Software Engineer, The Stacks - Radial Science

Astera Institute • Emeryville, CA

8d • $100,000 - $200,000 • Onsite

About The Position

The Astera Institute is seeking a full-time software engineer to help build and scale The Stacks (https://thestacks.org), a new content platform designed to meaningfully improve how scientific, technical, and intellectual work is shared, discovered, and built upon. The ideal candidate is a highly capable, hands-on generalist who has built and maintained complex content platforms or large-scale web applications, and who is comfortable redesigning core systems as the product’s identity evolves. Beyond technical skill, you should have strong architectural judgment, a user-centered mindset, and enthusiasm for building tools that accelerate knowledge-sharing.
This is a unique opportunity to shape a core piece of public digital infrastructure at the earliest stages. Successful candidates will be comfortable working in fast-moving environments, collaborating across multiple teams, and making thoughtful architectural decisions that support long-term growth. Open-source experience and enthusiasm are a major plus.

Requirements

• BA/BS in Computer Science, Computer Engineering, or equivalent experience.
• 2-3+ years experience building and maintaining software systems.
• Interest in working with content-heavy or knowledge-based platforms, and tackling problems related to: publishing systems, large documentation or archival sites, user-generated content
• Strong engineering fundamentals and problem-solving skills
• Experience with some modern backend and frontend technologies (e.g., TypeScript, React, Node.js, Express.js/Hono, SQL databases, Prisma/Drizzle, etc.)—specific technologies matter less than your ability to learn and adapt.
• Ability to move quickly in environments with evolving requirements, ambiguity, and rapid iteration cycles.
• Highly adaptable and comfortable working across disciplines.

Nice To Haves

• Open-source experience and enthusiasm are a major plus.

Responsibilities

• Contribute to the development and maintenance of The Stacks—including backend services, frontend interfaces, data models, and integrations.
• Implement high-quality user-facing interfaces and experiences using modern web technologies.
• Assist in building APIs and services for content-management
• Work closely with team members to develop features and iterate rapidly based on feedback.
• Help manage cloud infrastructure, ensuring high availability, observability, and smooth development workflows.
• Maintain high-quality engineering practices including version control, testing, documentation, and CI/CD workflows.
• Provide ongoing support and improvements post-launch, including bug fixes, feature development, and performance optimization.
• Contribute to open-source components of The Stacks when appropriate.
• Collaborate with related internal teams across Astera’s connected programs and external partners as needed.

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Entry Level
• Education Level: Associate degree