Senior Full Stack Developer

Senior Full Stack DeveloperSt. Thomas University seeks a highly skilled Senior Full Stack Developer to lead the production deployment, ongoing development, and technical evolution of Bobcat Pathway360™, the University's next-generation Student Success Operating System and Student Information System (SIS).Bobcat Pathway360™ is a university-designed platform that unifies student success, academic advising, retention analytics, financial wellness, family engagement, and administrative compliance into a single integrated ecosystem. The platform serves as the operational backbone for monitoring and supporting the student journey from enrollment through graduation.The successful candidate will transform an advanced prototype into a secure, scalable, enterprise-grade application capable of supporting thousands of students, faculty, advisors, administrators, and authorized family members while maintaining strict FERPA compliance and institutional security standards.This position requires expertise across modern frontend development, backend engineering, relational databases, artificial intelligence integration, cloud deployment, and enterprise security architecture.Bobcat Pathway360™ consists of several integrated operational modules:Integrated Academics & MentorshipDegree Pathway EngineAcademic Advising CenterStudent Journey MappingAcademic Milestone TrackingMentorship CoordinationFinancial Integrity Command CentreStudent Account MonitoringFinancial Clearance TrackingWork-Study ManagementEarnings Threshold MonitoringFinancial Literacy ModulesEarly Outreach & Predictive RetentionStudent Risk DetectionRetention AnalyticsIntervention WorkflowsAcademic Performance MonitoringFinancial Stress IndicatorsFERPA-Compliant Family AcademyAuthorized Parent AccessAcademic Achievement MonitoringStudent Support ChecklistsFamily Communication ToolsCare Package Logistics ManagementAdministrative & Compliance SystemsRegistrar ConsoleAdministrative Control CenterAudit ManagementStudent Record Change TrackingCompliance MonitoringEssential ResponsibilitiesFull Stack Application DevelopmentDesign, develop, test, and maintain production-grade application features across frontend and backend systems using incremental delivery.Convert prototype functionality into scalable enterprise architecture.Build reusable application components and services.Maintain code quality through documentation, testing, and peer review.Optimize system performance and reliability.Frontend EngineeringDevelop advanced user interfaces using React and TypeScript.Create responsive experiences for students, advisors, faculty, parents, and administrators.Implement robust state management strategies.Prevent rendering issues, state synchronization failures, and performance bottlenecks.Maintain accessibility standards and ADA compliance.Develop responsive layouts utilizing Tailwind CSS and modern frontend architecture.Backend DevelopmentDesign and maintain APIs and backend services.Build secure authentication and authorization systems.Implement business logic supporting academic, financial, and retention workflows.Develop integrations with institutional and third-party systems.Maintain application logging, monitoring, and auditing functionality.Database Architecture & SecurityDesign and maintain relational database structures.Develop efficient SQL queries and database optimization strategies.Implement Row-Level Security (RLS) policies to ensure proper data segregation.Enforce student-level access controls preventing unauthorized record access.Support audit trails and compliance reporting requirements.Artificial Intelligence DevelopmentDesign and implement AI-powered features that support student success and institutional operations.Integrate Large Language Models (LLMs) into advising, retention, and administrative workflows.Develop intelligent recommendation engines and AI-assisted student support systems.Implement Retrieval-Augmented Generation (RAG) architectures and institutional knowledge search capabilities.Support future AI initiatives including predictive student success analytics and advisor copilots.Security & ComplianceImplement FERPA-compliant data governance controls.Support GDPR and privacy-by-design principles.Maintain zero-trust security architecture.Ensure secure transmission and storage of sensitive information.Apply encryption standards for data in transit and at rest.Participate in security reviews and compliance audits.Systems IntegrationBuild secure integrations with institutional systems and external vendors.Develop server-side API proxy architectures.Protect sensitive credentials using environment-based configuration management.Integrate modern AI services and enterprise applications.QualificationsRequired QualificationsEducationBachelor's degree in Computer Science, Software Engineering, Information Systems, or a related field.Equivalent professional experience may be considered.Experience:Minimum 5 years of professional full-stack development experience.Experience deploying and supporting production applications.Experience building applications that manage sensitive or regulated data.Experience working within enterprise software environments.Required Technical SkillsFrontend TechnologiesReactTypeScriptJavaScript (ES6+)HTML5CSS3Tailwind CSSResponsive DesignState Management PatternsBackend TechnologiesNode.jsREST APIsAuthentication & Authorization FrameworksServer-Side API DevelopmentEnvironment Variable ManagementSecure Application ArchitectureDatabase TechnologiesPostgreSQLRelational Database DesignSQL Query OptimizationDatabase SecurityRow-Level Security (RLS)Data ModelingAI & Intelligent SystemsOpenAI API IntegrationAnthropic API IntegrationPrompt EngineeringRetrieval-Augmented Generation (RAG)AI Workflow DesignConversational InterfacesAI Security & GovernanceSecurity & ComplianceFERPAGDPRADA Accessibility StandardsTLS/SSL EncryptionSecure Coding PracticesZero-Trust Security PrinciplesDevelopment & DevOpsGitGitHubCI/CD PipelinesApplication MonitoringLogging FrameworksCloud Deployment WorkflowsPreferred QualificationsMaster's degree in Computer Science, Information Systems,