Senior Full-Stack Engineer (Innovate NJ)

New Jersey Innovation Authority; Trenton (NJ); On-site; USD 130,000 - 158,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Medical benefits

Dental benefits

Vision benefits

Paid leave

Retirement plan options

Job summary

The New Jersey Innovation Authority (NJIA) is seeking a senior full‑stack software engineer with 5+ years of experience to deliver public-facing digital services for New Jersey residents. You will own features end-to-end, collaborate with product designers and stakeholders, and operate with autonomy in a startup-like environment.

Responsibilities include driving engineering delivery, conducting human-centered product development, and providing technical leadership across the team while aligning

Qualifications

• 5+ years of professional software development experience.
• Experience across front-end and back-end stacks.
• Civic technology experience preferred.
• Experience with modern JavaScript frameworks and cloud infrastructure.
• Ability to translate user needs into technical decisions and design scalable solutions.

Responsibilities

• Deliver public-facing digital products in collaboration with product teams.
• Own features end-to-end from planning to architecture to UI development.
• Lead iterative, human-centered product development with agile practices.
• Build team capability and establish development processes with stakeholders.

Skills

JavaScript

React

CSS

HTML

AWS

SQL

NoSQL

Git/GitHub

Tools

GitHub

Job description

The New Jersey Innovation Authority

The New Jersey Innovation Authority (NJIA) is looking for diverse and experienced team members to deploy world‑class innovative and digital services that solve pressing public interest challenges for the people of New Jersey. Our work spans numerous issue and policy areas, and is focused on making an impact in the lives of the New Jerseyans that we serve. Our work has decreased the amount of time it takes to apply for Unemployment Insurance, made it easier to start, operate, and grow a business in the Garden State, and connected millions of New Jerseyans to government programs, services, and benefits.

Our team members wear many hats, contributing to both the execution of core projects and the evolution of NJIA. We use data and modern research, design, and development methods to inform our decision making, and we collaborate with stakeholders within and outside of government to understand and solve challenges. To learn more about NJIA read our impact report and visit our About Us page.

We are seeking a senior full‑stack software engineer with at least 5 years of experience using modern languages and practices who can focus on user needs and build effective solutions from those insights. You should be comfortable working in a startup‑like environment where you think independently and operate with a high degree of autonomy. We’re looking for self‑starters who are skilled at driving projects forward while communicating and collaborating closely with the team.

This position will report to the Engineering Director and collaborate closely with their Initiative Director to align their team’s work with the broader Resident Experience portfolio strategy. Your responsibilities may include:

Engineering delivery

• Deliver public‑facing digital products in collaboration with product managers, product designers, content designers, and diverse stakeholders.
• Solve challenges using a wide toolkit that includes writing code, translating user needs into technical decisions, mapping out technical options, and operating as a solution architect to take problems that may be poorly specified and find the best software solutions.
• Own features end-to-end, from planning to structuring architecture to designing and building front‑end interfaces.

Iterative human‑centered product development

• Apply leading industry development practices to solve complex problems through the use of human‑centered design, open‑source development and innovation, data‑driven decision making, and agile development practices.
• Participate actively in agile product development, including user research, analysis, and synthesis. Be able to manage a project team and coordinate activities between teammates.

Technical project leadership

• Build the technical capacity of the team and State, coordinate and establish development processes, and work with in‑house department and agency technical teams to execute successfully.
• Provide counsel on technical matters in plain language to our team and stakeholders. Interact and facilitate conversations with a diverse range of individuals; including NJ residents, state partners, and government officials.

Do what’s needed for the team

• Execute additional duties and responsibilities to advance our mission and work.

Experience, Skills, and Abilities

• A minimum of 5 years of professional experience in software development and a commitment to engineering excellence in yourself and your work.
• Prior experience in civic technology is strongly preferred.
• Experience working at all levels of the development stack, including but not limited to: frontend web applications, backend APIs and databases, cloud infrastructure, DevOps, and pipelines.
• Experience with technologies such as: modern JavaScript, React, CSS, HTML, JavaScript libraries and frameworks, linting, and best practices, Amazon Web Services (AWS), SQL and NoSQL document store persistence, and Git/GitHub version control.
• Experience executing full lifecycle software development from ground‑zero development to managing an application in production, including well‑designed code, high quality automated tests, designing infrastructure, debugging issues and ensuring system uptime, and writing documentation.
• Experience solving complex problems through the use of human‑centered design, agile iterative development, and data‑driven decision making.
• Proven skill in tackling problems with curiosity, engaging in inquiry, and understanding users needs to develop optimal solutions.
• Dedicated to advancing the mission of the NJ Innovation Authority and public service, with a strong commitment to accessibility and fostering a more inclusive society.

We welcome applicants from a broad range of backgrounds. If you believe that you could excel in this role, we encourage you to apply. If you have any questions, please contact [e-mail].

Compensation: Annual salary of $143,907 commensurate with experience. Benefits include medical, dental, vision, paid leave, and competitive retirement plan options, as well as other optional fringe benefits.

Hiring Entity: This role will be hired by InnovateNJ – a fiscally‑sponsored partner project of the National Center for Civic Innovation that exists to advance NJIA's work and impact.

We are proud to be an equal opportunity employer

We are deeply committed to the principles of equity, diversity, and inclusiveness and seek to create a pluralistic community for all. We strongly encourage people of color, members of racial and ethnic minority groups, women, LGBTQI+ people, those with disabilities, and Veterans to apply. We are committed to building a team that is reflective of New Jersey’s incredible diversity.

We do not discriminate against any candidate because of color, race, age, religion, sex, gender identity or expression, sexual orientation, membership in an employee organization, pregnancy, marital status, status as a parent, ancestry, national origin, disability (physical or mental), family medical history or genetic information, political affiliation, military service, retaliation, or other non-merit based factors.

Eligibility

You must be authorized to work in the United States. Candidates may be required to pass a background check and complete additional steps as part of the application and onboarding process. You will be considered an "at-will" employee, meaning both employer and employee have the right to terminate employment with or without cause or notice.