Staff Software Engineer

findhelp; Austin (TX); Hybrid; USD 140,000 - 200,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

401k & equity grants

Free food and onsite gym at our Austin

Paid parental leave

Competitive PTO & 10 paid holidays

Comprehensive Medical, Dental, and Vis

Dog-friendly office in Austin HQ

24/7 access to telemedicine and counse

Book Purchasing Program

Job summary

Findhelp is seeking a Staff Software Engineer in Austin, TX or Madison, WI with on-site work and occasional remote Fridays. You will lead design, implementation, and delivery of major platform features using Python and React in a microservices environment.

You will mentor engineers, drive architecture decisions, and collaborate with Product, Design, and other teams to deliver scalable, secure solutions that improve service matching and platform performance.

Qualifications

• 5-7 years of progressive professional experience as a Software Engineer.
• Demonstrated ability to design, plan, and lead the technical execution of large-scale, cross-team projects with significant business impact.
• Proven capacity to elevate the technical proficiency of the team, serving as a primary reviewer, technical lead, and mentor for engineers at all levels.
• Expertise in architecting, documenting, and leading the implementation of new services and complex system components, emphasizing performance and longevity.
• Strong communication skills, both written and verbal, for technical collaboration and documentation.
• Deep expertise in relational databases (e.g., SQL, ORMs) and practical experience with non-relational databases.
• Expertise in web performance strategies, optimization techniques, and observability/monitoring for mission-critical systems.
• Strong experience with Python and ReactJS in a microservices context.
• Extensive practical experience designing and operating services within a microservices architecture or distributed system.
• Direct experience with cloud platforms, specifically GCP, including managed services, security, and deployment (e.g., Kubernetes).

Responsibilities

• Design and implement full-stack features from concept through deployment, prioritizing user experience.
• Drive planning and design of new services with focus on scalability, security, and maintainability.
• Explore and integrate ML/data science techniques to improve matching, search, and efficiency.
• Deliver high-quality, well-tested code with rigorous peer reviews and pair programming.
• Own features end-to-end including production monitoring and iterative improvements.
• Lead efforts to refactor and modernize to improve platform health.
• Collaborate with Product, Design, and other engineering teams as the primary technical contact.

Skills

Mentoring & leadership

System architecture & delivery

Cross-functional collaboration

Python

ReactJS

Cloud platforms (GCP)

Kubernetes

Tools

SQL/ORMs

NoSQL databases

Git

CI/CD

Job description

About the role

The R&D Department is made up of different disciplines including software and database engineers, quality, technical implementation. R&D designs and develops requested product features, fixes bugs within our platform, provides technical analysis and estimation, ensures successful integration installations, manages and monitors the health of our platform, and develops automation and tooling for efficient and reliable software development processes. R&D works cross-functionally with many other departments in the organization as a team to fulfill Findhelp’s mission of connecting all people in need and the programs that serve them with dignity and ease.

As a Staff Software Engineer, you will be a technical leader within a cross-functional team, driving the architecture and end-to-end delivery of major, high-impact platform features that directly serve our mission. This role requires applying deep technical expertise to solve complex, ambiguous engineering challenges and mentor the team to raise the overall quality bar.

What you’ll do

• Design and Implement full-stack features from initial concept through deployment, prioritizing an intuitive and efficient end user experience.
• Drive the planning and design of new services and platform components, with a keen focus on scalability, security, and maintainability across the entire system.
• Explore and integrate machine learning and data science techniques to enhance service matching, platform search capabilities, and operational efficiency.
• Deliver high-quality, well-tested code and engage in rigorous peer code reviews and pair programming sessions to uphold team standards and best practices.
• Take full ownership of features, including monitoring in production, diagnosing issues, and driving iterative improvements post-launch.
• Lead efforts to improve platform health by proactively identifying and executing on refactoring and modernization opportunities.
• Collaborate closely with Product Managers, Designers, and other engineering teams in a highly cross-functional environment, often serving as the primary technical contact.

Qualifications

• 5-7 years of progressive professional experience as a Software Engineer.
• Demonstrated ability to design, plan, and lead the technical execution of large-scale, cross-team projects with significant business impact.
• Proven capacity to elevate the technical proficiency of the team, serving as a primary reviewer, technical lead, and mentor for engineers at all levels.
• Expertise in architecting, documenting, and leading the implementation of new services and complex system components, emphasizing performance and longevity.
• Strong communication skills, both written and verbal, for technical collaboration and documentation.
• Deep expertise in relational databases (e.g., SQL, ORMs) and practical experience with non-relational databases.
• Expertise in web performance strategies, optimization techniques, and observability/monitoring for mission-critical systems.
• Strong experience with our primary stack: Python (or similar backend language) and ReactJS (or similar modern frontend framework).
• Extensive practical experience designing and operating services within a microservices architecture or distributed system.
• Direct experience with cloud platforms, specifically GCP (Google Cloud Platform), including managed services, security, and deployment (e.g., Kubernetes, Cloud Functions).

Physical demands and work environment

• • This job is based on-site in Austin, TX or Madison, WI with the opportunity to work remotely on Fridays.
  • This is largely a sedentary role.
  • Limited travel may be required.
  • Standard office equipment is used, such as laptops, monitors and headsets, if needed.

We value being together

We believe being together enables stronger relationships, collaboration, and culture.

This position is in office and candidates must be located in Austin, Texas or Madison, Wisconsin.

Perks at Findhelp

• 401k & equity grants
• Free food and onsite gym at our Austin HQ
• Paid parental leave
• Competitive PTO & 10 paid holidays
• Comprehensive Medical, Dental, and Vision insurance with 100% company-paid coverage for employee only coverage
• Dog-friendly office in Austin HQ
• 24/7 access to telemedicine and counseling
• Book Purchasing Program

We’re building a diverse, inclusive team

You’re welcome here. We want everyone to be able to easily connect to the help they need, and we want our teams to reflect and represent our communities. It is our policy to recruit, hire, train, and promote individuals, as well as administer any and all Company policies, without regard to age, color, disability, ethnicity, family or marital status, gender identity or expression, language, national origin or ancestry, physical and mental ability, political affiliation, race, religion, creed, sexual orientation, socio-economic status, veteran status, or any other protected class, in accordance with applicable laws. Accommodations are available for applicants with disabilities.

Here are some of the ways we support our staff:

• Culture Committee
• Leadership Development Training
• Paid Volunteering Time