Lead Software Engineer – Tech Lead

🌟 Who we are

Develop for Good is a tech nonprofit startup that provides affordable, custom engineering and design services for other nonprofits. We design apps and build websites by pairing our clients with teams of vetted talented and diverse tech student volunteers from colleges everywhere. Over the course of 266,000+ volunteer hours, Develop for Good has supported 4,000+ college students and industry mentors across over 275 projects for clients including UNICEF, the World Health Organization, and the Smithsonian Institution. 85% of our students are under-served or underrepresented in tech. Spun out of Stanford University, Develop for Good has surpassed $2.2M in revenue with the support of several Silicon Valley tech companies, and has been featured on Forbes, TechCrunch, and TED. Ultimately, we accelerate the careers of the diverse tech leaders of tomorrow with real-world, high-impact tech experience.

📌 General function

Develop for Good is now exploring leveraging AI to suggest resources, guide students in real-time, and curate custom curricula for real-world project-based learning. We are seeking a Lead Software Engineer (Tech Lead) to own the greenfield development of a personalized, AI-driven learning experience for college students as they design and develop custom software projects for nonprofits at scale.

Our ideal candidate is someone who is excited to be the first full-time technical hire at a nonprofit tech startup, and eager to take ownership of establishing a greenfield foundation for what will eventually be an engineering organization that will be built around them.

✅ Responsibilities

• Own responsibility of lifecycle development of features and maintenance of a greenfield codebase.
  • Develop the high-priority AI components of the solution by personally producing documented, testable, quality code. Implement their foundational technology with your contributions.
  • Take ownership of overall codebase, ensuring scalable, maintainable, and efficient systems and integrations. This includes overseeing version control, managing code merges, and ensuring smooth deployment processes.
• Collaborate cross-functionally.
  • Work closely with Develop for Good’s leaders to ensure the development process is aligned with user needs, program goals, and product vision.
  • Collaborate with stakeholders across the organization to ensure seamless integration of the platform with other Develop for Good systems.
• Manage and mentor a team of technical contributors.
  • Once the core architecture is in place, lead the onboarding of additional contributors and junior team members to expand the solution with new features and enhancements.
  • Develop timelines and set priorities to ensure timely delivery of features.
  • Troubleshoot issues and provide technical guidance to resolve roadblocks as they arise.
  • Provide hands-on technical leadership, including writing code and solving complex problems.
• Support technical education in core programs
  • Engage with students as needed for project-specific technical challenges.
  • Research, suggest, and implement new educational tools and resources for students to apply to their projects (i.e. emerging AI tools for website development).
• Execute such other duties as designated by the Executive Director.

🎓 Qualifications

• A postsecondary degree in computer science, engineering, or a related field is preferred.
• Solid ML fundamentals and deep interest in the latest generation of generative AI and related technologies.
• Extensive experience managing large and complex codebases, including implementing and maintaining coding standards and best practices.
• Strong proficiency in full stack web app development.
• Proven experience leading engineering projects and teams, including mentoring junior developers and managing technical challenges.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills, capable of explaining complex technical concepts to non-technical stakeholders.
• Must be solution-oriented and proactive.
• Is highly responsive, reliable, and positive while operating under tight deadlines and uncertainty in a small, early-stage team.

💸 Compensation

The expected salary range for this position is $125,000 - $140,000. The actual offer will be at the company’s sole discretion and determined by relevant business considerations, including the final candidate’s work location, qualifications, years of experience, and skillset.

🤩 Benefits

• Generous medical, dental, and vision insurance.
• Retirement plan and and up to 5% employer matching.
• Flexible remote-first culture. Beyond attending meetings scheduled in advance and maintaining responsiveness during daily designated work hours, you can work from any place and at any time as long as high-quality, expected work gets done on time.
• Monthly remote work stipend.
• Flexible PTO and generous paid parental leave.
• All-expenses paid in-person team retreats and startup and nonprofit events.
• No-meeting Fridays!
• Access to mentorship/coaching. 
• Make a tremendous, far-reaching impact for thousands of students, nonprofits, and their beneficiaries in a fast-paced tech nonprofit startup.
• Unparalleled opportunity to expand professional network with industry professional mentors, nonprofit executives, corporate partners, talented college students and recent graduates, and high net worth philanthropic partners and supporters.

🤝 Commitment Expectations

Due to Develop for Good’s demands and responsibilities, we require full-time employees to be fully dedicated to their position and to not engage in external full- or part-time employment, freelancing, contracting, or academic programs.

💜 Develop for Good Organization Values

These core values embody who we are as a nonprofit, and serve as guiding principles for how all our volunteers, management, and partners operate and interact with one another. In an organization that is proud to engage such a large, diverse community of stakeholders, the following code unites us by shaping our overarching culture, driving our day-to-day actions, and inspiring us to deliver our best everyday to make the world a better place.

Exercise ownership. Every member of the organization—from student to mentor to management and stakeholders—owns a critical role in the Develop for Good project cycle. We commit to owning our responsibilities end-to-end. We proactively communicate about progress, and flag issues to Develop for Good upon first sign.

Plan to be prepared. Most things take much longer than initially anticipated. We build in personal and team buffer time to make sure things are done well and on time, and don’t rely on others for reminders.

Demonstrate growth through humility. We understand that no one is right 100% of the time. We ask for help when we need it, and when we inevitably make errors or fall short of expectations, we vocally acknowledge and own our mistakes. We reflect on what happened, reassess what we’ll do differently next time, and learn and grow as a team.

Commit to decisions as a team. We are obligated to respectfully push back based on data and our convictions. Decision-makers are responsible for outcomes. When decisions are made through collaborative discussion, we move forward together as a team.

Energize and serve each other. We assume positive intentions, proactively resolve misunderstandings or disagreements, and approach every interaction with kindness and empathy. We do not tolerate inflammatory, disrespectful, aggressive, or passive-aggressive behavior under any circumstances. Regardless of the role we fill in the Develop for Good community, we are team players who galvanize each other with positivity and enthusiasm.

Seek to understand and be helpful. We ask ourselves how we can help first and foremost. We don’t just come with problems or complaints; we are constructive, tactful, and solution-oriented. We don’t jump to conclusions; instead, we gather context and ask questions before making assumptions or delivering criticism.

Be mission-minded. We utilize our diverse cultures, roles, and responsibilities to work collaboratively to achieve our unified mission of doing good. At the end of the day, we’re here to try our best, grow, and dedicate our time and skills to improving the lives of others.

Develop for Good is committed to creating a diverse, equitable, and inclusive workplace. We are proud to be an equal opportunity employer and welcome applicants from all backgrounds, regardless of race, ethnicity, gender identity, sexual orientation, age, religion, disability, or veteran status. We believe that diversity drives innovation and encourage individuals with diverse experiences and perspectives to apply.