Background:
We at Participatory Culture Foundation (PCF) are seeking a passionate, talented Lead Software Engineer who is driven by the desire to make a positive impact in the world. Our ideal candidate thrives in a small team environment and enjoys both leadership and hands-on coding.
PCF is a remote-first nonprofit working to build a more open, collaborative, and inclusive world. The PCF team is fully distributed across 7 countries and communicates through chat applications, project management software, emails, and video conferences. Our flagship initiative, Amara, is a platform for collaborative subtitling and translation of video. Individuals, communities, and some of the largest companies from around the world use Amara to subtitle video. The platform has enabled tens of millions of viewers to fully engage with videos that would otherwise be inaccessible.
This is a full time, fully remote position.
What You’ll Do:
- Work closely with Product Manager, engineering team, and stakeholders to define project requirements and identify user needs
- Identify technical risks and challenges for projects; address and discuss with relevant stakeholders
- Lead internal technical discussions and consult clients on technical questions
- Collaborate with Product Manager to lead agile development workflows
- Evaluate and improve Amara’s engineering practices on a continuous basis
- Lead and support members of engineering team; cultivate an open and collaborative team environment
- Design and develop new features
- Plan and execute code improvements and bug fixes
- Maintain, care for, and drive improvements to the Amara codebase
- Inspect, debug, and refactor legacy code
Qualifications
Required Skills and Experience
- Python and Django
- Strong software design skills
- 1+ yrs experience in team management or leadership position
- 2+ yrs experience remote work
- Ability to communicate with non-technical users to develop use-cases and requirements
- Knowledge of agile development practices
- Ability to deliver clean, maintainable code
- Self-motivated, quick learner
Preferred Skills and Experience
- Automated web browser testing
- JavaScript
- AngularJS
- Docker
- AWS
About Amara
While internet video has exploded, language is still a significant barrier to education, economic opportunity, political participation, and other areas of cultural life. Amara connects millions of people to help break down these barriers and allows hundreds of organizations to make their content more accessible through innovative technology.
Try the Amara Editor yourself or watch it in action in this video.
Amara is a project of the Participatory Culture Foundation (PCF), a nonprofit 501c3. We are driven by our mission to help build a more collaborative, inclusive world – whether by making more content accessible or helping people engage with one another across languages and cultures. We believe a participatory and inclusive world leads to a more understanding and caring society.
About PCF
PCF develops technology and services that ensure everyone has access to all that the internet has to offer. From the abundance of free education available, to gaining insights about the many different cultures around the globe, information is critical to building a more equitable and peaceful society.
How We Collaborate
Amara and PCF are based out of Massachusetts, but the team is global and works virtually. You’ll be collaborating with a talented and passionate team striving to make a positive social impact.
The team uses chat and video apps (Slack, Google Meet, Skype) as well as email for internal communication. We use Github, Zenhub, and other tools for project management. The team has members working from many different time zones. We encourage applicants from any location, but overlap with EST working hours is preferred for this role.
We are an inclusive workplace, where all team members have a voice. We encourage participation and engagement. Our diversity in backgrounds and life experiences makes us unique and helps us innovate. On our team you’ll find incredibly talented professionals who are also musicians, avid dessert connoisseurs, beer brewers, master chess players, gardeners, and many other stripes!
U.S. Benefits and Perks*
- Fully paid medical, dental, and vision coverage for employees and their eligible families (yes, fully paid premiums!)
- The 401(k) retirement plan offers matched contributions at 3% of annual salary
- $50,000 life insurance paid for employee
- Employer paid HRA (Health Reimbursement Arrangement) plan up to $1,500 per year
- 24 days Paid Time Off per year
- Accidental Death and Dismemberment Insurance paid for employee
- Pre-tax savings plans for health care
- Fully remote work with flexible schedules
- Great colleagues – diverse team speaking many different languages from around the world, mission-driven and intensely passionate people!
*Please note, the material benefits listed above are available only to employees working from within the United States
Our Commitment to Diversity
The work of the Participatory Culture Foundation is strengthened by the diversity of our network and our differences in background, culture, experience, national origin, religion, sexual orientation, and much more. We encourage applications from people of color, women, the LGBTQIA community, and persons with disabilities.
To Apply
You will be asked to include the following materials in your application:
- Cover letter
- Resumé or CV
- Links to projects you’ve worked on, your Github profile, and/or anything else we may find relevant
Please keep in mind that as a small organization, we take great care in our search for new team members. While we aim to get in contact with all applicants in a timely fashion, your patience is very much appreciated. We look forward to seeing your application!