Founding Software Engineering Lead

MyFriendBen; Denver (CO); Hybrid; USD 100,000 - 125,000; Full time

Job summary

An innovative nonprofit is seeking a Founding Software Engineering Lead to shape technology that transforms lives. This role involves leading a mission-driven team, defining technical strategies, and collaborating across departments to align technology with organizational goals. The ideal candidate will have a strong engineering background, a passion for social impact, and the ability to inspire and develop a diverse team. Join this forward-thinking organization to make a meaningful difference in the community while enjoying a flexible and equitable work culture.

Benefits

Desk Space

Parking

Snacks

Access to Conference Rooms

Qualifications

• 5+ years of engineering leadership or comparable senior IC experience.
• Proven ability to scale technical products from MVP to large-scale adoption.
• Familiarity with cloud infrastructure, CI/CD, and AI technology.

Responsibilities

• Define the technical strategy for scalability and reliability.
• Contribute and review code; leverage modern tools.
• Recruit, mentor, and lead a high-performance engineering team.

Skills

Engineering Leadership

Cloud Infrastructure

CI/CD

AI Technology

Team Development

Entrepreneurial Spirit

Social Impact Passion

Education

5+ years engineering leadership experience

Job description

Join to apply for the Founding Software Engineering Lead role at MyFriendBen

1 week ago Be among the first 25 applicants

Join to apply for the Founding Software Engineering Lead role at MyFriendBen

This range is provided by MyFriendBen. Your actual pay will be based on your skills and experience — talk with your recruiter to learn more.

Base pay range

$100.00/hr - $125.00/hr

Job Type: Contract-to-Full-Time (via Impact Charitable, fiscal sponsor)

The Role:

At MyFriendBen, we're seeking a Founding Software Engineering Lead who's passionate about building technology that significantly improves lives. You'll lead and grow a mission-driven engineering team, contribute hands-on, and define our technical future as we scale nationally.

Aligned with MyFriendBen Values:

• Grounded. We design, build and improve in direct partnership with community members and end users and in response to community demand.
• Audacious. We take risks, think big, and move quickly.
• Impatient. We are driven by the urgent needs of our community and are committed to delivering value in the near-term.

Key Responsibilities:

• Technical Leadership: Define the technical strategy, ensuring scalability, reliability, and rapid iteration of our open-source platform.
• Hands-On Engineering: Regularly contribute and review code; leverage modern tools, including AI/agentic coding frameworks.
• Strategic Collaboration: Partner with product, fundraising, and operations teams to align technology efforts with organizational growth objectives.
• Innovation & Partnerships: Forge strategic relationships and pilot innovative solutions alongside government entities, nonprofits, and philanthropic partners.
• Team Development: Recruit, mentor, and lead an inclusive, high-performance engineering team.
• Business Model Exploration: Support exploration of future organizational structures, ensuring alignment of technology and mission-driven revenue models.

Qualifications:

We value potential as much as credentials. Even if you don’t meet every qualification listed, we encourage you to apply — your experience and passion for impact may make you our top candidate.

• 5+ years engineering leadership experience or comparable senior IC

(e.g. team lead) experience.

• Proven ability scaling technical products from MVP to large-scale adoption
• Familiarity with cloud infrastructure, CI/CD, and AI technology (LLMs, RAG frameworks). Deep experience is strongly preferred.
• Demonstrated success in hiring, mentoring, and inspiring a diverse engineering team.
• Entrepreneurial spirit—able to pivot quickly, thrive in ambiguity, and galvanize support for new initiatives.
• Deep passion for social impact; previous experience in civic tech, nonprofit, or philanthropic settings strongly preferred, either in past work or volunteer experience.

Why Join Us:

• Purposeful Leadership: Drive solutions that directly address significant gaps in the American social safety net.
• Visibility & Impact: Collaborate with renowned national funders and partners, shaping a category-defining tool.
• Flexible & Equitable Culture: Hybrid remote-friendly with an emphasis on collaboration, trust, and caregiving flexibility.
• Balanced Role: Blend hands-on coding with high-level strategic influence.
• Future Growth: Help shape our evolving business model and technology roadmap.
• Competitive Compensation: Robust pay with equitable and performance-driven benchmarks and career growth philosophy.
• Upside Potential: A chance to share in the organization’s success as we seek to evolve beyond a traditional nonprofit model via profit-sharing, equity, and/or other rewards.

