Washington Post

Senior Backend Software Engineer

Washington Post$119K — $199K *
Information Technology
5 - 7 years of experience
Job Overview by Ladders

Qualifications

  • Bachelor's degree in Computer Science or a related field.
  • 7+ years of software development experience, focusing on full-stack solutions.
  • 1+ year experience with AI or personalization features.
  • Strong proficiency in full-stack development with Python and Node.js.
  • Experience with AWS services including EC2, Lambda, and S3.
  • Familiarity with Infrastructure as Code tools like AWS CloudFormation or Terraform.
  • Strong communication skills for technical and non-technical audiences.

Responsibilities

  • Design, build, and maintain full-stack web applications using Python and AWS.
  • Develop and optimize database schemas and queries with Postgres.
  • Partner with data scientists to deploy AI models in production.
  • Build and maintain critical data pipelines for ML decision-making.
  • Manage AWS infrastructure to optimize cloud costs.
  • Participate in technical planning and oversee development from idea to production.
  • Provide technical mentorship and conduct code reviews.

Benefits

  • Competitive medical, dental, and vision coverage.
  • Company-paid pension and 401(k) match.
  • Three weeks of vacation and up to three weeks of paid sick leave.
  • 20 weeks paid parental leave for any new parent.
  • Robust mental health resources and backup care services.
  • Free digital subscription to The Post.
Full Job Description
Why This Role Matters

The Washington Post is seeking a Senior Software Engineer with expertise in personalization, and scalable full-stack solutions to join our Platform Engineering organization. This role is critical in driving growth through the development of AI and personalization features facing end users. As a senior engineer, you will collaborate with cross-functional teams to build and own the platform on top of which AI/ML models are delivered and maintain critical data pipelines that feed product and ML decision-making.

What Motivates You
  • You are passionate about solving meaningful technical challenges that directly impact user experience.
  • You have a curious mindset, always exploring new technologies and approaches.
  • You have a passion to write flexible and reusable code.
  • You are obsessed with understanding the big picture and how your work fits in.
  • You thrive in environments where you have autonomy but also enjoy being part of a supportive team.
  • You are energized with learning new technologies and platforms.
  • You lean into collaboration to figure out solutions to the toughest problems.
  • You have an aptitude to simplify and communicate technical concepts to a non-technical audience.
  • You are excited about contributing to AI and personalization projects at scale.
  • You are driven by the mission of journalism and want to build impactful software for millions of users.


How You'll Support the Mission
  • Design, build, and maintain full-stack web applications using Python and AWS services.
  • Develop and optimize database schemas and queries, primarily using Postgres, to support high-performance data processing.
  • Partner with data scientists to integrate and deploy AI models and recommendation systems into production.
  • Build and maintain critical data pipelines that feed product and ML decision-making.
  • Manage and optimize AWS infrastructure, driving cloud cost mastery and reducing overall spend.
  • Participate in technical planning and ownership of end-to-end development efforts from idea to production.
  • Provide technical guidance and mentorship to other engineers through code reviews and knowledge sharing.
  • Regularly identify technical debt and areas of opportunity in the codebase, organizing team efforts to resolve them.
  • Work closely with product managers, designers, and stakeholders to translate business requirements into technical solutions.
  • Establish and foster engineering standards for code quality, unit testing, and continuous integration across all systems.
  • Execute on ambiguous spikes to deliver clear technical recommendations and proof of concepts.


The Skills and Experience You Bring
  • Bachelor's degree in Computer Science, Software Engineering, or related field.
  • 7+ years of experience in software development, with a focus on full-stack solutions.
  • 1+ years of experience working with AI or personalization-focused features.
  • Strong experience with full-stack development using Python and Node.js.
  • Proficiency with relational databases such as Postgres and MySQL, including query optimization.
  • Hands-on expertise with AWS services such as EC2, Lambda, S3, ECS, and RDS.
  • Experience with Infrastructure as Code (IaC) tools such as AWS CloudFormation or Terraform.
  • Experience with DevOps technologies such as Docker, Jenkins, and CI/CD pipelines.
  • Practical experience with monitoring and observability tools like Datadog, Splunk, or CloudWatch.
  • Familiarity with NoSQL solutions like MongoDB or DocumentDB.
  • Experience writing unit and integration tests to ensure code quality.
  • Excellent communication, documentation, and presentation skills for technical and business audiences.

Collaboration makes us stronger. That's why our offices are designed with open layouts, modern technology, and easy access to transportation. With certain exceptions for newsgathering and business travel, we work on-site five days a week.

Compensation and Benefits

Wherever you are in your life or career, The Washington Post offers comprehensive and inclusive benefits for every step of your journey:
  • Competitive medical, dental and vision coverage
  • Company-paid pension and 401(k) match
  • Three weeks of vacation and up to three weeks of paid sick leave
  • Nine paid holidays and two personal days
  • 20 weeks paid parental leave for any new parent
  • Robust mental health resources
  • Backup care and caregiver concierge services
  • Gender affirming services
  • Pet insurance
  • Free Post digital subscription
  • Leadership and career development programs


Benefits may vary based on the job, full-time or part-time schedule, location, and collectively bargained status.

The salary range for this position is:
$119,700 - $199,300 Annual

The actual salary within this range will depend on individual skills, experience, and qualifications as they relate to specific job requirements. This position may be eligible for a bonus or incentive program, and a member of the Talent Acquisition team will discuss bonus payment terms and conditions during the interview process.

Your story awaits. Apply today!

Learn more about The Post at careers.washingtonpost.com.

About Washington Post

The Washington Post is an American daily newspaper published in Washington, D.C. It is the most-widely circulated newspaper within the Washington metropolitan area and has a large international audience. Daily broadsheet editions are printed for D.C., Maryland, and Virginia. The newspaper has won the Pulitzer Prize 65 times for its work, the second-most of any publication. It is considered a newspaper of record in the U.S. Post journalists have also received 18 Nieman Fellowships and 368 White House News Photographers Association awards. The paper is well known for its political reporting and is one of the few remaining American newspapers to operate foreign bureaus. The Post was founded in 1877. In its early years, it went through several owners and struggled both financially and editorially. Financier Eugene Meyer purchased it out of bankruptcy in 1933 and revived its health and reputation, work continued by his successors Katharine and Phil Graham, who bought out several rival publications. The Post's 1971 printing of the Pentagon Papers helped spur opposition to the Vietnam War. Subsequently, in the best-known episode in the newspaper's history, reporters Bob Woodward and Carl Bernstein led the American press's investigation into what became known as the Watergate scandal, which resulted in the 1974 resignation of President Richard Nixon. The advent of the internet expanded the Post's national and international reach. In October 2013, the Graham family sold the newspaper to Nash Holdings, a holding company owned by Jeff Bezos, for $250 million.
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