Senior Python Engineer

Job Description

Education Technology Services (ETS), a division of Strategic Education Inc., is seeking an experienced and innovative Senior Backend Python Engineer to join our team. The successful candidate will play a crucial role in developing backend services and APIs for our SaaS-based tuition benefit management platform, Workforce Edge, and our online platform delivering ACE-accredited, cost-effective alternatives to college courses.

Essential Duties & Responsibilities

• Design and develop robust backend services and APIs using Python.
• Leverage AWS services for scalable backend solutions.
• Collaborate with cross-functional teams to integrate backend services with our platforms.
• Ensure the reliability and security of APIs and backend systems.
• Stay up-to-date with the latest advancements in backend development and cloud services.
• Architect and develop robust, scalable software systems using Python. This includes designing backend services, APIs, and integrating with databases and other technologies.
• Review code written by other developers to ensure it meets the organization's standards and best practices.
• Implement and advocate for good software development practices such as test-driven development (TDD), continuous integration (CI), and continuous deployment (CD).
• Diagnose and resolve complex technical issues. This often involves debugging, optimizing code, and ensuring systems are running efficiently and effectively.
• Help in estimating work, scheduling features, and managing technical debt.
• Work closely with other team members, including project managers, software engineers, and UX designers, to ensure the team's work aligns with business goals and user needs.
• Communicate technical concepts to non-technical stakeholders.
• Develop scripts and tools that automate various aspects of the software development and deployment process.

Job Skills

• Proficiency in Python, including understanding of its syntax, semantics, and standard library.
• Familiarity with Python frameworks like Django, Flask, or FastAPI is also important.
• Experience with relational databases (such as PostgreSQL, MySQL) and/or NoSQL databases (such as MongoDB, Cassandra).
• Ability to design schemas and optimize queries.
• Proficiency with tools like Git.
• Understanding of branching, merging, and pull request workflows.
• Ability to design scalable and efficient software architectures.
• Understanding of design patterns, data structures, and algorithms.
• Understanding of DevOps principles and practices, including automation of testing, build, deployment, and monitoring.
• Experience in writing comprehensive unit and integration tests.
• Familiarity with testing frameworks such as PyTest.
• Ability to debug and optimize code.
• Experience with AWS and familiarity with cloud architecture.
• Proven ability to design and implement RESTful APIs.
• Bonus points for Terraform proficiency.
• Bonus points for any Machine Learning experience.

Work Experience

• 5+ years of experience in backend development, preferably with Python.
• Experience with production deployment of backend services and APIs.

Education

• Bachelor’s degree is preferred. Preference given for candidates holding associate or professional certifications in AWS.

Other

• Must be able to travel 0-10% of time.
• Must be able to lift 25lbs.
• Remote work location.
• Travel via plane, car, and metro may be required to perform this job.
• Must be able to work more than 40 hours per week when business needs warrant.
• Access information using a computer.
• Effectively cope with stressful situations.
• Strong mental acuity.
• Regular, dependable attendance and punctuality are essential functions of this job.
• Other essential functions and marginal job functions are subject to modification.