Software Engineer

Job Title : Software Engineer 

Team : Systems 

Location : Hybrid in Chicago (IL)

Employment Type : Full-time 

FLSA Classification : Exempt

Start Date : ASAP 

About Braven

Braven is a national nonprofit that prepares promising college students to secure a strong first opportunity after college graduation through a career-accelerating program.

We work with higher education and employer partners to offer a life-changing experience that begins with a semester-long course for college students, followed by support that lasts through graduation.

Together, our ambition is to help rebuild the middle class and revitalize the American Dream.

To learn more, take a look at Braven’s Jobs Report.

About the Role 

In order to achieve its ambition of serving 80,000–100,000 Fellows over the next decade, Braven is hiring a Software Engineer who will focus on the user experience to have a real impact on students’ lives. We want students using our platform to feel empowered, connected, and engaged. To accomplish this, we aggressively prioritize which projects we work on, aiming to provide the most value in the simplest way possible. We constantly iterate to improve our services as we see what works and what doesn’t. We’re agile and we like to have fun! 

You will play a crucial role in our mission: prototyping new features, helping peers grow through code reviews, and learning new technologies. Braven is entering an exciting growth phase, in which we need to balance agility in developing new features with discipline to ensure we utilize software engineering best practices. 

This role is on the Systems team and reports directly to the Senior Director, Software Engineering.

What You’ll Do 

Focus on full-stack project initiatives (90%) 

• Work primarily in Ruby on Rails or Python, showcasing proficiency and contributing to high-quality, maintainable applications.
• Take ownership of well-defined tasks and deliver reliable, impactful solutions.
• Apply software engineering best practices to improve processes, systems, and code robustness.
• Keep end-users at the forefront of your work, prioritizing solutions that have a meaningful impact and enhance students’ experiences. 
• Solve technical challenges with creativity and a focus on enhancing team capabilities.

Improve the team via reviews, documentation, and cross-functional communication (10%)

• Provide constructive feedback on code and architecture proposals to promote team excellence.
• Support junior engineers through guidance and collaboration, fostering a culture of continuous learning.
• Create and maintain clear documentation for architectures, design decisions, and team protocols.
• Contribute to scrums and sprints by sharing updates, addressing blockers, and refining tasks with the team.
• Stay current with industry trends, security practices, and compliance requirements to ensure alignment with best practices.

• Other duties as assigned

Requirements

Minimum Requirements 

• Bachelor’s Degree in a technical field or equivalent professional experience 
• 3+ years of professional software engineering experience 

Preferred Qualifications 

• Proficient in full-stack development, with experience in Ruby on Rails and React, and expertise in backend, frontend, and database design, using BigQuery, PostgreSQL, and Git.
• Strong organizational and task management skills, with the ability to prioritize work, ensure attention to detail, and make sound technical decisions independently.
• Flexible and solutions-oriented, with strong problem-solving skills and the ability to adapt to changing priorities.
• Excellent communication skills, bridging technical and non-technical teams and managing stakeholder expectations effectively.
• Collaborative team member with peer coaching experience, contributing to knowledge sharing, team growth, and fostering an inclusive learning environment.
• Personal attributes of emotional intelligence, autonomy, empathy, and the ability to maintain composure in challenging situations, emphasizing a proactive, forward-looking approach in software development.
• Excellent communication skills, bridging technical and non-technical teams and managing stakeholder expectations effectively.
• Demonstrated commitment to building strong and welcoming cultures that help to develop others.
• Exemplification of Braven’s core values.
• Experience that has informed your belief in Braven’s mission and has prepared you to work with, or for, Braven’s student Fellow population.

Please know that no one ever meets 100% of the preferred qualifications. If much of this describes you, we encourage you to apply. 

Work Demands 

• Ability to work in-person in Chicago (IL) 3 days per week 
• Travel 2-3 times per year 

Additional Requirements 

• Authorized to work in the U.S.

• Braven doesn’t offer employment visa sponsorship

Application & Interview Process

While the interview process may vary slightly, the general process will be:

• Phone screen with Talent Team member
• Performance Task
• Interview with Hiring Manager
• Panel Interview with Key Partners
• Reference Checks

Benefits

Compensation and Benefits

Braven offers competitive base salaries based on the midpoint of the market among not-for-profit organizations of similar size, with opportunities for salary growth over time. We believe in compensating staff members fairly in relation to each other, their qualifications, and their impact on behalf of the organization, and take internal and external equity seriously. Given our commitment to equity, Braven does not negotiate salary offers; instead, each salary offer is determined carefully using external and internal benchmarking.

Starting salary within the range is determined by role scope and qualifications, with new hires starting at the lower end to allow for growth with performance. Braven does not base compensation on individual candidate salary expectations and is committed to maintaining internal equity. The salary ranges, by geographic market, for this role are set forth $92,000-$114,900. This is a full-time, regular, exempt, and benefits eligible position where you will be working at 100% capacity.

Braven also provides competitive, comprehensive benefits, recognition, and career development. While Braven reserves the right to change benefits at any time, current benefits include: 

• Unlimited vacation time in addition to org-wide holidays and week-long shutdowns in July and the end of the calendar year (this is a minimum of 19 days per year)
• Braven supports your path to parenthood and beyond with $25,000 in lifetime Carrot benefits for fertility, family-building, and hormonal health
• Match of your 401K contribution up to 5% of your base annual salary, starting your first full month
• Coverage of 85% of health insurance premium for employee and dependents
• 12 weeks of paid parental leave
• A one-month paid sabbatical after 4 years on staff

Please note that Braven is firm in its compensation philosophy; therefore, only candidates who believe that our total rewards package matches what they are looking for in their next opportunity are encouraged to apply. 

Location

We gather in the office 3 days per week (on Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday) and work remotely 2 days per week (although certain commitments might adjust that from time to time). Therefore, this role requires teammates to live within commuting distance of Chicago (IL). We believe in the magic, connection, and collaboration that happens when people work together face-to-face, and we believe in giving people flexibility to focus, balance personal priorities, and save themselves two commutes per week.

Braven is an equal opportunity employer and considers qualified applicants for employment without regard to race, color, creed, religion, national origin, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity and expression, age, disability, veteran status, or any other protected factor. We encourage talented individuals of all backgrounds to apply.