Principal Engineer (Remote, select U.S. states)

We are looking for a thoughtful, collaborative Principal Engineer to join our growing, distributed team at Coforma.

Note: As a project lead, this position will also have management responsibilities for up to 6 direct reports.

Our Principal Engineers typically serve as technical leads for a cross-functional project team and as members of engineering department leadership with a focus on execution and mentorship. They are technical subject matter experts who establish engineering best practices and enjoy tackling complex problems while working with other members of our cross-disciplinary teams to deliver elegant products across a modern technology stack. They are skilled experts across the stack with exceptional insight and influence, and lead the team in building accessible applications that put people first with code that is clean, maintainable, well-documented, and well-tested. 

At Coforma, engineers work closely with researchers and designers early and often, collaborating to add perspective that increases understanding and empathy. As such, your passion for articulating technology solutions that aim to improve lives is a feature, not a bug.

Join us to build software that makes an impact and implement human-centered solutions that we can be proud to say we worked on together.

$170,980 to $183,340 Annual Salary + Benefits + Growth Potential

Placement within this range will be based on the competency level of the candidate. An offer will be made at one of the following tiers:

Tier 1: $170,980 — Meets minimum qualification/experience requirements. Beyond onboarding, will need additional guidance and training to perform key responsibilities of the role.

Tier 2: $177,984 — Experienced and fully-competent. Beyond onboarding, can independently perform key responsibilities of the role.

Tier 3: $183,340 — Highly-experienced and can perform all responsibilities of the role at a higher level than expected once onboarding is completed.

To honor our company-wide equitable pay system, the posted salary range and corresponding tier salaries are non-negotiable.

The job posting for this role will close by 5:00pm PT on Friday, July 12, 2024.

The desired start date for this role is early-to-mid August 2024.

This is a US-based remote position open to applicants in the states listed below. Some travel may be required.

Note: to ensure we remain compliant with all state, county, and local employment and tax regulations, applicants must currently reside in one of the following states to be considered for employment with Coforma. This list will be updated periodically as our PeopleOps team works to open up hiring in additional states.

-Arizona

-California

-District of Columbia

-Florida

-Georgia

-Idaho

-Illinois

-Maine

-Maryland

-Massachusetts

-Montana

-Nevada

-New Jersey

-New York

-North Carolina

-Oregon

-Tennessee

-Texas

-Virginia

-Washington

-Wisconsin

• Prioritize the care and development of your assigned direct reports
• Write and review code, ensuring high standards of quality, maintainability, and test coverage
• Solve problems across the tech stack alongside other engineers on the team, building new systems and improving existing ones
• Lead other developers through ideation and articulation of solutions with an eye toward integration and reducing burden and tech debt
• Mentor other engineers on programming and product development best practices 
• Consistently apply best practices, including a focus on accessibility
• Collaborate with team members and government/client stakeholders to craft creative solutions and build technology products that improve the lives of those in the communities they serve
• Engage with coworkers across disciplines according to Agile and Scrum methodologies, including participating in planning, breaking down requirements into tasks, refinement and estimation, etc.
• Articulate benefits and risks associated with different technical approaches
• Contribute to the ongoing formation and maintenance of Coforma’s engineering processes
• Participate in business development efforts (proposals, presentations, etc.), when needed, providing expertise on product development and the delivery of engineering services
• Serve as a member of the engineering department leadership team, tasked with mentorship and leading cross-vertical initiatives and projects
• Respond to challenges with the levelheaded composure of a seasoned engineer

• Analytical: You possess analytical skills and an ability to create systems
• Thoughtful: You anticipate what could go wrong and work to thoughtfully mitigate risks 
• Organized: You prioritize project work, complete tasks on time, and document processes for sharing with others
• Cooperative: You work collaboratively with peers and coordinate across different teams, departments, and areas of expertise with ease
• Communicative: You express ideas and create personal relationships through written and verbal mediums, customizing the delivery to the audience
• Nimble: You calmly navigate ambiguity, changing priorities, and unexpected challenges
• Independent: You work in a fairly self-directed manner, without need for supervision or direction
• Inquisitive: You love to learn from others and share knowledge
• Aligned: You are professional and sincere, and model Coforma’s values: Collaborative, Accessible, Empowered, Informed, Ethical & Responsible, Transparent

