Backend Engineering Intern, Wirecutter

thenewyorktimes; New York (NY); On-site; USD 47,000 - 55,000; Full time

Job summary

The New York Times is seeking a Developer Platform intern to assist Wirecutter's infrastructure and software delivery. You will help test, deploy, and operate web applications, exploring performance bottlenecks and improving automated quality checks.

You will collaborate with engineers to build improvements, document results, and share insights on latency and architecture tradeoffs. The role emphasizes curiosity and learning.

Qualifications

• Experience with CI/CD workflows and automating quality checks and deployments.
• Experience or projects in web application performance optimization.
• Foundation in software development and understanding of infra, networks and apps.
• Curiosity in debugging, collaborative learning, and problem-solving mindset.
• Experience with AI tools and agents like Claude Code.

Responsibilities

• Improve CI/CD workflows that automate quality checks and deployment.
• Investigate web performance and contribute to latency reduction efforts.
• Explore network requests and architecture for better performance and reliability.
• Build, test, and document improvements with engineers across the team.
• Share learnings, tradeoffs, results, and follow-up ideas.

Skills

CI/CD workflows

Web performance

Software development basics

Curious problem solving

AI tools (Claude Code)

Tools

AWS

Kubernetes

GitHub Actions

Job description

The mission of The New York Times is to seek the truth and help people understand the world. That means independent journalism is at the heart of all we do as a company. It's why we have a world-renowned newsroom that sends journalists to report on the ground from nearly 160 countries. It's why we focus deeply on how our readers will experience our journalism, from print to audio to a world-class digital and app destination. And it's why our business strategy centers on making journalism so good that it's worth paying for.

About

We work on the infrastructure and engineering systems behind Wirecutter's products, improving software delivery and release quality while making the platform faster and more reliable through network and application architecture improvements. As a Developer Platform intern, you'll contribute to practical projects that help Wirecutter teams test, deploy, and operate web applications. You'll explore performance bottlenecks, strengthen automated quality checks, and see how your work improves the systems behind the product. We value curiosity and learning; you don't need to know every tool on day one.

Responsibilities

• Help improve CI/CD workflows that automate quality checks and code deployment.
• Investigate web application performance and contribute to latency-reduction efforts.
• Explore network requests and application or platform architecture to identify opportunities for better performance and reliability.
• Build, test, and document improvements in collaboration with engineers across the team.
• Share what you learn, including tradeoffs, results, and ideas for follow-up work.

Basic Qualifications

• Experience working with CI/CD workflows, especially for automating quality checks and code deployment.
• Experience or project work focused on web application performance optimization or latency reduction.
• A foundation in software development and an interest in how applications, infrastructure, and networks work together.
• A thoughtful, curious approach to debugging and problem-solving, and a willingness to collaborate and learn.
• Experience working with AI tools and agents like Claude Code

Preferred Qualifications

• Exposure to AWS or Kubernetes.
• Experience with GitHub Actions.
• Familiarity with web application architecture, network requests, or performance measurement.

The hourly rate of base pay for this role is: $40 - $40 USD

The New York Times Company is committed to being the world's best source of independent, reliable and quality journalism. To do so, we embrace a diverse workforce that has a broad range of backgrounds and experiences across our ranks, at all levels of the organization. We encourage people from all backgrounds to apply.

We are an Equal Opportunity Employer and do not discriminate on the basis of an individual's sex, age, race, color, creed, national origin, alienage, religion, marital status, pregnancy, sexual orientation or affectional preference, gender identity and expression, disability, genetic trait or predisposition, carrier status, citizenship, veteran or military status and other personal characteristics protected by law. All applications will receive consideration for employment without regard to legally protected characteristics. The U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC)'s Know Your Rights Poster is available here .

The New York Times Company will provide reasonable accommodations as required by applicable federal, state, and/or local laws. Individuals seeking an accommodation for the application or interview process should email [e-mail]. Emails sent for unrelated issues, such as following up on an application, will not receive a response.