Staff Software Engineer, Data Products

Highlight (HearstLab); United States; Remote; USD 170,000 - 210,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Health insurance

Unlimited PTO

Remote work

Maternity leave

401k plan

WFH stipend

Job summary

Highlight is seeking a Staff Software Engineer to own the architecture and execution of data-intensive systems powering customer insights. You will balance hands-on leadership with mentorship, set the technical bar for scalable development, and ship features shaping product strategy and value for customers.

The role involves translating ideas into data-centric web apps, leading architecture reviews, and driving distributed systems excellence.

Qualifications

• 5+ years of experience building data-intensive online applications
• Familiar with ETL and/or RAG design and development
• Proficient in multiple technologies across the software stack (React, TypeScript, Next.JS, ai-sdk, PostgreSQL, and C#/.NET)
• Familiar with design and prototyping tools like Figma and v0
• Bonus points for experience operating CI/CD pipelines (Github Actions, Terraform, helm), production systems (AWS, EKS), or observability platforms (Grafana/OTel)

Responsibilities

• Translate ideas, wireframes, and detailed designs into data-intensive web applications that deliver value for customers
• Use agentic loops throughout the development process to accelerate value delivery
• Lead architecture and code reviews to coach, mentor, and raise the bar for both end-user products and software systems
• Triage, investigate, and resolve complex issues involving distributed systems and third-party providers
• Advance Highlight’s mission through technical expertise and good judgment

Skills

React

TypeScript

Next.JS

ai-sdk

PostgreSQL

C#/.NET

Tools

Figma

v0

Github Actions

Terraform

helm

AWS

EKS

Grafana/OTel

Job description

Highlight is looking for a Staff Software Engineer to own the architecture and execution of data-intensive systems that power insights for customers. This role balances hands-on technical leadership with mentorship, setting the technical bar for scalable development while shipping features that directly impact product strategy and customer value. Success means delivering performant, maintainable systems while growing the engineering team’s capabilities and understanding of complex data challenges.

Responsibilities will include:

• Translate ideas, wireframes, and detailed designs into data-intensive web applications that deliver value for customers
• Use agentic loops throughout the development process to accelerate value delivery
• Lead architecture and code reviews to coach, mentor, and raise the bar for both end-user products and software systems
• Triage, investigate, and resolve complex issues involving distributed systems and third-party providers
• Advance Highlight’s mission through technical expertise and good judgment

You’re a great fit if you:

• Have 5+ years of experience building data-intensive online applications
• Are familiar with ETL and/or RAG design and development
• Are proficient in multiple technologies across the software stack (React, TypeScript, Next.JS, ai-sdk, PostgreSQL, and C#/.NET)
• Are familiar with design and prototyping tools like Figma and v0
• Bonus points for experience operating CI/CD pipelines (Github Actions, Terraform, helm), production systems (AWS, EKS), or observability platforms (Grafana/OTel)

Beyond Your Experience

• Take initiative, deliver results, and inspire those around you
• Are impact-driven and understand users’ needs
• Thrive as a great teammate, committed to learning and growth
• Are curious and see ambiguity as an opportunity to learn and overdeliver

Total Compensation

The starting salary range for this position is $170,000 - $210,000, based on experience and skillset.

Additional benefits include:

• Health insurance (medical, dental, vision) with 100% of employee premiums covered
• Unlimited PTO
• Flexible, remote work-from-home culture
• Generous paid maternity & parental leave
• 401k account
• $50/month WFH reimbursement