Sr Software Engineer - Backend

McGraw Hill; New York (NY); Remote; USD 124,000 - 150,000; Full time

Job summary

An established industry player is seeking a Sr. Software Engineer to architect and implement high-performance back-end solutions. In this remote role, you'll collaborate with cross-functional teams, mentor developers, and drive innovation within a dynamic environment. Your expertise in server-side programming and API development will play a critical role in transforming educational experiences. Join a passionate team committed to making a meaningful impact in education and enjoy a fulfilling career that balances professional growth and personal well-being.

Benefits

Annual bonus plan

Medical benefits

Flexible work environment

Professional development opportunities

Qualifications

• 5+ years of experience in server-side programming and API development.
• Expertise in building RESTful and GraphQL APIs with frameworks like FastAPI and Flask.
• Familiarity with cloud platforms and containerization tools.

Responsibilities

• Design and develop scalable back-end systems and APIs for web and mobile applications.
• Mentor and lead a team of back-end developers, fostering professional growth.
• Optimize server performance and ensure high-quality, maintainable code.

Skills

Go

Java

Node.js

Python

RESTful APIs

GraphQL APIs

API design principles

OAuth

JWT

AI/ML model integration

Education

Bachelor's degree in related field

Tools

Docker

Kubernetes

AWS

Azure

GCP

Git

Terraform

New Relic

Datadog

Kafka

Job description

Overview

Build the Future
At McGraw Hill, we are dedicated to delivering digital learning experiences that transform education for learners and educators. Our focus is on creating seamless, impactful products that truly benefit our users while supporting growth and collaboration across teams. We foster a culture that values innovation, teamwork, and a balance between career growth and personal well-being.

How can you make an impact?

We are a passionate, fast-growing team within McGraw Hill, a global education technology company that is transforming the way students learn and succeed. Our new product has scaled from Minimum Loveable Product to hundreds of thousands of users, has been featured on the App Store, and has paying customers in its first year of launch.

We are seeking a Sr. Software Engineer (Backend) to architect and implement scalable, high-performance, and secure server-side solutions for our platform. In this role, you will define the technical direction of our back-end systems, collaborate with cross-functional teams to deliver impactful solutions, and mentor a team of developers. This position requires deep technical expertise, strategic thinking, and leadership experience to drive innovation and excellence in back-end development.

Why Join Us?

As a Sr. Software Engineer on the backend team, you will have the opportunity to define and drive the evolution of our platform's back-end systems, working alongside talented colleagues in a dynamic and purpose-driven environment. If you are ready to bring your expertise and leadership to a team committed to excellence, we'd love to hear from you.

This is a remote position open to applicants authorized to work for any employer within the United States.

What You'll Do:

• Architecture & Development: Design, develop, and maintain highly scalable, secure, and efficient back-end systems and APIs to support web and mobile applications.
• Collaboration: Partner with front-end engineers, product managers, and other stakeholders to deliver seamless and robust platform functionality.
• Leadership: Mentor and lead a team of back-end developers, providing guidance on technical challenges and fostering professional growth within the team.
• Code Quality: Ensure high-quality, maintainable code through rigorous reviews, automated testing, and adherence to industry best practices.
• Optimization: Continuously optimize server performance, database queries, and overall system scalability and reliability.
• Strategic Alignment: Define back-end engineering objectives that align with overall product and engineering strategies, ensuring long-term platform success.
• Monitoring & Incident Management: Implement and maintain observability tools to monitor system performance and resolve incidents, including off-hours support when needed.
• Continuous Improvement: Drive the adoption of modern tools, technologies, and methodologies to enhance development efficiency and team productivity.

What You Bring:

• Bachelor's degree in related field or equivalent experience preferred.
• Minimum of 5+ years of applicable experience.
• Expertise in server-side programming languages such as Go, Java, Node.js, Python.
• Strong proficiency in building RESTful and GraphQL APIs using frameworks like FastAPI, Flask, or Django.
• Solid understanding of API design principles, authentication, and authorization mechanisms (OAuth, JWT).
• Experience with relational and NoSQL databases (PostgreSQL, GraphDB, VectorDB etc.).
• Familiarity with containerization (Docker, Kubernetes) and cloud platforms (AWS, Azure, GCP).
• Knowledge of software development best practices, including version control (Git), CI/CD pipelines, and automated testing.
• Experience with AI/ML model integration, data pipelines, and MLOps workflows.
• Knowledge of message brokers and event-driven architectures (Kafka, RabbitMQ).

Preferred Experience & Skills:

• Experience with infrastructure as code tools like Terraform or CloudFormation.
• Experience with observability tools like New Relic, Datadog, or equivalent for performance monitoring.
• Strong knowledge of system performance optimization, caching strategies, and distributed systems.
• Strong understanding of web security best practices and OWASP guidelines.

• Experience with containerization and orchestration (e.g., Docker, Kubernetes).
• Familiarity with product analytics tools such as Segment.

Why work for us?

The work you do at McGraw Hill will be work that matters. We are collectively designing content that will build the future of education. Play your part and experience a sense of fulfilment that will inspire you to even greater heights.

The pay range for this position is between $124,000- $150,000 annually, however, base pay offered may vary depending on job-related knowledge, skills, experience, and location.An annual bonus plan may be provided as part of the compensation package, in addition to a full range of medical and/or other benefits, depending on the position offered. Click here to learn more about our benefit offerings.

McGraw Hill recruiters always use a "@mheducation.com" email address and/or from our Applicant Tracking System, iCIMS. Any variation of this email domain should be considered suspicious. Additionally, McGraw Hill recruiters and authorized representatives will never request sensitive information in email.

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