Founding Engineer

Student Basic Needs Coalition•Chicago, IL

5d•$125,000•Remote

About The Position

We are seeking a Founding Engineer who will serve as a technical partner to the Executive Director and play a central role in shaping the architecture, roadmap, and long-term viability of Navvy. This is not a typical engineering role where product direction is handed down. You will be deeply involved in: Solving complex social problems by translating difficult workflows into technical systems Helping prioritize what to build (and what not to build) Designing for impact, cost-efficiency, and scalability Making architectural decisions that will define the platform for years Working across technical, research, and operational functions to ensure the product reflects real-world needs The right person is motivated less by novelty and more by the challenge of building something that works — reliably, affordably, and at scale — for populations that are often overlooked by technology.

Requirements

Have 6–10+ years of experience as a fullstack engineer or senior software engineer
Have worked in EdTech, GovTech, civic tech, healthcare, or other complex regulated domains
Have built and owned infrastructure to power fullstack applications - cloud architecture, service architecture, APIs, and databases
Have experience designing systems where correctness, security, and user trust matter
Enjoy working in ambiguous environments and shaping problems, not just executing tickets
Have experience working cross-functionally with non-technical stakeholders (e.g., research, operations, policy, program teams) and translating messy real-world needs into technical systems
Care deeply about the mission of increasing access to education and economic stability
Are energized by partnering closely with a founder and having real ownership

Responsibilities

Own technical architecture and implementation of Navvy alongside external contractors and future hires
Audit the existing codebase and systems, identifying risks, gaps, and opportunities for simplification
Manage and collaborate with external technical vendors, including scoping work, reviewing deliverables, and ensuring quality and alignment with long-term architecture
Lead technical onboarding for new campus partners, including supporting integrations, troubleshooting data flows, and ensuring implementations work in real-world institutional environments
Design and build core infrastructure in areas such as: API-based workflows Data models and state-specific logic Document upload and handling Form mapping and validation Secure data pipelines Integrations with external systems
Partner closely with the Executive Director (a highly engaged non-technical founder) on product strategy, tradeoffs, sequencing, and feasibility
Work closely with the Data & Evaluation Manager to translate product research, user insights, and evaluation findings into technical decisions and roadmap priorities
Make pragmatic decisions balancing speed, cost, and correctness
Establish engineering norms: documentation, testing practices, deployment workflows, technical roadmap
Help define future technical hiring needs as the organization grows