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Agent guide: [/agents.md](https://www.wearedevelopers.com/agents.md). --- # Staff Software Engineer - **Company:** LOWER SCHOOL - **Location:** Columbus, OH, United States - **Experience:** Expert - **Contract:** Permanent contract - **Skills:** JavaScript (Programming Language), Adobe InDesign, Application Programming Interfaces (APIs), Artificial Intelligence, Amazon Web Services, Application Performance Management, Architectural Patterns, Automation of Tests, Configuration Management, Profiling, Software Quality, Code Review, Databases, Continuous Delivery, Continuous Integration, Data Structures, Cursor (Graphical User Interface Elements), Software Debugging, DevOps, Programming Tools, Distributed Systems, Github, Design of User Interfaces, Human-Computer Interaction, PostgreSQL, Network Planning and Design, Network Programming, Node.Js, Performance Tuning, Software Architecture, Systems Development Life Cycle, Release Management, E2e Testing, Software Tools, Next.js, Secure Coding, Software Engineering, Software Testing Automation Framework, Systems Architecture, TypeScript, Web Applications, Computer Networking Systems, GitHub Copilot, ReactJS, Delivery Pipeline, Concurrency, Parallel Computation, Technical Debt, Backend, Information Technology, Build Tools, Asynchronous Programming - **Published:** August 7, 2026 - **Apply:** https://www.careerbuilder.com/job-details/staff-software-engineer-columbus-oh--62bf0a50-0564-4dd7-a2bd-24edce0e01f4 ## About the Role * System design & architecture: Lead the design and evolution of scalable, reliable, and maintainable distributed systems, driving architectural decisions across teams while balancing performance, cost, complexity, and long-term platform scalability. * Code quality & testing: Strong in unit, integration, end-to-end testing, and test automation frameworks. * Performance optimization: Proficiency in profiling, debugging, and optimizing application performance. * DevOps & CI/CD: Experience with deployment pipelines, monitoring, observability, and release management. * Security awareness: Knowledge of secure coding practices, threat modeling, and compliance requirements. * Data & APIs: Comfortable designing and consuming APIs, working with databases, and handling data modeling. * Tooling, automation & AI-assisted development: Skilled at improving developer workflows through automation (build systems, config management, test infrastructure) and modern AI-assisted engineering tools such as Cursor, Claude Code, Codex, or similar technologies to accelerate development, debugging, testing, and documentation workflows., * 8+ years of professional experience in software engineering, including experience designing and scaling enterprise-grade web applications and distributed systems (or closely related fields). * Full-stack expertise with proven ability to deliver high-quality backend and front-end solutions. * Problem solver and innovator, with a track record of implementing new ideas and tackling complex technical challenges in design and architecture. * Proficiency in our stack- TypeScript, React, AWS, Next.js, Node.js and Postgres -or the ability to quickly learn new languages, frameworks, and tools. * Experience leveraging AI-assisted software development tools (such as Cursor, Claude Code, Codex, GitHub Copilot, or similar) to improve engineering productivity, code quality, debugging, testing, and developer efficiency. * Strong computer science foundations, including algorithms, data structures, concurrency, parallelism, asynchronous programming, networking, and system design. * Demonstrated ability to influence technical direction across teams, lead architectural initiatives, and operate effectively in ambiguous or rapidly evolving environments. * Strong track record of mentoring engineers, scaling engineering best practices, and improving technical decision-making within growing organizations. * Excellent communication and collaboration skills-someone who brings strong opinions held loosely, engages debate without ego, gives and receives feedback constructively, and helps foster a supportive engineering culture. We're looking for someone people want to design alongside. * Prior experience in fintech, lending, or consumer financial products is a plus, but not required., Algorithms, Amazon Web Services (AWS), Application Programming Interface (API), Architectural Engineering, Architectural Services, Artificial Intelligence (AI), Automation, Best Practices, Career Counseling, Coaching, Code Reviews, Communication Skills, Computer Science, Concurrency, Configuration Management, Consumer Finance, Consumer Loans, Continuous