Staff Software Engineer, Backend - Education

Our Mission and Opportunity

Early education is one of the greatest determinants of childhood outcomes, is a must for working families, and has lasting social and economic impact. Brightwheel’s vision is high quality early education for every child. We pursue this by directly supporting teachers in the classroom, engaging parents in the development of their kids, and enabling the small businesses that make up the backbone of the $175 billion early education industry. Brightwheel is the most loved technology brand in early education, trusted by tens of thousands of providers and millions of educators and families.

Our Team

Our team is passionate, talented, and customer-focused. We embody our Leadership Principles in our work and culture. We are a fully remote team with employees across every time zone in the US. Our exceptional investor group includes Addition, Bessemer, Emerson Collective, Lowercase Capital, Mark Cuban, Notable Capital, and others.

Who You Are

We are seeking a Staff Software Engineer who is technically well-rounded and motivated by the positive impact their work can have in people’s lives. Our Education team is building a best-in-class learning platform used by administrators, teachers, and parents to support the growth and development of their students and children. In this role, you’ll launch brand-new features and products that empower educators to plan and deliver engaging activities, track student development, and share progress with families. 

You are:

- A builder with a growth mindset.  You thrive in ambiguity, seek continuous improvement, and embrace learning from wins and misses.

- A true owner. You see things through end-to-end, and take accountability for delivering high-quality solutions that last.

- Customer-focused. You work backwards from the educator and student experience, measuring success by outcomes, not just activity.

- A collaborative partner.  You work closely with Product, Design, and stakeholders, engaging with differing perspectives to arrive at the best solution.

- A mentor and multiplier.  You share your knowledge, elevate team practices, and help others succeed alongside you.

What You'll Do

• Partner with Product and Design to scope, design, and deliver impactful new features in the Education product line.

• Architect, refine, and scale backend systems, introducing new technologies and patterns that strengthen the foundation of our backend architecture

• Own and evolve brightwheel’s eCommerce systems and integrations- everything we need to get brightwheel’s curriculum into the hands of teachers and students.

• Own and evolve brightwheel’s eCommerce systems and integrations- everything we need to get brightwheel’s curriculum into the hands of teachers and students.

• Collaborate across functions to ensure technology decisions align with business goals and customer needs.

• Contribute to technical direction for the team, leading by example with high-quality code and thoughtful reviews.

What You've Done

• Delivered large-scale backend systems that improved customer-facing experiences and business-critical operations.  5+ years of professional experience, preferably in fast-paced early- or mid-stage startups.

• Designed and implemented distributed systems for scalability and reliability, with proficiency in languages such as Ruby on Rails, Python, or Go.

• Worked with Stripe or similar billing systems, building and maintaining integrations that supported growth and operational excellence.

• Contributed to or led migration efforts in evolving codebases, improving architecture while supporting ongoing product delivery.

• Partnered with cross-functional teams to take features from concept to launch, balancing speed with long-term value.

• Mentored other engineers, established best practices, and helped teams improve velocity and execution.

• Bonus: experience with microservices/service-oriented architectures and full-stack development using React.js.

Candidates with varying backgrounds are encouraged to apply. We do not require prior knowledge of technologies in our stack, only a desire to learn them.

At Brightwheel you will encounter:

• Ruby on Rails

• PostgreSQL

• Redis

• React.js

• CircleCI

• GitHub Actions

• Kubernetes

• AWS managed services, like Redshift and ECS

$154,000 - $237,000 a year

Competitive Earnings:

Brightwheel offers competitive compensation, benchmarked against similar-stage growth companies. We set standard compensation ranges based on function, level, and geographic location. If you have questions about the compensation band for your region, please ask your recruiter.

Equity & Ownership:

We believe in empowering our employees as stakeholders in brightwheel’s success. As an equity holder, your financial upside grows alongside the company’s achievements, offering a truly meaningful and compelling long-term opportunity.

Premium Benefits & Wellness Support:

We want our team members and their families to thrive. We support this through:

--Healthcare Coverage: Medical, dental, and vision benefits typically valued at $15,000+, with brightwheel providing high coverage for both employees and families 

--Generous Paid Parental Leave for growing families

--Flexible Paid Time Off (PTO) to recharge and relax

--401(k) Enrollment to help you plan for the future

--Monthly Remote Productivity Stipend

Brightwheel is committed to creating a diverse and inclusive work environment and is an equal opportunity employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, gender, gender identity, gender expression, sexual orientation, national origin, genetics, disability, age, or veteran status.