Software Engineer

Job Title : Software Engineer

Team : Systems

Location : Hybrid in Chicago (IL)

Employment Type : Full-time

FLSA Classification : Exempt

Start Date : ASAP

About Braven

Braven is a national nonprofit that prepares promising college students to secure a strong first opportunity after college graduation through a career-accelerating program.

We work with higher education and employer partners to offer a life-changing experience that begins with a semester-long course for college students, followed by support that lasts through graduation.

Together, our ambition is to help rebuild the middle class and revitalize the American Dream.

About the Role

In order to achieve its ambition of serving 80,000–100,000 Fellows over the next decade, Braven is hiring a 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!

You will play a crucial role in our mission : prototyping new features, helping peers grow through code reviews, and learning new technologies. Braven is entering an exciting growth phase, in which we need to balance agility in developing new features with discipline to ensure we utilize software engineering best practices.

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

What You’ll Do

Focus on full-stack project initiatives (90%)

• Work primarily in Ruby on Rails or Python, showcasing proficiency and contributing to high-quality, maintainable applications.
• Take ownership of well-defined tasks and deliver reliable, impactful solutions.
• Apply software engineering best practices to improve processes, systems, and code robustness.
• Keep end-users at the forefront of your work, prioritizing solutions that have a meaningful impact and enhance students’ experiences.
• Solve technical challenges with creativity and a focus on enhancing team capabilities.

Improve the team via reviews, documentation, and cross-functional communication (10%)

Requirements

Minimum Requirements

Preferred Qualifications

Please know that no one ever meets 100% of the preferred qualifications. If much of this describes you, we encourage you to apply.

Work Demands

Additional Requirements

Application & Interview Process

While the interview process may vary slightly, the general process will be :

Benefits

Compensation and Benefits

Braven offers competitive base salaries based on the midpoint of the market among not-for-profit organizations of similar size, with opportunities for salary growth over time. We believe in compensating staff members fairly in relation to each other, their qualifications, and their impact on behalf of the organization, and take internal and external equity seriously. Given our commitment to equity, Braven does not negotiate salary offers; instead, each salary offer is determined carefully using external and internal benchmarking.

New hires can expect a starting salary at the lower end of the range, as Braven compensates based on the requirements and scope of the role rather than years of experience or prior salary , allowing for growth with performance and maintaining internal equity. The salary ranges, by geographic market, for this role are set forth $92,000-$114,900. This is a full-time, regular, exempt, and benefits eligible position where you will be working at 100% capacity.

Braven also provides competitive, comprehensive benefits, recognition, and career development. While Braven reserves the right to change benefits at any time, current benefits include :

Please note that Braven is firm in its compensation philosophy; therefore, only candidates who believe that our total rewards package matches what they are looking for in their next opportunity are encouraged to apply.

Location

We gather in the office 3 days per week (on Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday) and work remotely 2 days per week (although certain commitments might adjust that from time to time). Therefore, this role requires teammates to live within commuting distance of Chicago (IL). We believe in the magic, connection, and collaboration that happens when people work together face-to-face, and we believe in giving people flexibility to focus, balance personal priorities, and save themselves two commutes per week.

Braven is an equal opportunity employer and considers qualified applicants for employment without regard to race, color, creed, religion, national origin, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity and expression, age, disability, veteran status, or any other protected factor.  We encourage talented individuals of all backgrounds to apply.