Junior Software Engineer

RISE Junior Software Engineer

Reports to: Chief of Data

Location: Remote, with some required periodic travel to RISE HQ in Connecticut

Overview:

The RISE Network's mission is to ensure all RISE high school students graduate with a plan and the skills and confidence to achieve college and career success. Founded in 2015, RISE partners with public high schools to lead networks where school communities work together to use data to learn and improve. Through its core and most comprehensive network, RISE partners with nine high schools and eight public school districts, serving over 13,000 students; the majority of RISE students identify as Black, Latine, and/or low-income. Through scale partnerships, RISE collaborated with 40+ additional high schools during the school year, spanning six states. RISE high schools work together to ensure all students experience success as they transition to, through, and beyond high school by using data to pinpoint needs, form hypotheses, and pursue ideas to advance student achievement.

Over the past eight years, RISE Core Network high schools have achieved double-digit gains improving Grade 9 on-track achievement, four-year-high school graduation rates, and student identification of postsecondary plans, while also decreasing subgroup gaps across all indicators. In 2021, the RISE Network was honored to receive the Carnegie Foundation's annual Spotlight on Quality in Continuous Improvement recognition. Increasingly, RISE is pursuing opportunities to scale its impact through the expansion of the RISE Data Hub and consulting partnerships with public school districts, state agencies, and non-profit organizations.

Position Summary and Essential Job Functions:

The RISE Junior Software Engineer will play an important role in building software that makes a real difference in student outcomes across Connecticut and beyond. This role will report to the Chief of Data and work alongside a highly collaborative team to enhance, maintain, and support our existing product offerings. And, will help shape and build the cloud-based platform foundation for RISE's next generation of data and process driven tools; empowering educators with visibility, awareness, and actionable insights that drive meaningful change for students. This is an extraordinary opportunity for an individual who thrives in an entrepreneurial environment, and is passionate about closing opportunity gaps and developing the potential of all students regardless of life circumstances.

Responsibilities include, but are not limited to:

• Product & Feature Development

• Design, build, and ship new features that enhance the CT RISE product ecosystem

• Help integrate backend, frontend, and cloud components into cohesive, scalable solutions
• Collaborate closely with engineers, product managers, designers, and non-technical partners

• See your work deployed and used by real educators and stakeholders, and support ongoing development, improvement and maintenance.

• Engineering Excellence

• Follow and learn modern best practices for development, testing, deployment, and security

• Participate in code reviews and receive direct mentorship from experienced team members
• Improve the quality, security, and stability of existing systems

• Champion data stewardship and security best practices

• Platform, Backend & Cloud Engineering

• Build and maintain RESTful APIs, cloud-native services, and modern web applications

• Contribute to the services, tools, and internal processes that support engineering operations

Technologies we use, but not limited by:

JavaScript, TypeScript, , Vue, AWS, Kubernetes, Firebase, Helm, Terraform, PostgreSQL, Redis, Firestore

Required Knowledge and Skills:

• Strong problem-solving aptitude and organizational skills
• Solid understanding of data structures and algorithms
• Professional experience with at least one modern language (Python, Java, JavaScript, etc.). JavaScript experience is a plus.
• Familiarity with modern approaches to backend, frontend, or full-stack web development
• Comfortable with Agile development rituals and basic software engineering workflows
• Ability to write clean, well-structured, well-tested code
• Adaptability & flexibility - curiosity to learn new tools, technologies, and problem-solving approaches
• Outstanding interpersonal skills and teamwork
• Commitment to systems-driven solutions for scalable and sustained impact
• Strong organizational and project management skills
• Strong belief that all students can learn and achieve at high levels
• Ability to ramp up on new content and work in an independent and self-motivated manner
• Desire to work in a dynamic, entrepreneurial, and results-driven environment
• Positive attitude and willingness to work in a collaborative environment

We encourage you to apply even if you do not meet every listed qualification. Skills can be developed on the job, and we value diverse experiences and perspectives.

Preferred Knowledge and Skills:

• Experience with JavaScript/TypeScript and the ecosystem
• Experience with cloud platforms (AWS or GCP preferred)
• Familiarity with relational databases (MySQL, PostgreSQL) and non-relational stores (MongoDB, Redis, Elasticsearch)
• Experience with RESTful API development and server frameworks such as Express, Spring MVC, or Django. Direct framework experience is a plus.
• Exposure to CI/CD pipelines and tools like GitHub, Git, Jenkins
• Basic understanding of HTML, CSS, and modern JavaScript standards
• Experience with frontend frameworks like Vue, React, or Angular

Required Education and Experience:

• Bachelor's or Master's degree in Computer Science (or equivalent experience)
• Minimum of 1-3 years of relevant full-time professional experience or equivalent part-time/internship experience.

Salary Range

$72,500 - $90,000

Most new hires' salaries fall within the first quartile of the range, allowing team members to grow in their roles. For those who already have significant and aligned experiences at the same level as the role, placement may be at the higher end of the range.

The Connecticut RISE Network is an equal opportunity employer and welcomes candidates from diverse backgrounds.