With almost 150 years of proud horseracing history, Woodbine Entertainment Group is the founding pioneer and largest operator of professional horseracing in Canada.
Building on our rich past, we are surging ahead to the future with an energized, new vision. Today we deliver the most thrilling and highest quality racing, dining and entertainment experiences to our visitors. In doing so, we remain a world-leader in horse-racing — and also among the most exciting and diverse entertainment facilities on the globe.
JOB SUMMARY:The Sr. Backend Engineer is responsible for the operational health, administration, security, reliability, and continuous improvement of enterprise business platforms, data integration services, reporting solutions, databases, cloud services, and supporting infrastructure. The role provides technical and people leadership for a team of Junior, Intermediate, and Senior Platform Engineers, ensuring consistent delivery of platform services aligned with business objectives.
The position is accountable for platform operations, service availability, incident management, platform lifecycle management, technical standards, team development, and operational excellence across a diverse portfolio including Microsoft Dynamics 365 Finance & Operations and CRM, internally developed .NET applications, data integration and reporting platforms, SQL Server environments, cloud services, monitoring solutions, and business-critical operational systems.
Working closely with business stakeholders, vendors, and technology teams, the Lead Platform Engineer drives service reliability, security, compliance, automation, and continuous improvement while developing team capabilities and supporting strategic technology initiatives.
KEY ACCOUTABILTIES:
- Platform Operations & Service Delivery: Lead administration, support, maintenance, and continuous improvement of enterprise applications and platforms including Dynamics 365 Finance & Operations, Dynamics CRM, internally developed .NET applications, Kronos, Firebase, Squirrel POS, Yellow Dog Inventory, Totes, and other business-critical systems. Ensure platform availability, reliability, performance, and lifecycle management
- People Leadership & Team Development: Directly manage and develop Junior, Intermediate, and Senior Platform Engineers through coaching, mentoring, performance management, career development planning, workload management, capacity planning, recruitment support, and succession planning activities.
- Data, Reporting & Integration Platforms: Oversee operational support and optimization of Azure Data Factory, Databricks, SSIS, SQL Server environments, enterprise reporting solutions including Tableau, Power BI, and SSRS. Ensure data quality, integration reliability, reporting availability, and operational performance.
- Technical Leadership & Continuous Improvement: Establish engineering standards, operational procedures, automation initiatives, monitoring strategies, and best practices. Lead root cause analysis, problem management activities, platform modernization initiatives, and operational excellence programs.
- Security, Governance & Compliance: Administer security controls, user access management, licensing, audit compliance, monitoring solutions, and governance requirements across supported platforms. Ensure adherence to organizational security standards and regulatory obligations.
SKILLS
Knowledge and Education
- Bachelor's Degree in Computer Science, Information Technology, Software Engineering, Data Engineering, or a related discipline.
- Minimum 7 years of progressive experience supporting enterprise applications, platforms, databases, cloud services, and integration technologies.
- Minimum 2 years of experience leading, mentoring, or managing technical support or engineering teams.
- Demonstrated experience supporting business-critical production environments and enterprise applications.
- Experience with Microsoft Dynamics 365 Finance & Operations, Dynamics CRM, Azure services, SQL Server, enterprise reporting platforms, integration technologies, and operational monitoring tools.
- Strong understanding of IT Service Management (ITSM), Incident Management, Problem Management, Change Management, and Operational Governance processes.
- Relevant certifications such as Microsoft Certified: Azure Administrator Associate, Azure Solutions Architect Expert, AWS Certified Solutions Architect, ITIL Foundation, or related certifications are considered an asset.
- Strong analytical, troubleshooting, communication, and stakeholder management skills.
Lived Experience
- Progressive Technology Operations Experience: Building expertise through progressively responsible roles supporting enterprise applications, infrastructure, databases, cloud services, integration platforms, or business-critical operational systems. Experience managing production environments, troubleshooting incidents, and supporting business users can provide equivalent practical knowledge.
- Technical Leadership and Team Mentorship: Demonstrating leadership through mentoring junior team members, providing technical guidance, coordinating support activities, leading operational initiatives, or acting as a technical lead on projects. Experience developing others and sharing knowledge can provide valuable leadership capabilities.
- Hands-On Platform Administration: Practical experience administering enterprise applications, databases, cloud solutions, reporting platforms, monitoring tools, security controls, and integration technologies. Direct responsibility for maintaining operational stability and reliability can develop equivalent technical skills.
- Major Incident and Problem Management Experience: Participation in incident response activities, service restoration efforts, root cause analysis, and operational improvement initiatives. Experience managing high-priority issues and coordinating cross-functional teams can build critical decision-making and leadership skills.
- On-the-Job Training and Mentorship Programs: Working in environments that provide structured mentorship, knowledge transfer, leadership development opportunities, and exposure to enterprise technology operations. Learning through hands-on experience and coaching from senior professionals can provide equivalent competency development.
- Personal Projects, Consulting, or Freelance Experience: Managing complex technology solutions through personal projects, consulting engagements, freelance work, community initiatives, or volunteer opportunities involving system administration, cloud technologies, application support, automation, databases, or software development.
- Contributions to Technology Communities and Open-Source Projects: Actively participating in technology forums, open-source projects, user groups, professional communities, or industry events. These experiences can provide exposure to industry best practices, collaboration, technical problem-solving, and emerging technologies.
- Continuous Self-Learning and Professional Development: Demonstrating a commitment to continuous learning through self-study, technical certifications, online learning platforms, workshops, conferences, and independent research in areas such as cloud computing, platform engineering, data management, automation, security, and enterprise technologies.
- Project and Service Delivery Experience: Leading or participating in technology projects involving upgrades, migrations, platform implementations, integrations, automation initiatives, or service improvements. Experience balancing operational support with project delivery can provide practical exposure equivalent to formal education pathways.
Reason for Vacancy: Replacement
Salary range: The target hiring salary range for this position is $115,000 to $120,000. This range is not a guarantee of compensation. Final placement within the range depends on factors such as internal equity, market conditions, and the candidate’s experience, skills, and qualifications relevant to the role.
We use AI-powered resume screening software to help identify qualified candidates based on the criteria in this job posting. All applications prioritized by the system are subsequently reviewed by our hiring team to ensure a fair and human-centered selection process
Diversity, Equity, Inclusion and Belonging
Be Yourself.
We believe differences should be valued and celebrated. By building diverse and inclusive teams, we strive to provide a more authentic and empowering work experience that unlocks the potential of our people. Regardless of race, religion, colour, national origin, sex, gender, expression, sexual orientation, age, marital status, veteran status, or disability status, we believe everyone has the right to express their ideas, ambitions, and pursue their goals with confidence and integrity. Diversity breeds innovation. We want people to think differently. Our commitment is to build a culture that welcomes everyone and leverages their unique perspectives to be a great entertainment company that shares the thrill of horseracing experiences with the world.
