Learning Analytics Applications Developer

The Pennsylvania State University; Ferguson Township (PA); Hybrid; USD 81,000 - 122,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

75% tuition discount

Job summary

The Pennsylvania State University is hiring a Front-End Developer to design and maintain accessible, performant UIs for learning analytics apps like Course Insights and Elevate. You will work closely with data scientists, backend engineers, and educators in a hybrid on-campus setting at University Park.

Requirements include strong Angular/TypeScript, NodeJS workflows, RESTful APIs, and a focus on quality, design thinking, and scalable architecture. Visa sponsorship is not available.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's Degree 3+ years of relevant experience or equivalent
• Strong front-end engineering experience with Angular, TypeScript, HTML5, CSS3/SCSS
• Experience in NodeJS workflows, build tools, package management
• Experience consuming RESTful APIs and integrating front-end with backend services
• Proficient with Git and version control
• Ability to design for accessibility and performance
• Ability to discuss architecture, design tradeoffs, and system reliability

Responsibilities

• Develop, test, and deploy responsive, accessible UIs for learning analytics using Angular
• Collaborate with backend data scientists and educators to implement features
• Work within NX monorepo and NodeJS development environment
• Maintain and enhance existing Angular apps for performance and scalability
• Troubleshoot front-end and integration issues across layers
• Incorporate AI-assisted capabilities with human-in-the-loop workflows and logging
• Explore new front-end tech and responsible AI engineering practices

Skills

Angular

TypeScript

HTML5

CSS3/SCSS

NodeJS

RESTful APIs

Git

Problem solving

System architecture

UX principles

Education

Bachelor's Degree in Computer Science/Information Science or related field

Tools

NX monorepos

D3.js

Chart.js

Job description

POSITION SPECIFICS

Join Penn State IT’s innovative Data Empowered Learning team, dedicated to enhancing student success through cutting-edge learning analytics tools like Course Insights and Elevate.

We are seeking a skilled Front-End Developer to design, build, and maintain intuitive and impactful user interfaces for our next generation of learning analytics applications.

The successful candidate will bring strong front-end engineering skills together with sound systems thinking, product-minded design judgment, and the ability to work in a dynamic team based environment.

This role requires an engineer who can translate educational use cases and analytics into reliable, user-centered software solutions, while thoughtfully incorporating AI-assisted features where appropriate.

This is not a prompt-only prototyping role. We are seeking an engineer who can pair thoughtful product and systems design with disciplined implementation, testing, and evaluation.

Candidates should be able to communicate effectively with technical stakeholders, articulate architectural decisions and tradeoffs, discuss code and data flows in depth, and demonstrate a strong understanding of software quality.

Responsibilities

• Develop, test, and deploy high-quality, responsive, and accessible user interfaces for learning analytics applications using Angular.
• Collaborate closely with backend developers, data scientists, and educational stakeholders to implement application features.
• Work within our established NX monorepo structure and NodeJS development environment.
• Maintain and enhance existing Angular applications, ensuring performance, scalability, accessibility, and long-term maintainability.
• Troubleshoot and debug front-end and integration issues across application layers.
• Apply sound software engineering and design patterns when integrating AI-assisted capabilities, including human-in-the-loop workflows, fallback behaviors, logging, and monitoring.
• Research and integrate advancements in front-end technologies, AI application development practices, and responsible engineering best practices.

Required Qualifications

• Proven experience as an Applications Developer, Front-End Developer, or similar role.
• Strong proficiency in modern Angular framework, TypeScript, HTML5, and CSS3/SCSS.
• Experience working within a NodeJS environment for development workflows, including build tools and package management.
• Experience consuming RESTful APIs and integrating front-end applications with backend services.
• Proficiency with version control systems, particularly Git.
• Strong problem-solving skills, attention to detail, and commitment to producing maintainable, production-quality software.
• Demonstrated ability to think beyond feature delivery and contribute to application architecture, technical design, and system reliability.
• Familiarity with user-centered design, design thinking, or related approaches for translating stakeholder needs into effective software solutions.
• Ability to evaluate technical tradeoffs and communicate clearly with technical and non-technical partners.
• U.S Citizenship - sponsored VISAs are unavailable for this position.

