Senior Software Engineer

Job Title: Senior Software Engineer

Team: Systems

Location: In-Person in Chicago (IL)

Employment Type: Full-time

FLSA Classification: Exempt

Start Date: ASAP

About Braven

We believe that the next generation of leaders will emerge from everywhere. We empower promising college students with the skills, confidence, experiences, and networks necessary to transition from college to strong first jobs, which lead to meaningful careers and lives of impact.  

Learn more about Braven’s impact:

https://impactreport.bebraven.org/

https://jobsreport.bebraven.org/

About the Role

In order to achieve its ambition of serving 80,000-100,000 Fellows over the next decade, Braven is hiring a Senior Software Engineer who will focus on the user experience to have a real impact on students’ lives. We want students using our platform to feel empowered, connected, and engaged. To accomplish this, we aggressively prioritize which projects we work on, aiming to provide the most value in the simplest way possible. We constantly iterate to improve our services as we see what works and what doesn’t. We’re agile and we like to have fun!

As a member of the Systems team, you will prototype new features, help peers grow through code reviews, learn new technologies, and re-architect systems that have passed their expiration date. Braven is entering an exciting growth phase in which we need to balance agility to develop new features against discipline to ensure we use software engineering best practices. We have projects that span the spectrum of software engineering: feature development within existing products, prototypes for new product discovery, data warehousing/ETL systems, and learning devops technologies to help us deploy/test/troubleshoot faster.

This role is on the Systems team and reports directly to the Managing Director, Software Engineering.

What You’ll Do

• Lead and drive full-stack project initiatives (80%)
• Lead and drive full-stack project initiatives, primarily in Ruby on Rails, demonstrating advanced proficiency and a deep understanding of the framework.
• Own the development lifecycle of projects from conception to deployment, including leading and mentoring 1-2 other engineers.
• Champion best practices in software engineering, ensuring system robustness and maintainability while focusing on user-centric solutions.
• Innovate and solve problems creatively, enhancing technological capabilities.
• Provide Mentorship & Collaborate Across Organization (10%)
• Provide guidance and mentorship to junior and mid-level engineers, fostering a culture of learning and growth.
• Lead code reviews and design discussions, promoting a culture of excellence and best practices within the team.
• Collaborate effectively with cross-functional teams to align technical solutions with overall project goals.
• Engage proactively in continuous improvement initiatives, suggesting and implementing enhancements to current systems and processes.
• Embrace a leadership role in the team, setting high standards and leading by example in all aspects of software development and team collaboration.
• Improve Documentation & Cross-Functional Communication (10%)
• Act as a technical liaison between the engineering team and non-technical stakeholders, ensuring clear communication and understanding of technical constraints and opportunities.
• Document architectures, design decisions, and protocols, maintaining clear and accessible records for future reference.
• Stay informed about industry trends, security best practices, and compliance requirements, ensuring the team's work aligns with current standards.
• Other duties as assigned.

Requirements

Minimum Requirements

• Bachelor's Degree or 8+ years of relevant engineering experience
• At least 5 years of experience as a software engineer
• Advanced proficiency in Ruby on Rails, with a minimum of 5 years of professional experience
• Familiarity with front-end technologies such as JavaScript, HTML, CSS, and React.

Preferred Qualifications

• Familiarity with other web frameworks like React, ensuring versatility in full-stack development.
• Proficiency in engineering best practices and methodologies, including CI/CD, Scrum/Agile, BDD/TDD, and a strong background in automated t