Staff Systems Engineer

As a Staff Systems Engineer at Kiddom, you'll play a crucial role in leading cross-functional projects that enhance our educational platform. Your main responsibilities will include managing core services and developing tools that improve product experiences for end-users, alongside creating supportive environments for our engineering teams. You'll engage with diverse languages, including Go and TypeScript, and handle technologies such as AWS and Docker, ensuring that the product scales effectively while troubleshooting any incidents that arise.

To be considered for the Staff Systems Engineer role at Kiddom, candidates should possess 6+ years of software development experience, including at least 3+ years leading projects across various functions. We're looking for fluency in languages like Go, JavaScript, or Python, as well as experience with cloud platforms like AWS. Additionally, proficiency with Docker containers and Linux virtual machines is essential, along with a strong track record of delivering quality products that are user-centered.

The salary range for a Staff Systems Engineer at Kiddom typically falls between $160,000 and $200,000 a year. However, we believe in flexibility. For exceptional candidates with remarkable skills and experience, we’re open to negotiating salaries beyond our listed range, reflecting our commitment to recognizing talent and rewarding excellence in the field.

Staff Systems Engineers at Kiddom are eligible for a comprehensive benefits package right from day one! This includes a competitive salary, meaningful equity options, medical, dental, and vision coverage, and life insurance. We also offer paid sick days, an unlimited vacation policy, and generous family leave benefits. We value the well-being of our employees and strive to create a supportive working environment.

Yes, Kiddom offers a flexible, remote-first working model for the Staff Systems Engineer position. While you'll primarily work remotely, we do require office attendance once a week in either the San Francisco Bay Area or New York City for team collaboration. This balance allows us to maintain a vibrant workplace culture while giving you the flexibility you may need.

When discussing a challenging project, focus on highlighting the specific problem, your approach to leadership, and the outcome. Use the STAR (Situation, Task, Action, Result) method to clearly outline your role and impact. Emphasize how you navigated complexities and collaborated with cross-functional teams to ultimately achieve success.

Effective communication involves setting clear expectations and establishing regular check-ins to align team members. Highlight examples where you have utilized tools like Slack or project management software to keep everyone on the same page. Demonstrate your proactive approach to addressing issues before they escalate and empowering team members to share their thoughts.

Describe your systematic approach to debugging, such as isolating components, reviewing logs, or employing debugging tools. Provide specific examples of past challenges where your methods successfully identified the root cause. This reflects your problem-solving skills and technical acumen essential for a Staff Systems Engineer.

Share your commitment to continuous learning—mention blogs, podcasts, or courses you follow regularly. Discuss any communities or meetups where you engage with professionals in the field. Being proactive about staying updated illustrates your dedication to professional growth and your value as a Staff Systems Engineer.

Illustrate your adaptability by recounting an experience where unforeseen changes required immediate modification of plans or strategies. Explain the thought process behind your decision-making and how you communicated these changes to your team to ensure a smooth transition.

Discuss your method for prioritizing tasks, such as assessing impact and urgency or utilizing prioritization frameworks. Provide examples of how you established priorities in past projects to maximize efficiency and ensure critical tasks were completed on time.

Documentation is crucial for knowledge transfer and ensuring project continuity. Explain how you foster a culture of documentation in your projects, highlighting benefits such as onboarding new team members and maintaining project clarity. Mention examples where proper documentation significantly helped your team succeed.

Talk about your approach to fostering collaboration, like team-building activities, regular feedback sessions, and creating an inclusive environment where everyone feels comfortable sharing ideas. Use examples to show how your initiatives improved team cohesion and productivity.

Highlight qualities such as technical expertise, leadership skills, empathy towards user needs, and a dedication to continuous improvement. Connect these traits to your experience, showcasing how they have enabled you to excel in previous roles.

Discuss the tools you frequently use, outlining their specific benefits in streamlining processes. Touch on your experience with AWS, Docker, or CI/CD tools and how they've helped you and your team achieve greater efficiency in delivering quality products.