Sustainability Engineer

Role Description

The Python Software Foundation (PSF) is hiring a contract Sustainability Engineer, PyPI reporting to the PSF's Director of Engineering. This role will be focused on building features in Warehouse, PyPI's codebase. The goal is straightforward: make PyPI financially sustainable so it doesn't depend entirely on donations and sponsorships.

• Most of your time goes to shipping features that help sustain PyPI and the PSF.
• You'll write Python, work with the packaging ecosystem's standards process when new features need upstream changes, and deal with billing integrations, access control edge cases, storage, and CDN costs.
• The tricky part isn't technical; it's figuring out what PyPI can offer to free users as well as organizations.
• You'll be part of those decisions, which means understanding what commercial tools offer, what enterprises actually need, and how to generate revenue while keeping the PSF’s mission first.

Core Responsibilities

• Build and ship features in Warehouse, PyPI's codebase.
• Billing integrations, access control, storage, and CDN work.
• Write Python, review PRs, ship user-facing changes.
• Coordinate with the Infrastructure Engineer on deployment, scaling, and operational concerns.
• Collaborate with PSF and PyPI security engineers on security-related features and concerns.
• Work closely with the PyPI Support Specialist to address PyPI Organizations, user-reported security concerns, and escalate issues appropriately.
• Interface with PyPI stakeholders about user and community needs.
• Occasional on-call responsibilities, shared with the Engineering team as it relates to PyPI.

Product Work

• Help decide what PyPI offers to free users and organizations.
• Research what commercial offerings provide and where PyPI fits.
• Talk to enterprise users and translate their needs into features worth building.
• Balance revenue goals with PyPI's mission as free infrastructure.

Standards & Ecosystem

• Work with the packaging ecosystem's standards process when features need upstream changes.
• Coordinate with Packaging Council and other packaging stakeholders.

Qualifications

• Solid Python experience, comfort with web frameworks, and enough frontend knowledge to ship user-facing features end-to-end.
• Familiarity with Python packaging and infrastructure concerns like object storage and CDN architecture.
• Product instincts help since you'll talk to enterprise users and translate their problems into features worth building.
• Experience working with open source communities is a plus.

Requirements

• Proficiency with Python web frameworks, base understanding of HTML/CSS/JavaScript, software testing.
• Desired: Proficiency with PostgreSQL, proficiency in HTML/CSS/JavaScript, and the Pyramid web framework, Python 3.14+, Pytest, object storage.

Details

• Location: Global remote, US-based candidates strongly preferred; regular collaboration with US timezones required.
• Compensation: $75-$180K for US employees (based on experience), or a comparable contractor rate for international candidates.
• Type: Fixed-term (Full-time, 1 year), with possibility of renewal.

Benefits

• US employees are eligible for healthcare and other benefits; contractor engagements do not include benefits.