Deployment/Delivery, Continuous Improvement, Continuous Integration, Cross-Functional, Customer Experience, Customer/Client Research, Data Modeling, Data Structures, Debugging Skills, DevOps, Distributed Computing, Documentation, Finance, GitHub, Internet Application, JavaScript, Leadership, Leading Edge Technology, Loan Funding, Machine Tool, Mentoring, Mortgage, Negotiation Skills, Network Design, Network Programming, Network Systems, Node.js, Operating Systems, People Management, Performance Analysis, Performance Tuning/Optimization, PostgreSQL, Problem Solving Skills, Process Improvement, Productivity Management, Programming Tools, Project Execution, Quality Management, React.js, Regulatory Compliance, Release Management/Engineering, Residential Mortgages, Risk Analysis, Risk Management, Sales Operations, Sales Prospecting, Scalable System Development, Secure Coding, Software Development, Software Engineering, Stewardship, System Architecture, Systems Administration/Management, Systems Maintainability, Team Lead/Manager, Team Player, Technical Leadership, Technical Support, Technical Writing, Technical/Engineering Design, Test Automation, Test Plan/Schedule, Testing, Threat Modeling, Underwriting, User Interface/Experience (UI/UX) ## Description * Stakeholder communication: Partner with engineering, product, and business leaders to translate strategic business initiatives into scalable technical solutions, clearly communicating tradeoffs, risks, and long-term architectural considerations. * Mentorship: Coach junior and mid-level engineers, providing guidance on coding practices, system design, and career development. * Code review: Promote best practices in readability, maintainability, and scalability through constructive code reviews, providing guidance and support. * Engineering influence: Lead through technical influence, mentorship, and collaboration rather than direct authority, helping elevate engineering quality and decision-making across the organization. * Cross-functional technical leadership: Drive alignment and technical execution across multiple engineering teams, fostering collaboration, reducing organizational friction, and promoting shared engineering standards and best practices. Project & Execution * Technical program ownership: Lead large, ambiguous, or cross-functional technical initiatives from architecture through delivery, ensuring scalability, reliability, and long-term maintainability across systems and teams. * Risk management: Identify risks early (technical debt, bottlenecks, scalability limits) and propose mitigations. * Tradeoff negotiation: Weigh cost, scalability, and performance when evaluating solutions and clearly explain reasoning. * Documentation: Produce and maintain high-quality technical documentation for systems, processes, and decisions. * Organizational unblocker: Proactively identify and resolve technical, operational, or coordination roadblocks impacting engineering teams, improving delivery velocity and cross-team effectiveness. * Continuous improvement: Identify systemic engineering bottlenecks, operational inefficiencies, and architectural gaps, driving initiatives that improve developer productivity, platform reliability, and organizational scalability. Strategic Impact * Technical vision: Influence long-term technical direction, helping shape architecture and tech stack decisions. * Technical leadership across teams: Serve as a technical leader across multiple engineering teams, helping establish architectural patterns, engineering standards, and shared platform direction. * Innovation: Proactively identify opportunities for new technologies, frameworks, or approaches that benefit the business. * Quality bar setting: Advocate for engineering excellence, ensuring the team balances speed with maintainability. * Institutional knowledge & platform stewardship: Develop deep expertise in Lower's systems, infrastructure, and domain workflows, helping teams navigate technical complexity and make informed architectural decisions. ## Related Videos - [Navigating the Corporate Jungle: Life as a Developer in a large Company](https://www.wearedevelopers.com/videos/621-navigating-the-corporate-jungle-life-as-a-developer-in-a-large-company) - [Innovating Developer Tools with AI: Insights from GitHub Next](https://www.wearedevelopers.com/videos/1268-innovating-developer-tools-with-ai-insights-from-github-next) - [From DevOps to Scaled DevOps: How We’re Rebuilding Continuous Delivery as a Platform](https://www.wearedevelopers.com/videos/100018-from-devops-to-scaled-devops-how-we-re-rebuilding-continuous-delivery-as-a-platform) - [Stop using Node.js like in 2020! 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