Full Stack Software Engineer

DataKind is looking for a values-driven, product-focused full stack software engineer who is ready to make a major impact on student graduation rates by building the web application and API layer that powers our education data platform. If you're someone who moves fluidly between frontend and backend, cares about the craft of a well-built data product, and are committed to advancing equity through data, we want to bring you on board!

This is a remote position that can be based anywhere in the U.S. and requires the majority of working hours each day to fall between 8am and 6pm Eastern Standard Time.

The salary range is $85,000 - 90,000 annually.

Actual salary within these ranges will be based on the candidate's experience and internal salary equity scan of active employee(s) with similar role and experience.

DataKind is seeking a Full Stack Software Engineer to build and evolve the UI and API layer of our education data platform. This role owns the software that turns complex educational data into something usable, insightful, and reliable for the institutions we serve. You'll spend most of your time in the web application and API, with regular contributions to the data engineering and infrastructure work that supports it.

Reporting to the VP of Technology, you'll work closely with Data Engineering, Data Science, Product, and Customer Success to ship features that directly affect student outcomes. You'll be a contributing senior technical voice on the team, someone who can take ambiguous product requirements and turn them into shipped, well-architected software.

Product Engineering (60%)

• Design, build, and maintain web application front end and the APIs that power it.
• Translate product and user requirements, often shaped by direct partner feedback, into clean, maintainable, well-tested code.
• Own features end to end: from technical design through implementation, testing, and deployment.
• Collaborate with Product and Customer Success to understand how institutional users actually work with our education data platform and use that to inform technical decisions.
• Contribute to frontend architecture, component design, and API design standards across the team.

Data Engineering and Infrastructure (25%)

• Contribute to data pipeline and integration work that feeds the education data platform, in partnership with the Data Engineering team.
• Support infrastructure decisions related to application performance, scalability, and reliability.
• Help ensure data flowing into the application layer is validated, well-structured, and secure, including implementation of authentication/authorization (e.g., SSO, OAuth, role-based access control) appropriate for handling sensitive student data.

Collaborate and contribute across DataKind (15%)

• Partner with Data Engineering and Data Science to operationalize models and analytics into production-ready product features.
• Align your work with DataKind’s engineering standards, conduct timely code reviews for your peers, and consistently contribute quality technical documentation.
• Contribute to the continuous improvement and maintenance of internal tooling, engineering process documentation, and workflow automation.

• Deep alignment with DataKind's mission and values, and demonstrated commitment to educational equity and data-driven social impact
• 3-5 years of professional full stack software engineering experience, including meaningful ownership of both frontend and backend systems.
• Advanced proficiency in a modern JavaScript/TypeScript framework (e.g., React) and backend API development.
• Working proficiency in GCP, Python and SQL to support infrastructure and data engineering pipelines.
• Experience designing and building RESTful or GraphQL APIs.
• Experience writing automated tests (unit, integration, and/or end-to-end) and working in a codebase with CI-enforced test coverage.
• Solid understanding of data modeling and how application design intersects with data pipelines.
• Proven ability to collaborate across engineering, data science, and product functions.
• Excellent communication skills, including the ability to explain technical tradeoffs to non-technical stakeholders.

• Degree in Computer Science, Software Engineering, or related technical field. 
• Experience with PHP, Laravel, OpenAI API, and Anthropic API.
• Experience with Git-based collaborative workflows (e.g., pull requests, code reviews) and CI/CD tooling (e.g., GitHub Actions).
• Experience building or integrating AI-powered features into a product (e.g., LLM integration, recommendation systems, applied ML).
• Experience implementing authentication and authorization patterns (e.g., SSO, OAuth, role-based access control) in a production web application.
• Experience building dashboards or data visualization tools for varied end users.
• Familiarity with education data systems (e.g., SIS, LMS, or student outcome data).
• Experience building systems that comply with SOC2 and/or FERPA.
• Familiarity with civic tech, social impact, or nonprofit data ecosystems.

At DataKind, we believe in the transformative power of data science and AI to create a more promising future. Since our founding in 2012, we've been at the forefront of designing scalable, data-driven tools that address some of the world's toughest challenges—ranging from frontline health, humanitarian action, climate and environment, economic opportunity, education, and more. As both a product innovator and a movement catalyst, we set new standards in the social sector, empowering organizations to harness the full potential of data science and AI while putting communities first.

At DataKind, we believe that people are the most important asset to delivering on our mission. As a people-first remote organization, we offer the following for all our employees:

• Flexibility and time off. Enjoy genuine flexibility that goes beyond adjustable hours. We build in shared time off, organization-wide recharge days, bi-weekly meeting-free days, and flexible PTO (with a minimum of 20 vacation days encouraged annually).
• Comprehensive Wellness Support. We care for your total wellbeing with 100% employer-paid medical, vision, and dental benefits for employees (72% for dependents), a wellness reimbursement program for the activities and purchases that matter to you, and 12 weeks paid parental leave when you need it most.
• A Culture of Growth. Every team member receives professional development funding each year, alongside mentorship and advancement opportunities. We invest in your future with a 401(k) plan with 5% employer matching.
• Meaningful Connection. Despite being distributed across time zones, we value being able to come together in person for conferences, strategic planning, and at our annual staff retreat.
• Living our Values. DataKind is committed to a diverse, equitable and inclusive work environment in our day-to-day work and via special initiatives driven by our DEI Steering Committee.

DataKind is an equal opportunity employer and strongly encourages candidates from underrepresented groups in tech to apply. DataKind does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, gender, disability, religion, national origin, age, sexual orientation, genetic information, pregnancy, or any other protected category.

Applicants must have a U.S.-based permanent address and currently authorized to work in the United States on a full-time basis indefinitely without employer visa sponsorship.