About the Position

Staff Software Engineer, Web Application Services

Remote

Why Thunderbird?

Thunderbird is one of the world’s most trusted open-source email applications, empowering more than 20 million people globally. At Thunderbird, we build privacy-respecting communication and productivity tools that help people manage their digital lives while staying in control of their data.

We are open source by design. Our products are developed transparently and in collaboration with a global community of contributors, and that same spirit shapes how we work: collaboratively, inclusively, and with a shared commitment to putting users first.

Our small but growing distributed team includes more than 65 people across seven countries. As Thunderbird evolves beyond a single desktop application, we are expanding across desktop, mobile, paid services, AI offerings, and enterprise-facing work to build independent, privacy-respecting alternatives to big tech ecosystems.

Our revenue model combines user donations, which help keep Thunderbird’s applications freely available, with paid services that cover the costs of hosted offerings while supporting long-term sustainability and continued innovation.

To learn more, visit www.thunderbird.net.

Responsibilities

As a Staff Software Engineer, Services, you’ll help shape the architecture and technical direction of web-based products that extend Thunderbird beyond email. The Services team is currently focused on building offerings such as an appointment calendar and secure file storage and transfer solutions, creating valuable experiences for our users while supporting additional revenue streams for Thunderbird.

Lead the technical architecture of new Services products, taking ownership of complex projects and identifying improvements that strengthen our systems as they evolve.
Write code, build prototypes and experiments, and contribute throughout the development lifecycle, from planning and testing through implementation, monitoring, and maintenance.
Help establish software patterns and make technical decisions across our Services products, including investigating and proposing technology choices.
Build and evolve analytics and infrastructure that help the team use user-generated data to inform decisions.
Take on ambiguous, high-level problems with broad scope and direct impact on Services goals, including growing users and subscribers.
Provide technical and product direction across Thunderbird and lead technical collaboration with other parts of Mozilla and community contributors when needed.
Work closely with the team and community to surface issues, refine ideas, and develop practical solutions.
Identify and plan improvements that make our systems and processes more accessible, self-serviceable, lower friction, sustainable, scalable, and easier to delegate.
Mentor other engineers through code review, documentation, technical discussions, process improvements, and ongoing guidance.
Stay current with evolving technologies, coding standards, libraries, and frameworks and apply that knowledge to your work.

Requirements

10+ years of web software development experience, including experience designing scalable and efficient systems and launching complex web projects at scale.
Expert-level JavaScript skills and knowledge of at least one additional programming language, such as Python, Rust, Go, or C++.
An understanding of the business landscape, including challenges and opportunities, and experience collaborating with teams to expand Thunderbird’s user and donor base.
Experience with front-end frameworks, full-stack development, and/or API development.
Strong knowledge of software development practices, including testing, code review, and documentation, and the ability to help others develop these skills.
Experience acting as a technical lead, solving complex technical problems, and providing mentorship and guidance to other engineers.
Experience collaborating remotely across disciplines such as engineering, product management, QA, and design.
Excellent written and verbal English communication and documentation skills, with the ability to communicate clearly and concisely with an international, geographically distributed team.
Comfort working in an open-source environment and a commitment to Mozilla values.
Ability to learn, evaluate, and responsibly use emerging technologies, including AI-enabled tools, to improve work processes.
A commitment to continuous learning and staying current with industry trends and technologies.
Ability and willingness to travel periodically, including internationally.

Bonus Points For

Experience with product management or product-focused work.

We Offer

Competitive salary: $180,000 - $215,000 USD (US) / $155,000 - $190,000 CAD (Canada)
Comprehensive benefits package
Fully remote work & schedule flexibility
Company-provided laptop
Annual bonus program
Monthly remote work stipend
Annual professional development stipend
Access to Coursera learning platform
Industry conferences
Company all-hands and team gatherings
24 days PTO per year (prorated)
Your birthday
Year-end company shutdown
9 wellbeing days
Public holidays
Other paid leave
Quarterly wellbeing stipend for personal / family activities
401(k) / RRSP contributions
Health, dental, & vision insurance
Disability insurance
Life insurance
Employee assistance program
Paid parental leave
Paid sick days

About the Company

Thunderbird believes in the value of diverse creative practices and forms of knowledge, and knows diversity, equity and inclusion are crucial to and enrich the company’s core mission. We encourage applications from everyone, including members of all equity-seeking communities, such as (but not limited to) women, racialized and Indigenous persons, persons with disabilities, persons of all sexual orientations, gender identities and expressions.

We are an equal opportunity employer. We do not discriminate on the basis of race (including hairstyle and texture), religion (including religious grooming and dress practices), gender, gender identity, gender expression, color, national origin, pregnancy, ancestry, domestic partner status, disability, sexual orientation, age, genetic predisposition, medical condition, marital status, citizenship status, military or veteran status, or any other basis covered by applicable laws. Thunderbird will not tolerate discrimination or harassment based on any of these characteristics or any other unlawful behavior, conduct, or purpose.

We will ensure that qualified individuals with disabilities are provided reasonable accommodations to participate in the job application or interview process, to perform essential job functions, and to receive other benefits and privileges of employment, as appropriate. Please contact us at [email protected] to request accommodation.

How to Apply

Please apply directly through our career page. We carefully review every cover letter and screening question, so take the time to answer each fully. We value authentic, thoughtful responses that reflect your own experience and perspective. It is fine to use AI tools to polish your writing, but your answers should be your own. Candidates who submit generic or unoriginal AI-generated responses may be disqualified from further consideration.

Staff Software Engineer, Web Application Services

Job description