Senior Software Engineer

Job Title:Senior Software Engineer

Team: Systems

Location: In-Person in Chicago (IL)

Employment Type: Full-time

FLSA Classification: Exempt

Start Date: ASAP

About Braven

We believe that the next generation of leaders will emerge from everywhere. We empower promising college students with the skills, confidence, experiences, and networks necessary to transition from college to strong first jobs, which lead to meaningful careers and lives of impact.

Learn more about Braven’s impact:

https://impactreport.bebraven.org/

https://jobsreport.bebraven.org/

About the Role

In order to achieve its ambition of serving 80,000-100,000 Fellows over the next decade, Braven is hiring a Senior Software Engineer who will focus on the user experience to have a real impact on students’ lives. We want students using our platform to feel empowered, connected, and engaged. To accomplish this, we aggressively prioritize which projects we work on, aiming to provide the most value in the simplest way possible. We constantly iterate to improve our services as we see what works and what doesn’t. We’re agile and we like to have fun!

As a member of the Systems team, you will prototype new features, help peers grow through code reviews, learn new technologies, and re-architect systems that have passed their expiration date. Braven is entering an exciting growth phase in which we need to balance agility to develop new features against discipline to ensure we use Software Engineering best practices. We have projects that span the spectrum of Software Engineering: feature development within existing products, prototypes for new product discovery, data warehousing/ETL systems, and learning devops technologies to help us deploy/test/troubleshoot faster.

This role is on the Systems team and reports directly to the Managing Director, Software Engineering.

What You’ll Do

• Lead and drive full-stack project initiatives (80%)
• Lead and drive full-stack project initiatives, primarily in Ruby on Rails, demonstrating advanced proficiency and a deep understanding of the framework.
• Own the development lifecycle of projects from conception to deployment, including leading and mentoring 1-2 other engineers.
• Champion best practices in Software Engineering, ensuring system robustness and maintainability while focusing on user-centric solutions.
• Innovate and solve problems creatively, enhancing technological capabilities.
• Provide Mentorship & Collaborate Across Organization (10%)
• Provide guidance and mentorship to junior and mid-level engineers, fostering a culture of learning and growth.
• Lead code reviews and design discussions, promoting a culture of excellence and best practices within the team.
• Collaborate effectively with cross-functional teams to align technical solutions with overall project goals.
• Engage proactively in continuous improvement initiatives, suggesting and implementing enhancements to current systems and processes.
• Embrace a leadership role in the team, setting high standards and leading by example in all aspects of software development and team collaboration.
• Improve Documentation & Cross-Functional Communication (10%)
• Act as a technical liaison between the engineering team and non-technical stakeholders, ensuring clear communication and understanding of technical constraints and opportunities.
• Document architectures, design decisions, and protocols, maintaining clear and accessible records for future reference.
• Stay informed about industry trends, security best practices, and compliance requirements, ensuring the team's work aligns with current standards.
• Other duties as assigned.

Requirements

Minimum Requirements

• Bachelor's Degree or 8+ years of relevant engineering experience
• At least 5 years of experience as a Software Engineer
• Advanced proficiency in Ruby on Rails, with a minimum of 5 years of professional experience
• Familiarity with front-end technologies such as JavaScript, HTML, CSS, and React.

Preferred Qualifications

• Familiarity with other web frameworks like React, ensuring versatility in full-stack development.
• Proficiency in engineering best practices and methodologies, including CI/CD, Scrum/Agile, BDD/TDD, and a strong background in automated testing frameworks.
• Demonstrated leadership in Senior Software Engineering roles, with a track record in scalable software solution development.
• Expertise in designing and maintaining large-scale, complex systems, with a comprehensive understanding of software architecture patterns and principles.
• Skilled in various software development areas, including backend, frontend, and database design, with experience in technologies like BigQuery, PostgreSQL, and version control tools like Git.
• Proficient in cloud platforms (AWS, Google Cloud), RESTful API integration, and containerization tools like Docker.
• Knowledge of caching strategies and tools (Redis, Memcached) along with web development security best practices.
• Exceptional communication skills, capable of effectively managing stakeholders and bridging the gap between technical and non-technical teams.
• Strong mentoring skills, fostering a culture of learning and growth, with a focus on equity and inclusion.
• Personal attributes of emotional intelligence, autonomy, empathy, and the ability to maintain composure in challenging situations, emphasizing a proactive, forward-looking approach in software development.
• Demonstrated commitment to equity and inclusion.
• Exemplification of Braven’s core values.
• Experience that has informed your belief in Braven’s mission and have prepared you to work with, or for, Braven’s student Fellow population.

Please know that no one ever meets 100% of the preferred qualifications. If much of this describes you, we encourage you to apply.

Work Demands

• Ability to work in-person in Chicago (IL) 3 days per week
• Travel 2-3 times per year

Additional Requirements

• Authorized to work in the U.S.
• Must be fully vaccinated and have received the Booster vaccination against COVID-19 and provide proof of such by the date of hire. Individuals may claim exemption from the vaccine requirement for medical or religious reasons. Exempted individuals will be subject to weekly testing if they engage in any in-person work activities.

Application & Interview Process

While the interview process may vary slightly, the general process will be:

• Phone screen with Talent Team member
• Performance Task
• Interview with Hiring Manager
• Panel Interview with Key Partners
• Reference Checks

Benefits

Compensation and Benefits

The salary for this position, which depends on prior work experience and our assessment of your demonstrated fit for the role, will likely be between $100,400 - $125,400. Braven offers competitive base salaries based on the midpoint of the market among not-for-profit organizations of similar size, with opportunities for salary growth over time. We believe in compensating staff members fairly in relation to each other, their qualifications, and their impact on behalf of the organization, and take internal and external equity seriously. Given our commitment to equity, Braven does not negotiate salary offers; instead each salary offer is determined carefully using external and internal benchmarking. You will have an opportunity to discuss salary in more detail after you begin the application process.

Braven also provides competitive, comprehensive benefits, recognition, and career development. While Braven reserves the right to change benefits at any time, current benefits include:

• Unlimited vacation time in addition to org-wide holidays and week-long shutdowns in July and the end of the calendar year (this is a minimum of 19 days per year)
• Match of your 401K contribution up to 5% of your base annual salary, starting your first full month
• Coverage of 85% of health insurance premium for employee and dependents
• A one-month paid sabbatical after 4 years on staff

Location

We gather in the office three days per week and work remotely 2 days per week. Therefore, we require teammates to live within commuting distance of our Chicago hub. We believe in the magic, connection, and collaboration that happens when people work together face-to-face and we believe in giving people flexibility to focus, balance personal priorities, and save themselves two commutes per week.

Commitment to Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion

At Braven, we are committed to attracting, engaging, developing, and retaining a diverse team. Braven operates in the context of our American culture, against the backdrop of systemic racism and oppression of marginalized people since our country’s founding. We are committed to assembling leaders at our organization who have emerged from everywhere, with a particular emphasis on those who share the racial and income backgrounds of our Fellows, and creating an inclusive culture that allows all teammates, of all experiences and identities, to thrive.

Braven is an equal opportunity employer and considers qualified applicants for employment without regard to race, color, creed, religion, national origin, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity and expression, age, disability, veteran status, or any other protected factor. We encourage talented individuals of all backgrounds to apply.