Spatial Product Developer

POSITION DESCRIPTION - Spatial Product DeveloperPOSITION DETAILSJob Title: Spatial Product Developer

Business Function: Delivery Team (Solutions Team)

Reports To: Development Technical Lead

Employment Type: Fixed-term (12 months)

Location: Melbourne or Perth (remote), other regions will be considered for the right candidate.

Closing Date: 3 July

ROLE SUMMARY

The Spatial Product Developer is a hands-on technical role within FrontierSI’s Delivery Team, focused primarily on the development and delivery of a web based environmental product. Reporting to the Development Technical Lead, the role involves designing, building, and maintaining spatial and software solutions across web, cloud, and data processing workstreams.

The Spatial Product Developer works closely with the Product Manager to translate product requirements into technical deliverables. Day-to-day technical direction is provided by the Development Technical Lead, with product priorities and scope set by the Product Manager.

This role requires a high degree of independence in day-to-day technical work. The Spatial Product Developer is expected to take ownership of development tasks from requirements through to deployment, proactively identify and resolve technical issues, and communicate progress and risks without close supervision.

The role may contribute to broader project work as needed, based on team capacity and engagement priorities determined in consultation with the Development Technical Lead.

KEY RESPONSIBILITIESTechnical Delivery

• Design, develop, and maintain web applications, APIs, and spatial data pipelines for web-based products and other assigned projects.
• Build and configure cloud-based data processing workflows for large environmental and geospatial datasets on AWS.
• Develop frontend interfaces using React or Vue, integrating with backend services and spatial data APIs.
• Develop and maintain Python-based backend services using FastAPI and related frameworks.
• Design and maintain database schemas, queries, and data access layers to support application and pipeline requirements.
• Write and maintain technical documentation including system specifications, deployment guides, and architecture notes.
• Troubleshoot and resolve technical issues across development, staging, and production environments.
• Follow established version control practices, branching strategies, and code review processes in line with FrontierSI development standards.
• Develop automated testing frameworks and quality assurance practices for data-intensive applications, APIs, and geospatial processing workflows.

Data and Geospatial Processing

• Process, transform, and manage large geospatial and environmental datasets in cloud environments.
• Work with geospatial data formats and standards (GeoJSON, Shapefile, GeoTIFF, NetCDF, and others) and spatial databases.
• Implement spatial data pipelines and ETL workflows that meet data quality and performance requirements.
• Apply knowledge of spatial reference systems, coordinate transformations, and geospatial processing best practices.

Stakeholder Engagement

• Participate in technical discussions with clients and project partners as required, providing input on development approach and feasibility.
• Collaborate with the Product Manager to break down product requirements into technical tasks and delivery plans.
• Provide regular updates on development progress, technical risks, and blockers to the Development Technical Lead and project managers.

The employee may perform other related duties as assigned to meet the ongoing needs of the organisation.

REQUIRED QUALIFICATIONS AND EXPERIENCE

• Demonstrated experience in Python web development, including frameworks such as FastAPI and Django.
• Proficiency in modern web frontend development using React and/or Vue.
• Strong database skills, including schema design, SQL querying, and performance optimisation.
• Hands-on experience with AWS cloud services in a development or deployment context (e.g. EC2, S3, RDS, Lambda).
• Experience processing and managing large datasets in cloud environments.
• Familiarity with geospatial data formats, standards, and spatial reference systems.
• Experience developing automated testing frameworks and quality assurance practices for data-intensive applications, APIs, and geospatial processing workflows.
• Ability to work independently and take ownership of technical deliverables with minimal supervision.
• Strong written and verbal communication skills, with the ability to document technical decisions clearly.

DESIRABLE QUALIFICATIONS AND EXPERIENCE

• Experience with ArcGIS platform technologies.
• Familiarity with geospatial Python libraries such as GDAL, GeoPandas, Rasterio, or Shapely.
• Experience with Docker and containerised deployment workflows.
• Familiarity with CI/CD pipelines (GitHub Actions, Azure DevOps, or similar).
• Understanding of OGC standards (WMS, WFS, WCS).
• Experience with infrastructure as code tools (Terraform, CloudFormation).
• Relevant tertiary qualification in software engineering, computer science, geospatial science, or a related discipline.

KEY ATTRIBUTES

• Self-directed and proactive, able to manage competing priorities and deliver to deadlines with limited oversight.
• Comfortable operating across the full stack, from frontend interfaces through to backend services and cloud infrastructure.
• Collaborative and communicative, willing to raise issues early and contribute constructively in team discussions.
• Attentive to quality in both code and documentation.
• Curious about emerging tools, techniques, and spatial data standards.