Minimum Education, Work Experience & Required Certifications

Bachelor's Degree 3+ years of relevant experience; or an equivalent combination of education and experience accepted.

Required Certifications: None.

Desired Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Computer Science, Information Science, or a related field.
• Familiarity with NX monorepos or similar monorepo management tools.
• Experience with data visualization libraries (e.g., D3.js, Chart.js).
• Understanding of UI/UX principles and accessibility standards (WCAG).
• Experience working in Higher Education or EdTech environments.
• Familiarity with Python for backend development.
• Familiarity with AI-enabled application development, including prompt orchestration, retrieval-augmented workflows, agent-based patterns, or integration with LLM-powered services.
• Experience using AI-assisted development tools productively while maintaining engineering rigor, code quality, and accountability.

Location

The Data Empowered Learning team is primarily located on campus at University Park, and this position requires a partial in-person presence of at least 1-2 days in the office per week to drive collaborative success. While local hybrid presence is required for the role, the team offers flexibility regarding daily work hours to accommodate individual schedules.

Background Checks/Clearances

Employment with the University will require successful completion of background check(s) in accordance with University policies. Penn State does not sponsor or take over sponsorship of a staff employment Visa. Applicants must be authorized to work in the U.S.

Salary & Benefits

The salary range for this position, including all possible grades, is $81,312.00 - $122,016.00.

Salary Structure - Information on Penn State's salary structure.

Penn State provides a competitive benefits package for full-time employees designed to support both personal and professional well-being.

In addition to comprehensive medical, dental, and vision coverage, employees enjoy robust retirement plans and substantial paid time off which includes holidays, vacation and sick time.

One of the standout benefits is the generous 75% tuition discount, available to employees as well as eligible spouses and children.

For more detailed information, please visit our Benefits Page.

Campus Security Crime Statistics

Pursuant to the Jeanne Clery Disclosure of Campus Security Policy and Campus Crime Statistics Act and the Pennsylvania Act of 1988, Penn State publishes a combined Annual Security and Annual Fire Safety Report (ASR). The ASR includes crime statistics and institutional policies concerning campus security, such as those concerning alcohol and drug use, crime prevention, the reporting of crimes, sexual assault, and other matters.

The ASR is available for review here.

EEO IS THE LAW

Penn State is an equal opportunity employer and is committed to providing employment opportunities to all qualified applicants without regard to race, color, religion, age, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability or protected veteran status.

If you are unable to use our online application process due to an impairment or disability, please contact 814-865-1473.

Penn State is committed to and accountable for advancing equity, respect, and belonging. We embrace individual uniqueness, as well as a culture of belonging that supports equity initiatives, leverages the educational and institutional benefits of inclusion in society, and provides opportunities for engagement intended to help all members of the community thrive.

We value belonging as a core strength and an essential element of the university’s teaching, research, and service mission.

Our Values

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There's a reason Penn State consistently ranks among the top one percent of the world’s universities. Across 24 campuses, our 100,000 students and 40,000 faculty and staff know the real measure of success goes beyond the classroom – it’s the positive impact made on communities across the world.

Our ideals stem from our origins as Pennsylvania’s sole land-grant institution, which allow us to continue to bring positive impact to humanity through our teaching, research, and engagement mission. And across the world is a community of Penn Staters – more than half a million strong – driven by that same spirit to serve our local and global communities.

At Penn State, passion is met with collaboration in an environment that is rooted in shared pride for the accomplishments of our fellow students, faculty, staff, and alumni.

Penn Staters cheer each other on to build a culture committed to service and engagement.

Our University values represent our core ethical aspirations for all our daily activities and actions as students, faculty, staff, and volunteers at Penn State.

Our values are as follows; Integrity, Respect, Responsibility, Discovery, Excellence, and Community.

We Are Penn State. One Community. Impacting Many.