Software Engineer I

Software Engineer I
Location: Dallas, TX (On-site: 5 days in office) 

Stronghold Investment Management (“Stronghold,” “SIM,” or “the Firm”) is a technology-driven, vertically integrated investment manager focused on real-assets and related private markets. Stronghold seeks to deliver best-in-class risk-adjusted returns through an investment framework that features comparatively rapid transaction velocity, deep technical expertise, creative financial structuring, and objective and algorithmic decision making.

Stronghold was founded by Ryan Turner in 2016 and has deployed over $1.6 billion in capital across 10+ investment vehicles. Ultimately, Stronghold intends to apply its technology-intensive investment approach to a variety of specialist real assets verticals, including:

• Oil & Gas
• Renewables
• Specialty Real Estate (commercial, datacenters, marinas)
• Telecommunications and Technology Infrastructure
• Billboards and Fixtures
• Mining & other commodities
• Utilities
• Secondaries

Your Mission

We're seeking a Software Engineer I to join Stronghold's Tech Development team, your entry point into a firm where engineering isn't a support function, it's a competitive weapon.

You'll work on the backend systems, APIs, and data infrastructure that keep a technology-driven investment firm running at speed. From day one, you'll be writing real code on real systems, collaborating with senior engineers, data teams, and product to build infrastructure that directly impacts how Stronghold operates and invests.

Working primarily within a Ruby on Rails ecosystem, you'll gain hands-on experience building and supporting backend services powered by technologies including PostgreSQL, Kafka, Elasticsearch, Redis, and Microsoft Azure . You'll learn how these systems work together while contributing meaningful code to a platform built for speed, reliability, and scale.

This is the right opportunity for an early-career engineer with 1–3 years of experience who's hungry to grow fast, work on problems that matter, and build a foundation inside a firm that takes technical excellence seriously. If you want ownership earlier than you'd get anywhere else, this is it.

Key Responsibilities – What You’ll Own

• Build from the ground up. Design, develop, test, and maintain backend systems, APIs, and data workflows, primarily within a Ruby on Rails environment, that keep firm-wide operations running reliably and at scale.
• Learn the stack by building with it. Develop hands-on experience across technologies including Ruby on Rails, PostgreSQL, Redis, Elasticsearch, Kafka, and Microsoft Azure while contributing to production systems.
• Make data trustworthy. Collaborate with data engineers and analysts to ensure data integrity, accessibility, and consistency across systems that investment teams depend on daily.
• Write code that lasts. Deliver clean, efficient, testable, and maintainable code using engineering best practices, and strengthen your skills through code reviews and mentorship from senior engineers.
• Strengthen the data layer. Help build and optimize database schemas, queries, indexes, and data workflows across relational and non-relational technologies, including PostgreSQL, Redis, and Elasticsearch.
• Connect the ecosystem. Contribute to integrations between internal systems, backend services, and third-party APIs, the connective tissue that makes the platform work as one.
• Build event-driven workflows. Support the development of asynchronous and event-driven systems using technologies such as Kafka to move data reliably across the platform.
• Automate the repetitive. Support the automation of data ingestion, validation, transformation, and operational workflows so the team can focus on what actually requires human judgment.
• Build for the cloud. Develop and support applications and services running in Microsoft Azure while gaining experience with modern cloud infrastructure and deployment practices.
• Grow through collaboration. Participate in code reviews, technical design sessions, and Agile ceremonies, learning from senior engineers while adding your own perspective.
• Solve what's broken. Troubleshoot and debug backend performance issues, data discrepancies, application errors, and system failures across environments.
• Keep systems visible. Contribute to monitoring, logging, and alerting so the team can identify and resolve issues quickly.
• Ship with confidence. Contribute to CI/CD pipelines and partner with engineering, DevOps, and product teams to support reliable deployments and stable production systems.

Qualifications – What You Bring

• A strong technical foundation. Bachelor's degree in Computer Science, Software Engineering, Information Systems, or a related field, or equivalent experience that shows you can build.
• 1–3 years of backend experience. You've written real code in a professional, internship, or serious academic/project environment and you're ready to take on more.
• Ruby on Rails experience. Experience with Ruby on Rails through professional work, internships, coursework, or meaningful projects, with the ability and motivation to deepen your expertise quickly.
• Solid CS fundamentals. You understand data structures, algorithms, object-oriented programming, and modern software development principles, not just conceptually, but in practice.
• Hands-on SQL experience. You can write clean, efficient queries and have experience with relational databases such as PostgreSQL or SQL Server. You understand why data modeling and schema design matter.
• Exposure to modern data technologies. Familiarity with technologies such as Redis, Elasticsearch, or MongoDB and an interest in learning how different data stores support different use cases.
• Familiarity with APIs and version control. You understand RESTful APIs, integrations, and Git, the day-one essentials for working effectively on a modern engineering team.
• Exposure to event-driven systems. Familiarity with Kafka, message queues, streaming platforms, or asynchronous processing concepts is a plus.
• Cloud and container awareness. Exposure to cloud platforms, preferably Microsoft Azure, along with familiarity with Docker and modern containerized development practices.
• CI/CD awareness. Familiarity with Continuous Integration and Continuous Delivery concepts and an understanding of how modern engineering teams test, review, and deploy code.
• An analytical mind. You think carefully about problems before reaching for solutions, approach debugging methodically, and care about performance and precision.
• A team-first attitude. You collaborate well with engineering, data, product, and other cross-functional stakeholders, asking good questions, communicating clearly, and pulling your weight in an Agile environment.
• A learning mindset. You're curious about new technologies, receptive to feedback, and motivated to continuously improve your technical skills.
• The Stronghold standard. Precision, accountability, and genuine commitment to technical excellence. You hold yourself to a high bar because you take pride in your work.

Preferred Qualifications – What Sets You Apart

• Oil & Gas, Financial Services, Real Assets, or Fintech experience through professional experience, internships, coursework, or related projects.
• Additional Ruby on Rails experience , particularly building or supporting web applications and backend APIs.
• Experience with Stronghold's broader technology ecosystem , including Kafka, Elasticsearch, Redis, PostgreSQL, SQL Server, or MongoDB.
• Data processing experience with libraries such as Pandas, NumPy, or Polars.
• Hands-on cloud experience , particularly with Microsoft Azure and Docker.
• Strong adoption of AI tools , with demonstrated knowledge and practical experience using AI in development workflows.

Why Stronghold 

At Stronghold, we strive to create a workplace that is not only rewarding but also satisfying. We believe our employees are the driving force behind our success, and we are committed to providing them with an environment where they can thrive and reach their full potential. When you choose to work with us, you'll be joining a team of highly talented professionals who are passionate about what they do and dedicated to bringing technology expertise to our domain. We value innovation, collaboration, and a commitment to excellence, and we provide our employees with the resources and support they need to succeed.

• Market-competitive compensation
• Fully paid benefits (Medical, Dental and Vision)
• Flexible Spending Account (FSA)
• Health Savings Account (HSA)
• 401k + Match
• Company sponsored LTD, STD, life insurance and AD&D
• Generous PTO policy
• Exemplary holiday observance
• Parental Leave
• Class A offices in prime locations

Equal Opportunity Employer
Stronghold Investment Management is an equal opportunity employer. We believe in creating a diverse and inclusive workforce, where individuals of all backgrounds, experiences, and perspectives can thrive. We are committed to providing equal employment opportunities to all employees and applicants for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, national origin, age, disability, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, marital status, genetic information, or any other characteristic protected by applicable laws. We encourage applicants from underrepresented groups to apply and embrace the unique contributions they can bring to our organization.