Compensation:

• Initially a contract position (1099) through our fiscal sponsor, Impact Charitable, at $100-$125/hour depending on experience.
• Conversion to full-time employment with competitive salary and benefits after the organization becomes established independently.
• Additional benefits such as desk space, parking, snacks, and access to conference rooms at Gary Community Ventures office.

Hybrid Work Culture:

MyFriendBen operates with a hybrid work model, emphasizing regular, meaningful in-person collaboration while supporting flexible, caregiving-friendly, remote-first practices:

• Denver Metro Requirement: Must reside locally; remote-only applicants will not be considered.
• In-Person Cadence: 2 core days per week at our Denver Union Station office.
• Core Collaboration Hours: 5-hour focused blocks each in-person day for clustered meetings, teamwork, and shared meals from 10 am to 3 pm.
• Flexibility First: Supportive of caregiving responsibilities and diverse working styles; flexible remote hours encouraged outside and throughout in-person days.
• Purposeful Interaction: We prioritize consistent face-to-face teamwork to accelerate innovation—this is not a remote team with occasional team meetups.

Application and Selection Process

Interested candidates are encouraged to apply by submitting their resume through the Ashby application tracking system only. References may be requested. Position will remain open until filled.

We value transparency and respect for candidates’ time. Our hiring process includes:

1. Initial Screen (30-minute video call): Discuss alignment with MyFriendBen’s mission, initial qualifications, and mutual expectations.

2. Second-Round Technical Interview (60-minute video call): In-depth conversation around your technical experience, strategic vision, and leadership philosophy.

3. Final Round (In-Person, ~2 hours, Denver):

• Discussion of your take-home assignment (topic provided in advance, blending leadership and technical topics with modest preparation needed).
• Conversations with the team on cultural alignment, leadership, and shared vision.

About MyFriendBen:

MyFriendBen is a rapidly growing technology nonprofit dedicated to transforming how Americans access public benefits and tax credits. Backed by prestigious national funders, we're spinning out from Gary Community Ventures to become a standalone 501(c)(3) organization. Our innovative open-source platform has already helped tens of thousands of families unlock critical financial resources.

We’re seeking a Founding Software Engineering Lead—a “partner in crime” who can operate as both an individual contributor and strategic leader to build out our product org and drive this ambitious vision forward. Join us to build technology with profound social impact. Learn more about MyFriendBen at myfriendben.org.

Note: This position is initially contracted through Impact Charitable, our fiscal sponsor.

Seniority level

• Seniority level

  Mid-Senior level

Employment type

• Employment type

  Contract

Job function

• Job function

  Engineering and Information Technology

• Industries

  Civic and Social Organizations

Referrals increase your chances of interviewing at MyFriendBen by 2x

Sign in to set job alerts for “Lead Software Engineer” roles.

Principal Software Engineer, Payroll Services

Sr. Software Engineer - Investment Manager

Software Platform Manager - Cloud Integration Team

Senior Avionics Software Engineer - New Shepard

Denver, CO $157,053.75-$239,127.00 2 weeks ago

Software Engineering Manager - Compilers/Runtime

Senior Software Engineer (Identity Decisioning)

Senior Software Engineer (Identity Decisioning)

Engineering Operations Lead (Software, GN&C, Avionics & Comms) – Lunar Permanence

Aurora, CO $104,650.00-$189,175.00 1 month ago

Lead Specialist, Cyber Managed Detection and Response

Lead Specialist, Cyber Managed Detection and Response

Denver, CO $185,000.00-$195,000.00 5 months ago

Broomfield, CO $150,000.00-$160,000.00 5 months ago

Denver, CO $165,000.00-$210,000.00 1 year ago

Greenwood Village, CO $125,000.00-$150,000.00 2 weeks ago

Denver, CO $130,000.00-$170,000.00 2 months ago

Denver, CO $170,000.00-$195,000.00 4 months ago

Aurora, CO $130,000.00-$300,000.00 2 months ago

Denver, CO $114,200.00-$142,700.00 2 days ago

Senior Software Engineer, Full Stack, Labs

Senior Software Engineer - 25k Sign on Bonus

Aurora, CO $126,100.00-$227,950.00 2 weeks ago

We’re unlocking community knowledge in a new way. Experts add insights directly into each article, started with the help of AI.