Springboard Collaborative Looking for Junior Full-Stack Developer at United States Full Time

Why we need you

Springboard Collaborative invites talented and passionate candidates to apply for the position of Junior Full-Stack Developer. The Junior Full-Stack Developer will be responsible for creating robust and user-friendly web experiences to deliver a high-quality software product. A successful candidate will be an early-career software professional or career changer with Javascript/React experience and great skills in teamwork, attention to detail, problem-solving, and analysis/reasoning.

Springboard Collaborative closes the literacy gap by closing the gap between home and school. We coach educators and family members to help kids learn to read by 4th grade. Springboard envisions a world in which all children have the requisite literacy skills to access life opportunities. The Junior Full-Stack Developer supports this goal by building, testing, and improving software applications used in our programs to maximize student learning.

This is important

We are an equal opportunity employer. Diversity is more than a commitment at Springboard Collaborative—it’s at the core of what we do and how we do it. No one can solve a problem better than those who experience it firsthand. That’s why Springboard aspires to hire a diverse team that is representative of the marginalized communities we serve.

We also know that having a diverse workforce makes for a better workplace. Springboard’s hiring process seeks individuals who value diversity of race, gender, sexual orientation, religion, ethnicity, national origin, etc.

Finally, if you’re passionate about an open role, we encourage you to apply— even if you don’t meet 100% of the qualifications listed on the job description!

Here are your priorities in the first year:

• You will participate in at least 10 sprints at a velocity of 5 story points per sprint with less than 20% task rollover
• You will resolve two bugs per sprint
• You will proactively engage in code reviews by providing constructive feedback and addressing code quality issues in at least three pull requests per sprint, ensuring codebase consistency and improving overall code quality.
• You will create comprehensive and up-to-date code documentation for at least one new feature per quarter
• You will provide active feedback and engagement in at least one root cause analysis session for critical incidents or bugs per quarter, contributing to the identification, documentation, and implementation of preventive measures.

Here are your responsibilities within and beyond the first year:

You collaborate with product, engineering, and quality assurance team members to ensure software products meet the highest standards of quality.

• Attend all scrum events and weekly Engineering Team meetings
• Participate in requirement reviews to develop context for current and upcoming feature development
• Provide technical input and engage in discussions to ensure the proposed solutions meet the highest quality standards
• Participate in code reviews and provide constructive feedback to improve code quality and maintainability

You design, develop, and implement new features and bug fixes to adequately cover requirements

• Translate requirements into technical specifications and develop a plan for implementing the necessary changes
• Design and develop front-end components, user interfaces, and bug fixes using HTML, CSS, and React
• Implement back-end functionality, server-side logic, and bug fixes using Ruby on Rails
• Document changes and updates made to the codebase to maintain a clear and organized code repository
• Ensure smooth and error-free deployment, contribute to the development of deployment scripts, and monitor application health after deployments

You perform unit testing, bug discovery, and debugging

• Write and execute unit tests to ensure the correctness and functionality of individual components and modules
• Identify and reproduce bugs by closely analyzing and understanding reported issues and error logs
• Debug code using debugging tools and techniques to locate and fix the root causes of bugs
• Continuously monitor and assess code quality to proactively identify and address potential bugs or vulnerabilities
• Utilize logging and monitoring tools to gather and analyze data for troubleshooting and bug fixing purposes

You support automated quality assurance initiative

• Collaborate with the quality assurance team to understand the objectives and requirements of the automated quality assurance initiative
• Assist in the design, development, and implementation of automated testing
• Contribute to the maintenance and enhancement of existing automated test suites to ensure their reliability and relevance
• Provide technical support and troubleshooting for automated testing processes and tools
• Actively monitor and analyze automated test results to identify patterns, trends, and areas of improvement in software quality

You design, develop, and maintain code integrations and API functionality

• Develop and maintain robust and scalable API endpoints and functionality
• Implement data validation, authentication, and authorization mechanisms to ensure the security and integrity of API interactions
• Perform thorough testing and debugging of API endpoints to ensure their correctness, performance, and adherence to specifications
• Monitor and optimize API performance, including response times and error handling, to ensure efficient and reliable operation
• Document API endpoints, functionalities, and usage guidelines to facilitate integration by other developers or third-party services

What you offer us

Here are competencies and requirements we expect the right candidate to have:

• Analysis & Reasoning: You actively collect and examine data to grasp issues with our products or methodologies, draw data-driven conclusions, make strong recommendations for improvement, and resolve bugs and obstacles.
• Attention to Detail: You diligently pursue completion, thoroughness, and accuracy in your work and pursue the highest quality in our software products through your coding and testing.
• Teamwork: You communicate and cooperate within and across teams effectively and proactively, sharing a commitment to achieve product goals and follow through on team deliverables.
• Valuing Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion: You actively create and support a work environment and technical products that embrace and appreciate diversity, equity, and inclusion.
• Problem Solving: You proactively make an effort to resolve difficult and complicated technical challenges with diligence, creativity, innovation, and persistence, moving forward with initiative and focus.
• You have 2+ years of experience using web technologies (HTML, CSS, Javascript)
• You have 1+ years of experience developing and building web applications using React
• You have familiarity with version control systems like Git and understanding of collaborative development workflows
• You have a degree in computer science (or a related field) or equivalent experience in technical roles
• You have an understanding of software development principles, methodologies, and best practices
• You have knowledge of relational databases and ability to write efficient database queries

It would also be nice if you had:

• Experience working in an Agile/Scrum development environment with an understanding of iterative development, sprints, and user stories
• Experience with continuous integration and deployment (CI/CD) practices and familiarity with tools like Jenkins or Travis CI
• Familiarity with Ruby on Rails framework or experience with Ruby programming
• Experience using test management tools like TestRail for test case management and documentation
• Knowledge of SQL and ability to write complex queries for data manipulation and retrieval
• Experience collaborating with off-shore development teams

What we offer you

Compensation

Compensation for this role: Each role at Springboard is placed in a compensation band with 5 levels. Generally, we expect candidates that meet all the hiring criteria to be offered the midpoint of the band. This role sits within Band 3. The midpoint of this band is $80,571.

Our process to determine compensation: Springboard does not negotiate the offered salary during the offer conversation. Throughout the interview process, we will evaluate your alignment with the compensable factors listed in the job description. From there, we will determine your starting salary on a level within the job band.

Benefits

• Insurance: Medical insurance options with a cash stipend for those who waive Springboard coverage. We fully cover vision & dental insurance premiums, plus short & long-term disability coverage.
• Retirement: We match up to 6% of your salary in 403(b) retirement contributions (or student loan payments) after your first twelve months.
• Paid Time Off: Four weeks (20 days) annually, prorated from the date of your hire. Sick days are not capped. Paid holidays include all 11 federal holidays, two extra floating holidays, federal election day, your birthday, and weekdays between Christmas and New Year’s Day.
• Paid Leave: Parental Leave (12 weeks after the first 6 months of employment). Marriage Leave (five days).
• Technology: All employees receive a Springboard laptop, an annual technology allowance, and a one-time remote work set-up allowance.
• Professional Development: We provide personal & professional development funding of $1500/year and additional funding for DEI and racial equity-focused professional development.

Location and travel

Applications are welcome from any location within the United States. This role can be performed remotely, with quarterly travel to participate in team and org-wide retreats.