that enhance our digital platforms. You will collaborate closely with cross-functional teams to deliver impactful solutions that align with our strategic goals and elevate the customer experience. This is a unique opportunity to influence our cloud strategy, champion engineering excellence, and make a lasting impact across the organization.
Essential Duties And Responsibilities
- Design and Development: Significantly contribute to the design, lead the development, and deployment of scalable, secure, and high-performance applications in Microsoft Azure. Provide deep participation and contribution to the full application lifecycle—from requirements gathering and architecture through development, testing, deployment, and long-term maintenance.
- Cloud Architecture: Partner with cloud architects and technical leads to define and implement robust cloud-native solutions that align with business goals, architectural standards, and industry best practices.
- Azure Services Utilization: Expertly leverage Azure services such as Azure Functions, App Services, Logic Apps, Cosmos DB, Service Bus, Azure Storage, and others to build resilient, cloud-native applications that are optimized for performance and cost.
- API Development: Design, develop and maintain RESTful APIs and microservices with a focus on scalability, security, and maintainability. Champion best practices in API design and integration patterns.
- Code Quality & Best Practices: Set and uphold high standards for code quality by writing clean, maintainable, and well-tested code. Lead code reviews, identify technical debt, and drive continuous improvement in development practices across the team.
- DevOps & CI/CD: Architect and implement robust CI/CD pipelines using GitHub Actions, Azure DevOps, or equivalent tools. Promote DevOps culture by automating deployments, improving release cycles, and ensuring system reliability.
- Monitoring & Troubleshooting: Proactively monitor application health using Azure Monitor, Application Insights, and other observability tools. Lead root cause analysis and resolution of complex production issues, ensuring minimal impact to users.
- Collaboration: Work closely with cross-functional teams—including developers, product managers, QA, and business stakeholders—to ensure technical solutions align with business objectives. Translate complex requirements into actionable development plans.
- Documentation: Create and maintain comprehensive technical documentation, including architecture diagrams, system workflows, and API specifications. Ensure documentation is current, accessible, and supports knowledge sharing across teams.
- People Leadership & Mentorship: Foster a culture of growth and collaboration by mentoring junior and intermediate developers, providing constructive feedback, and modeling engineering excellence. Contribute to team health by promoting shared ownership, continuous learning, and inclusive practices.
Skills, Experience, Education, Certifications
- Bachelor's degree in Computer Science, Engineering, or related field.
- Minimum of 6 years of professional experience in software development, with 4 years focused on Azure cloud platform and related services.
- Deep expertise in Azure cloud services, including but not limited to Azure Functions, App Services, AKS, Azure Cosmos DB, Event Hubs, Service Bus, and Azure SQL Database.
- Proven experience with cloud-native application design patterns such as microservices, serverless, and containerization (Docker, Kubernetes).
- Advanced proficiency in programming languages such as C#, .NET, JavaScript (Node.js), or Python.
- Strong experience with RESTful API design, microservices architecture, and integrating third-party services.
- Demonstrated hands-on experience in implementing CI/CD pipelines with GitHub Actions, Azure DevOps or other relevant tools (Git, Jenkins, etc.).
- Deep understanding of security best practices in cloud applications, including identity and access management (IAM), encryption, and secure coding practices.
- Experience with performance tuning, diagnosing, and optimizing cloud-based applications.
- Hands-on experience with agile development methodologies and participating in sprint planning, retrospectives, and daily stand-ups.
- Familiarity with services like JIRA, Confluence and Azure DevOps Boards.
- Strong analytical, problem-solving, and organizational skills, with a proven ability to lead complex technical initiatives.
- Excellent communication and collaboration skills, with experience working in globally distributed teams.
- Relevant certifications in Azure development or architecture (e.g., Microsoft Certified: Azure Developer Associate, Azure Solutions Architect Expert) are a strong asset.
- Experience with MuleSoft or other middleware and/or integration platforms is a plus.
About Pet Valu
As Canada’s largest pet retailer, we’re dedicated to strengthening the bond between Devoted Pet Lovers and their pets. From guiding new pet parents to creating a lifetime of memorable moments, love lives here™ in everything we do.
With nearly 50 years of animal care expertise, Pet Valu has grown to a network of 800+ neighbourhood stores across Canada, delivering knowledgeable customer care and premium products to support every pet’s journey. Our modern corporate office and state-of-the-art distribution centers allow us to efficiently serve these communities, ensuring consistency and top-quality service at every location.
Pet Valu is committed to fostering an open, equitable and inclusive workplace culture. Central to this is our aspiration to have our corporate ACE and franchisee staff reflect the diversity of the devoted pet lovers and neighbourhoods we serve. To demonstrate our commitment, we conduct a search for diverse candidates for all senior leadership positions, as well as potential director nominees for election to our Board.
We’re also proud to support local pet rescues and charities through our Companions for Change™ program, which has so far raised over $31 million, sponsored 200+ Dog Guides teams, and helped find forever homes for over 47,000 pets.
Headquartered in Markham, Ontario, Pet Valu trades on the Toronto Stock Exchange (TSX: PET). Find open opportunities on our careers page at petvalu.ca/careers.