Staff Frontend Engineer - Mapping & Spatial Platform

<div class="content-intro"><h3><strong>Who We Are</strong></h3> <p>Verkada is transforming how organizations protect their people and places with an integrated, AI-powered platform. A leader in cloud physical security, Verkada helps organizations strengthen safety and efficiency through one connected software platform that includes solutions for video security, access control, air quality sensors, alarms, intercoms, and visitor management.<br><br>Over 30,000 organizations worldwide, including more than 100 companies in the Fortune 500, trust Verkada as their physical security layer for easier management, intelligent control, and scalable deployments. Founded in 2016, Verkada has expanded rapidly with 15 offices and 2,200+ full-time employees.</p></div><h3><strong>About the Role</strong></h3> <p>We are looking for a founding Staff Engineer to lead the technical architecture of our next-generation <strong>Spatial Platform</strong>. For the past decade, floor plans have been static images; we are rebuilding that foundation from the ground up as a high-performance, interactive, and collaborative 3D engine.</p> <p>This is a greenfield role for a builder who wants to own a core pillar of Verkada’s infrastructure before we hit the public markets. You won't just build features—you will architect a platform that supports 8+ product lines, solving the "hard math" of geospatial projections and the "hard graphics" of rendering thousands of interactive assets at a buttery-smooth 60 FPS.</p> <h3><strong>What You'll Do</strong></h3> <ul> <li><strong>Architect a Dual-Engine System:</strong> Design a hybrid rendering architecture that bridges high-density geospatial visualization (via MapLibre/Deck.gl) with a high-frequency, imperative editing surface (via Three.js/Custom WebGL).</li> <li><strong>Optimize for Latency:</strong> Solve the "500-element wall" by implementing partial GPU buffer updates and custom shaders, ensuring sub-millisecond input latency during real-time vertex manipulation.</li> <li><strong>Build the Sync Engine:</strong> Lead the development of an offline-first, real-time collaborative editor utilizing <strong>CRDTs</strong> (Conflict-free Replicated Data Types) to allow multi-user planning of complex campuses.</li> <li><strong>Spatial Intelligence:</strong> Develop power-user tools like real-time 3D line-of-sight analysis, signal strength heatmaps, and AI-driven hardware placement suggestions.</li> <li><strong>Set the Standard:</strong> Work closely with backend teams to optimize binary vector tile (MVT) delivery and define the architectural patterns for our entire frontend organization.</li> </ul> <h3><strong>What You Bring</strong></h3> <ul> <li><strong>5+ years of experience</strong> building complex, customer-facing web applications or high-performance graphics engines.</li> <li><strong>Mastery of Web Technologies:</strong> JavaScript fundamentals (scoping, closures, contexts, prototypes, classes, etc.) and React expertise (common state and data libraries like React Query, Zustand, etc.)</li> <li><strong>CS Fundamentals:</strong> A degree in Computer Science or a related field, with strong intuition for data structures, memory management, and linear algebra.</li> <li><strong>Mathematical Precision:</strong> Understanding of coordinate system conversions, geospatial projections, and 3D geometry.</li> <li><strong>Product Grit:</strong> An obsessive eye for smooth interactions and the ability to bridge the gap between CAD-level precision and consumer-grade UX.</li> </ul> <h3><strong>Nice to Haves</strong></h3> <ul> <li><strong>Graphics Stack:</strong> Experience with <strong>Deck.gl, MapLibre, Three.js,</strong> or raw <strong>WebGL/WebGPU</strong>.</li> <li><strong>Collaborative Systems:</strong> Experience with real-time sync architectures (e.g., Yjs, Automerge, or Operational Transforms).</li> <li><strong>Low-Level Web:</strong> Proficiency in high-performance 2D/3D graphics (Canvas API, low-level buffer management, or ... (truncated, view full listing at source)