Tech Lead, Explore

Stellic; San Mateo (CA); Hybrid; USD 210,000 - 235,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Market-aligned compensation packages

International team retreat each year

99% covered health, dental, and vision

Flexible PTO

401(k) and IRA plans

Job summary

Stellic in San Mateo, California, is seeking a Tech Lead to own the Explore product's technical direction while leading complex implementations. You'll work in a hybrid setting, with flexibility for remote work and a culture focused on excellence.

The ideal candidate will have 5+ years of backend or full stack engineering experience. Benefits include competitive salaries, equity, and exceptional health coverage, emphasizing personal and professional growth.

Qualifications

• 5+ years of backend or full stack engineering experience operating at scale.
• Experience building and scaling products from 0 to 1 and 1 to 10.
• Strong judgment in making architectural decisions.

Responsibilities

• Own the technical direction and evolution of the Explore product.
• Establish foundational patterns for a multi-tenant system.
• Drive engineering excellence by defining and mentoring best practices.

Skills

Backend engineering experience

Full stack engineering experience

Architectural decision-making

SQL and database optimization

Effective communication skills

Customer empathy

Tools

Python

Django

SQL

AWS

Git

Job description

Tech Lead, Explore

Location

This role is hybrid/in-office preferred in San Mateo, California, with remote flexibility considered case by case.

Employment Type

Full time

Compensation

• Estimated base salary $210K – $235K

At Stellic, total compensation packages are tailored to each candidate and take into account job-related skills, experience, qualifications, work location, training and current market conditions.

Our commitment to you

• Market-aligned compensation packages, with equity
• International team retreat each year
• 99% covered health, dental, and vision
• Resources for professional growth
• Parental leave for all parents
• Flexible PTO
• 401(k) and IRA plans

AS OUR EXPLORE LEAD, YOU WILL OWN

• The Explore product, end to end: Own the technical direction and evolution of the Explore product, from new capabilities for prospective and transfer students to the underlying systems that power them.
• Multi-tenant architecture foundations: Establish the foundational patterns for Stellic's first multi-tenant system — defining how data is shared, isolated, and managed across institutions in a way that can scale.
• Pragmatic architectural decisions in an evolving product space: Make clear, defensible calls in a fast-moving environment, balancing the speed of iteration with the need to build systems that hold up over time.
• Clean, ergonomic APIs and reliable abstractions: Build and maintain the APIs and abstractions that handle complex business logic and data flows, keeping things simple for the engineers who build on top of them.
• Engineering excellence: Drive engineering excellence by defining and mentoring on best practices, design patterns, and code quality across the team.

TO BE SUCCESSFUL, YOU SHOULD HAVE

• 5+ years of backend or full stack engineering experience operating at scale, with a track record of leading complex implementations as a technical lead
• Experience building and scaling 0→1 and 1→10 product surfaces — you know what it looks like to go from nothing to something real
• Strong judgment in making architectural decisions in evolving and ambiguous domains
• Experience introducing and shaping new system patterns (e.g., multi-tenant concepts, data sharing models)
• Ability to balance speed, iteration, and long-term system design without sacrificing one for the other
• Strong proficiency in SQL and database optimization (PostgreSQL a plus)
• Clear and effective communication skills for collaborating with product, design, and customer-facing teams
• Deep curiosity, customer empathy, and commitment to engineering as a craft

OUR CURRENT TECH STACK

While we plan on introducing new technologies and capabilities, and potentially migrating away from current ones, here is the general shape of our current stack:

Languages: Python, SQL

Frameworks: Django, Angular, React, Remix

Version control: Git (GitHub)

Cloud: AWS

Deployment: AWS CodeDeploy

Observability & Analytics: Sentry, Grafana, Prometheus, PostHog, Metabase

Both single and multi-tenant architecture

WHY YOU'LL LOVE WORKING AT STELLIC

• Shape the future of higher education at a company leading the transformation of student success.
• Work alongside an ambitious, mission-driven leadership team building something meaningful.
• Own a piece of the journey with competitive salary, meaningful equity and a culture of excellence, speed and ownership.
• Thrive in a flexible, outcome-driven culture built on trust and autonomy.
• Exceptional benefits, including health insurance with Stellic covering 99% of your premium and 75% for dependents.
• 401(k), commuter benefits, and annual international retreats in incredible locations.

Stellic is an Equal Opportunity Employer

Our company values diversity and believes diverse teams make innovation possible. We encourage all qualified applicants from any race, color, religion, sex, gender identity, sexual orientation, national origin, disability status, protected veteran status, or other characteristics to apply.