Staff Fullstack Engineer - AI Acceleration

Okta
Toronto, Canada
On-site

Who this role is best for

A natural match if you have experience building secure identity systems and working on 0-to-1 projects.

Best fit for

  • Candidates with a product mindset and experience shaping technical direction for new teams
    — “we shape the problems as much as we solve them
  • Individuals who have led teams through significant technical or cultural transitions
    — “leading a team through a real shift in how they work
  • Engineers with a background in identity and access management (IAM) and phishing-resistant systems
    — “Familiarity with developing Identity and Access Management (IAM) tooling.

Things to consider

  • The role requires a high level of autonomy and ownership beyond just executing tasks
    — “you will own the technical build for solving agent authorization and phishing resistance
  • Candidates must be comfortable with undefined problems and driving work without full specifications
    — “move on problems before they are fully specified

How to stand out

  • Highlight your experience with defining scalable backend architectures and integrating complex APIs
    — “Proven experience defining scalable backend architectures and integrating complex APIs
  • Showcase your ability to apply AI across the software development lifecycle
    — “apply AI meaningfully across the software development lifecycle
  • Emphasize your track record in enforcing security best practices in access control systems
    — “enforce least privilege for what agents can do
  • Demonstrate your ability to coach and raise the technical bar for teams
    — “Raise the technical bar of the entire team, building judgment in others
  • Position yourself as someone who drives improvements in engineering excellence and tech debt prioritization
    — “Spot and prioritize tech debt, driving improvements beyond feature work
Pace · Fast PacedCollaboration · HighAutonomy · HighDecision Impact · Team

Derived from job-description analysis by Serendipath's career intelligence engine.

What success looks like

  • solving agent authorization and phishing resistance
  • shaping the product
  • driving technical architecture
  • improving engineering excellence
Typical background
self-starter mentalityability to spot what needs doing

Skills & requirements

Required

Core Authorization ChallengesSecure Access DesignProduct MindsetQuality Bar OwnershipTechnical ArchitectureModern Development Practices

Preferred

VercelAWSJavascript/typescriptJava

Stack & domain

Fullstack EngineeringAgent AuthorizationPhishing ResistanceJavascript/typescriptJavaLeadershipProblem-solvingCommunicationIdentity And Access ManagementAI SecurityPhishing Prevention

About the role

Original posting from Okta

Secure Every Identity, from AI to Human

Identity is the key to unlocking the potential of AI. Okta secures AI by building the trusted, neutral infrastructure that enables organizations to safely embrace this new era. This work requires a relentless drive to solve complex challenges with real-world stakes. We are looking for builders and owners who operate with speed and urgency and execute with excellence.

This is an opportunity to do career-defining work. We're all in on this mission. If you are too, let's talk.

Staff FullStack Engineer, AI Acceleration Team

The AI Acceleration Team

The AI Acceleration Team builds AI features right where identity and agents meet. Companies are handing real access to AI agents faster than their controls can keep up, and two problems show up first: how do you authorize what an agent is allowed to do on someone's behalf, and how do you keep both people and agents from being phished? We take those on directly.

Our North Star: to get AI right, you have to get identity right. We are a new team, and we shape the problems as much as we solve them. We bring a product mindset to the work: we dig into what customers actually need, define the outcome, and build toward it. We move fast, stay close to the real problem, and are honest about what works.

The Staff FullStack Engineer Opportunity

As a Staff FullStack Engineer on the AI Acceleration Team, you will own the technical build for solving agent authorization and phishing resistance. You see what needs doing and start it. This is 0-to-1 work, meaning you will move on problems before they are fully specified, always keeping customer success as the ultimate bar.

You will help shape which problems we take on, make architectural calls that outlive any single project, and set the technical bar for how we work. You will enforce least privilege for what agents can do and make phishing-resistant access the default. We build with Vercel and AWS, and you will likely work heavily in JavaScript/TypeScript and Java.

What you'll be doing

Solve core authorization challenges: Define how companies authorize agent actions and enforce least privilege for what an agent can do on a user's behalf.

Design secure access: Build phishing-resistant authentication and authorization for both people and the agents acting for them.

Shape the product: Bring a product mindset to dig into what customers need, define the desired outcomes, and build toward them rather than just executing solutions.

Own the quality bar: Act as the voice for product and quality judgment in the room, taking ownership of the outcome, not just the code.

Drive technical architecture: Make and defend architectural decisions on distributed systems and complex API integrations that will scale as the work grows.

Modernize development: Advance how we use AI across our development lifecycle—how we design, review, and ship—and bring the rest of the team along with you.

Coach and multiply: Raise the technical bar of the entire team, building judgment in others rather than trying to solve everything yourself.

Improve engineering excellence: Spot and prioritize tech debt, driving improvements beyond feature work (CI/CD, observability, documentation, reliability, and support).

Stay customer-aware: Build with a clear, direct line to the customer problem and the outcome you're solving for, even if you aren't in every customer conversation.

What you'll bring to the role

A self-starter mentality: The ability to spot what matters, drive work autonomously, and thrive in ambiguity while helping to form a new charter.

Advanced AI tool proficiency: The ability to apply AI meaningfully across the software development lifecycle, evaluate new tooling with good judgment, and establish practices for the wider team.

Architectural expertise: Proven experience defining scalable backend architectures and integrating complex APIs with modern web technologies, including making decisions with lasting, org-wide impact.

Security fundamentals: A solid grasp of web authentication and authorization, including how auth flows work and how to secure sensitive user data.

Backend proficiency: Deep expertise in building reliable, secure, enterprise-grade software in Java or another type-safe language.

Frontend flexibility: High proficiency in JavaScript/TypeScript with true fullstack range, including the ability to ship robust frontends.

Cloud infrastructure knowledge: Strong cloud architecture fundamentals, with experience designing and operating large-scale services on AWS.

Extra credit

Background working on a zero-to-one, startup-like team.

Track record of leading a team through a real shift in how they work (e.g., AI adoption, new developer tooling, or cultural shifts).

Familiarity with developing Identity and Access Management (IAM) tooling.

P25594

Below is the annual salary range for candidates located in Canada. Your actual salary will depend on factors such as your skills, qualifications, and experience. In addition, Okta offers equity (where applicable), bonus, and benefits, including health, dental, and vision insurance, RRSP with a match, healthcare spending, telemedicine, and paid leave (including PTO and parental leave) in accordance with our applicable plans and policies. To learn more about our Total Rewards program, please visit: https://rewards.okta.com/can.

The annual base salary range for this position for candidates located in Canada is between:$160,000—$220,000 CADThe Okta Experience

Supporting Your Well-Being 

Driving Social Impact 

Developing Talent and Fostering Connection + Community

We are intentional about connection. Our global community, spanning over 20 offices worldwide, is united by a drive to innovate. Your journey begins with an immersive, in-person onboarding experience designed to accelerate your impact and connect you to our mission and team from day one.

Okta is an Equal Opportunity Employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, ancestry, marital status, age, physical or mental disability, or status as a protected veteran. We also consider for employment qualified applicants with arrest and convictions records, consistent with applicable laws.

If reasonable accommodation is needed to complete any part of the job application, interview process, or onboarding please use this Form to request an accommodation.

Notice for New York City Applicants & Employees: Okta may use Automated Employment Decision Tools (AEDT), as defined by New York City Local Law 144, that use artificial intelligence, machine learning, or other automated processes to assist in our recruitment and hiring process. In accordance with NYC Local Law 144, if you are an applicant or employee residing in New York City, please click here to view our full NYC AEDT Notice.

Source: Okta careers

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