Staff Software Engineer - Backend
Okta · Posted Oct 8
Cloud-based identity and access management solutions for workforce and customer security
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About the role
The Device Identity and Access organization is a foundational pillar within Okta Research and Development (ORD), working at the intersection of deep client-side platform engineering and massive-scale distributed systems to turn the device itself into a secure, trusted identity factor and secure millions of enterprise endpoints globally. This Staff Software Engineer role is backend-focused, architecting, building, and scaling server-side Java services and RESTful APIs at the heart of Okta's security and identity platform. The engineer also acts as a technical leader—setting standards, mentoring Staff and Senior engineers, and partnering with product and engineering leadership on scalable technical roadmaps.
What you will do
- Partner closely with Product Management, Engineering Directors, and Principal Architects to translate strategic business objectives into actionable, scalable technical roadmaps.
- Drive cross-functional collaboration with Product, Design, and QA to ensure the seamless delivery of our most critical engineering initiatives.
- Lead the design and implementation of new features and services within our core Java platform, taking ownership from conception to deployment.
- Define and champion engineering best practices, and make critical contributions to technical designs, proposals, and long-term architectural decisions.
- Act as a force multiplier across multiple teams, mentoring Staff and Senior engineers, guiding technical design reviews, and raising the engineering bar across the entire pillar.
- Develop high-quality, maintainable software with comprehensive test coverage and drive improvements to our testing and CI/CD strategies.
- Create and maintain high-quality technical documentation and foster a culture of knowledge sharing within the team and the broader organization.
- Champion the adoption of AI-native engineering practices within our Product Development Lifecycle (PDLC), utilizing AI coding assistants to accelerate delivery while ensuring rigorous security and code quality standards.
- Spearhead technical innovation, identifying emerging industry trends (such as advanced device security or AI-native development paradigms) and prototyping solutions to keep Okta ahead of the curve.
Skills used in this role
What the employer is looking for
- 7+ years of progressive software development experience, with a proven track record of designing and building scalable, high-performance server-side features using Java and Spring.
- Deep expertise with high-performance Postgres or MySQL environments, including schema design and query optimization.
- Extensive experience designing, building, and securing RESTful APIs for large-scale systems.
- Expert knowledge of server-side technologies, including caching, asynchronous processing, and multi-threading.
- A deep understanding of design patterns, scalability patterns, security engineering, and object-oriented principles.
- Experience in fast-paced agile environments, with a strong understanding of CI/CD and automated testing.
- Excellent communication skills with the ability to articulate complex technical concepts to diverse audiences and influence technical direction.
- Security Domain Expertise: Deep understanding of endpoint security concepts (e.g., Trusted Platform Modules (TPM), Secure Enclave, Device Management/MDM protocols, and endpoint detection).
- Cross-Platform Context: Strong conceptual understanding of how OS-level security features (iOS, Android, Windows, macOS) report state to the cloud.
- Proficiency in leveraging AI coding assistants (e.g., GitHub Copilot) to accelerate the development lifecycle.
- Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science or equivalent experience.
Preferred qualifications
- Experience building anomaly detection systems or risk systems is a huge plus.
- Experience in cloud security, identity, and/or authentication protocols.
- Understanding of Identity and Access Management protocols and technologies (FIDO, U2F, WebAuthn, SSO, SAML, OAuth, Federation, etc.).
- Knowledge of cybersecurity principles, secure coding practices, and certifications like CISSP or Security+.
- Experience with UI technologies such as ReactJS.
- Exposure to gRPC API development.
- Exposure to microservice architecture.
Benefits and support
- Compensation and benefits are detailed in the job posting
About Okta
Okta is a leading independent provider of cloud-based identity and access management solutions that securely connect people and technologies to the right applications. The company powers both Workforce Identity and Customer Identity platforms, allowing organizations to securely manage user access and navigate modern challenges like agentic AI security.
- Industry
- Enterprise Software
- Company size
- 7500+ employees
- Founded
- 2009
- Location
- San Francisco, California, USA
- Funding stage
- Public Company
Funding
Public Company · $228M raised
- 2010-02-01Series A$10M
- 2011-08-01Series B$16.5M
- 2012-12-01Series C$25M
- 2013-09-01Series D$27M
- 2014-06-01Series E$75M
- 2015-09-01Series F$75M
- 2018-02-21Post IPO Debt$300M
Leadership
Co-Founder and Chief Executive Officer
Co-Founder and Executive Vice Chairman
Chief Marketing Officer
Chief Legal Officer
Recent coverage
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Okta Buys AI Identity Security Startup Permiso for ~$200M2026-07-30
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