Job details

Staff Software Engineer

At Thorn, our cause is our code. We are a nonprofit whose mission of defending children from sexual exploitation and abuse is deeply embedded within our core—a shared code that drives us to do challenging work with resilience and determination.

Here, you’ll work and grow among the best hearts and the best minds in tech, data, and business alongside our network of independent partners, NGOs, and law enforcement agencies. Together, we’re focused on building technology that protects children’s futures. We are looking for dynamic problem solvers with the desire to help address some of today’s toughest issues. You'll collaborate with a diverse group of peers in a remote environment centered on wellness, care, and compassion.

In 2019, we took the stage at TED and shared our audacious goal of eliminating child sexual abuse material from the internet. Come join us to help make this goal a reality and build a world where every child can be safe, curious, and happy.

About the Role

Safer’s Staff Software Engineers are responsible for delivering and maintaining scalable systems to facilitate the detection, removal, and reporting of child sexual abuse material. They also work to strengthen our team by organizing and leading discussions, proactively identifying opportunities for improvement, and elevating others. This combination of technical expertise and team guidance is critical for guiding the Safer team towards innovative solutions to hard problems.

What You’ll Do

Collaborate with other engineers across multiple areas of ownership to build backend systems & client applications end-to-end.
Take on large projects independently. You will identify unknowns, gather team input, break down problems, and communicate progress/status to stakeholders, technical or otherwise.
Work closely with your team to define product requirements and lead discussions on optimal engineering solutions.
Formulate technical solutions to problems faced by our industry partners, clearly explaining your decisions and incorporating feedback in subsequent iterations.
Play a critical role in day-to-day coding, code reviews, and troubleshooting production issues.
Mentor and support other engineers on the team, answering questions, teaching others, and jumping in to help where asked, even in areas where you are less familiar.
Drive technical innovation by researching and incorporating new technologies and tools into our core system. You help define technical standards and ensure maintainability of Safer.

What We’re Seeking

Required: experience using Python to build robust, production-ready products.
Required: experience working with and deploying to cloud platforms. AWS is preferred, but Azure and GCP are also great.
Preferred: experience building, deploying, scaling, and optimizing high-volume systems and infrastructure.
Preferred: experience building software for other developers.
Ability to own multiple areas and holistically consider the impact of your changes within Safer and Thorn.
Ability to act with autonomy, and the judgment to know when to solicit input from the team.
Clear and thoughtful communication. We’re a highly-distributed team, and effective written communication is crucial for everything from Slack to code reviews.
Nimbleness when working through shifting requirements and collaborating with internal and external stakeholders.
Passion for product engineering and an aptitude for working in a collaborative environment. You can demonstrate empathy and advocate for our users, while balancing product vision and engineering constraints.
Enthusiasm for teaching and eagerness to learn. You use your expertise to elevate your teammates’ understanding while maintaining the humility required to learn from those same teammates.
You have a commitment to putting the children we serve at the center of everything you do.

Technologies We Use

Python 3
TypeScript / Node / Express
Docker / Kubernetes
AWS / Terraform
PostgreSQL / Elasticsearch

Compensation and Benefits

A reasonable estimate of the compensation range for this role is $141,700-$187,000/year. This range takes into account the wide range of factors that are considered in making compensation decisions, including but not limited to location; skill sets; experience and training; licensure, and certifications.

Our remote-first work model is structured around working from home most of the time. But, there will be times that employees are expected to travel. For example, Thorn may host company-wide gatherings, and smaller teams may hold in-person meetings and team-building events, or require attendance at specific conferences.

At Thorn, we know that great people make a great organization. We value our people and offer employees a broad range of benefits. Learn more about what working at Thorn can mean for you.

Thorn is a strong and flexible team because of the diverse backgrounds of our staff. This includes professional background, subject matter expertise, culture, race/ethnicity, sexual orientation, gender identity and expression, language, hobbies, etc. We strongly encourage women, minorities, and people from underrepresented backgrounds to apply. Your skills are needed here.

Thorn is committed to the full inclusion of all qualified individuals. In keeping with our our commitment, Thorn will take the steps to assure that people with disabilities are provided reasonable accommodations. Accordingly, if reasonable accommodation is required to fully participate in the job application or interview process, to perform the essential functions of the position, and/or to receive all other benefits and privileges of employment, please contact our team at hiring@wearethorn.org

All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability, or status as a protected veteran.

“EEO is the Law” Poster

“EEO is the Law” Poster Supplement

Pay Transparency Nondiscrimination Provision