Staff Backend Software Engineer, Subscriptions

Job Description

We are currently looking for a Staff Engineer to join the Washington Post Subscriptions team. A successful candidate should possess a passion for architecting innovative and efficient solutions to business problems, actively working to reduce overall complexity. Serving as a technical leader, the staff engineer will provide guidance and support to fellow engineers, act as a mentor, and drive innovation through collaboration and automation.

Motivation

• You have a strong sense of ownership and accountability, and you are dedicated to instilling these values in your fellow teammates.

• You are eager to evolve and grow your personal skill set by learning and sharing knowledge about new software languages, tools, and applications.

• You are motivated to contribute independently and move the team and organization forward.

• You are energized by problem-solving and love to ideate solutions for difficult problems.

• You have an opinionated view of system design and architecture

Responsibilities

• Build highly scalable, performant, secure, and fault tolerable cloud infrastructure and applications.

• Build reusable components, tools, and processes that are shared across teams and codebases for rapid development and scaling.

• Build automation tools and processes that support our DevOps model while still adhering to best practices and team conventions.

• Support and foster a DevOps culture by empowering engineers to build, manage, and support existing infrastructure and databases.

• Write clear, maintainable code, following best practices in version control, code reviews, and testing.

• Contribute to the development of technical documentation and design specifications for team members.

• Mentor and coach junior engineers, offering technical guidance and reviewing code to ensure quality.

• Collaborate with cross-functional teams to integrate front-end and back-end solutions, ensuring seamless user experiences.

• Collaborate with Product, Design, Newsroom and business stakeholders to manage and optimize project timelines, proactively identifying blockers and risks to ensure timely delivery.

• Actively contribute to the architecture and decision-making processes of large, complex projects.

• Stay abreast of emerging technologies and industry trends, integrating innovative solutions when applicable.

Qualifications

Minimum Qualifications

• BA/BS in Computer Science or a related technical field or equivalent practical experience.

• 7+ years’ experience with languages like Java, Python, and Node

• 5+ years’ experience with Amazon Web Services (AWS) such as S3, ECS, EC2, and CloudWatch, CloudFormation, IAM, Lambda, RDS, ElastiCache, OpenSearch, Cost Explorer, etc.

• 5+ years’ experience architecting and implementing distributed and scalable SaaS or Cloud based applications.

• Familiarity with DevOps best practices such as IAC, CI/CD, and automation.

• Experience with DevOps teams that own the full engineering lifecycle.

• Experience with observability tools such as DataDog, Splunk, and Cloudwatch.

• Experience with monitoring the health of production applications in an on-call rotation.

• Experience analyzing application and cloud environment performance.

• Experience working in a global business with customers in multiple time zones.

Preferred Qualifications

• 10+ years’ experience with languages like Java, Python, and Node

• 7+ years’ experience with Amazon Web Services (AWS) such as S3, ECS, EC2, and CloudWatch, CloudFormation, IAM, Lambda, RDS, ElastiCache, OpenSearch, Cost Explorer, etc.

• 7+ years’ experience architecting and implementing scalable SaaS or Cloud based applications.

• AWS Solutions Architect certification

• Understanding of Jenkins and Shared Libraries

• Experience with disaster recovery plans and solutions

• Proficient with at least one front-end framework such as NextJS

• Proficient with at least one front-end library such as React

The Washington Post’s policy for employees is five days per week in the office, with exceptions for newsgathering and general business travel.

Compensation and Benefits

Wherever you are in your life or career, The Washington Post offers comprehensive and inclusive benefits for every step of your journey:

• Competitive medical, dental and vision coverage

• Company-paid pension and 401(k) match

• Three weeks of vacation and up to three weeks of paid sick leave

• Nine paid holidays and two personal days

• 20 weeks paid parental leave for any new parent

• Robust mental health resources

• Backup care and caregiver concierge services

• Gender affirming services

• Pet insurance

• Free Post digital subscription

• Leadership and career development programs

Benefits may vary based on the job, full-time or part-time schedule, location, and collectively bargained status.

The salary range for this position is:

The actual salary within this range will depend on individual skills, experience, and qualifications as they relate to specific job requirements. This position may be eligible for a bonus or incentive program, and a member of the Talent Acquisition team will discuss bonus payment terms and conditions during the interview process.

The Post strives to provide its readers with high-quality, trustworthy news and information while constantly innovating. That mission is best served by a diverse, multi-generational workforce with varied life experiences and perspectives. All cultures and backgrounds are welcomed. 

The innovation doesn’t end in the Newsroom – dozens of teams power The Washington Post.  We are now hiring the next innovator – how will you Impact Tomorrow?

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