Software Engineer, The Stacks

Astera is a private foundation on a mission to steer science and technology toward a better future. We believe the coming years will bring an era of unprecedented scientific and technological advancement as exponential progress in AI converges with central advances in other fields to accelerate innovation. This inflection point provides an unparalleled opportunity to fundamentally rethink the institutions, systems, and tools that drive progress. We have committed a $3.5B endowment to that work and fit the form of our support to the function it serves: grants, investments, and in-house research programs. We accept meaningful risk in the research we back and expect some of it to fail because transformative ideas are rarely the ones already proven. Our projects, and the foundation itself, operate like high-velocity startups, with a high performance bar and competitive compensation to match. We are searching for leaders who are compelled by the challenge of driving high-impact change in the way science is funded, conducted, and communicated. You can read more about our mission, vision, and programming at astera.org/vision.

The Astera Institute is seeking a full-time software engineer to help build and scale The Stacks (https://thestacks.org), a new content platform designed to meaningfully improve how scientific, technical, and intellectual work is shared, discovered, and built upon. The ideal candidate is a highly capable, hands-on generalist who has built and maintained complex content platforms or large-scale web applications, and who is comfortable redesigning core systems as the product’s identity evolves. Beyond technical skill, you should have strong architectural judgment, a user-centered mindset, and enthusiasm for building tools that accelerate knowledge-sharing.

This is a unique opportunity to shape a core piece of public digital infrastructure at the earliest stages. Successful candidates will be comfortable working in fast-moving environments, collaborating across multiple teams, and making thoughtful architectural decisions that support long-term growth. Open-source experience and enthusiasm are a major plus.

• Contribute to the development and maintenance of The Stacks—including backend services, frontend interfaces, data models, and integrations.

• Implement high-quality user-facing interfaces and experiences using modern web technologies.

• Assist in building APIs and services for content-management

• Work closely with team members to develop features and iterate rapidly based on feedback.

• Help manage cloud infrastructure, ensuring high availability, observability, and smooth development workflows.

• Maintain high-quality engineering practices including version control, testing, documentation, and CI/CD workflows.

• Provide ongoing support and improvements post-launch, including bug fixes, feature development, and performance optimization.

• Contribute to open-source components of The Stacks when appropriate.

• Collaborate with related internal teams across Astera’s connected programs and external partners as needed.

• BA/BS in Computer Science, Computer Engineering, or equivalent experience.

• 2-3+ years experience building and maintaining software systems.

• Interest in working with content-heavy or knowledge-based platforms, and tackling problems related to:

  • publishing systems

  • large documentation or archival sites

  • user-generated content

• Strong engineering fundamentals and problem-solving skills

• Experience with some modern backend and frontend technologies (e.g., TypeScript, React, Node.js, Express.js/Hono, SQL databases, Prisma/Drizzle, etc.)—specific technologies matter less than your ability to learn and adapt.

• Ability to move quickly in environments with evolving requirements, ambiguity, and rapid iteration cycles.

• Highly adaptable and comfortable working across disciplines.

On site at our office in Emeryville, CA. Some travel may be required from time-to-time for in-person collaboration and work.

The posted salary range is based on location in the Bay Area. The successful candidate will receive a competitive compensation package, commensurate with their experience and location.

• Benefits summary