• Open-source programming languages, like JavaScript/TypeScript, Ruby, Python, Java, etc.
• Frameworks, libraries, or runtimes, like React, Rails, Node, Next, Angular, Spring, etc.
• Testing frameworks like Jest, Testing Library, Mocha, Playwright, Cypress, etc.
• How to leverage the command line via shell scripting
• APIs and databases of various types, like SQL, Dynamo, Mongo, Postgres, etc.
• Infrastructure tools like Terraform, Serverless, Amazon CDK, etc.
• CI/CD tools like GitHub Actions, Jenkins, Circle, etc.
• Cloud platforms like AWS, Azure, etc.
• How to deliver polished, scalable, maintainable, performant code 
• How to communicate complex technical concepts to non-technical audiences
• Agile and Scrum development methodologies

• 8+ years of experience building applications with open-source programming languages
• 8+ years of experience working with modern frameworks, libraries, or runtimes
• 5+ years of experience working with APIs and databases of various types
• 5+ years of experience working with infrastructure tools and IAC
• 5+ years of experience working with CI/CD and pipeline tools
• 5+ years of experience working with cloud platforms
• 3+ years of experience managing direct reports who are individual contributors
• 3+ years of experience managing teams in complex ecosystems
• Experience developing software in a remote environment 
• Experience in digital services, government, or federal consulting

• Internet: Will prioritize and maintain access to strong, reliable internet for the remote nature of our work, except when on vacation or holiday
• Security: Will keep the highest security practices to ensure privacy and security of Coforma and client information given the nature of our work, even when on vacation
• Travel Flexibility: On request and with advanced notice, will attend in-person events such as meetings, workshops, and trainings as assigned for projects that require it (up to 10-15%, with health and safety precautions being paramount)
• Brand Representation: Will represent Coforma professionally and sincerely, modeling our Company Values in all interactions

• Whether or not you have a degree of any kind
• Whether your educational major, if you had one, is related to this role
• Whether or not you have GitHub contributions
• Whether or not you have worked at a well-recognized company
• Whether or not you check every single box perfectly

• Your passions, professional or otherwise
• Your well-informed opinions about technology, teams, and process
• You

We participate in E-Verify. Upon hire, we will provide the federal government with your Form I-9 information to confirm that you are authorized to work in the U.S.

Due to the nature of our work with the federal government, this role is required to work from the contiguous United States.

We're Coforma

The stress of job searching can make you wonder if you’re enough. Studies have even shown that women and people of color are less likely to apply for jobs when they don’t meet every qualification. We believe that you ARE enough, and that it’s okay not to meet every requirement. We’re building a culture that’s authentic, inclusive, and diverse. If you’re excited to work with us but not sure you check every box, apply anyway! You may be just right for this role or another one.

About Us

We use creativity to get results for clients and the communities they serve.

We’ve honed a modern, agile, user-centered approach that elevates human needs through thoughtfully-designed systems and products.

From connecting families in crisis at the US border to improving the way governments consume COVID-19 mobility data through a more accessible and user-friendly tool, we’re dedicated to improving people’s lives through thoughtful technology products and services. Together. Our cross-functional team works closely with each other and with our government, nonprofit, and commercial partners to research, design, and build better products and services.

Coforma employs over 150 talented creators. Our leadership has decades of experience in improving government digital services from a civic service mindset, and a strong record of developing innovative technology solutions for government, enterprise, and nonprofits.

We thoughtfully integrate design into product development. We are experts in leading the design and development of products to meet business goals, build alignment, and deliver value through technically feasible and iterative design activities.

Business objectives and human beings are at the center of our work. We work very closely and collaboratively with our partners, from solicitation through to delivery, to ensure that the solution provides a high level of value to the business. Accessibility is never overlooked in our work, and our iterative approach validates the utility and delight of the final product.

Equal Opportunity & Inclusive Workplace

Coforma is an Equal Opportunity/Affirmative Action Employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, ethnicity, national origin, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, religion, age, pregnancy, disability, work-related injury, covered veteran status, political ideology, marital status, or any other factors that are protected from employment discrimination under federal law.

We are committed to ensuring accessibility and equal opportunity and offering reasonable accommodations to those with disabilities. We adhere to the guidelines set forth by the Americans with Disabilities Act and all relevant federal, state, and local laws concerning disability discrimination and accommodation. To request a reasonable accommodation for the application or interview process, please email talentops@coforma.io.

About Public Trust and Other Background Investigations

Due to the nature of our client and project work, most roles may require a National Agency Check and Inquiries (NACI), Moderate Background Investigation (MBI), Background Investigation (BI) or other relevant investigations as needed. Additional information regarding background evaluations or investigations can be found on the U.S. Office of Personnel Management website (opm.gov).