Software Engineer

The Art of Education University

The Art of Education University (AOEU) is looking for a software engineer to join our team in building the next generation of our educational SaaS products and systems.

 

AOEU has developed a home-grown suite of technology solutions to support our unique value proposition, of serving the educational and teaching needs of art teachers across their entire careers. We have extended our technology stack to its boundaries and are ready to move beyond to new more scalable frameworks that will better support our growth trajectory in the years to come. We are in search of a skilled software developer with a diverse background, that is interested in helping us maintain our current WordPress platform, while also helping build and integrate with our new platform and services.

 

We believe products should be so simple to use and beautiful in their design, that they speak for themselves in a sales demo. Our products should sell themselves in any context, B2B, B2C and should be valued based on the measurable, positive outcomes they create for our customers and end users. We are wary of feature creep but always seek continual improvement.

 

The Art of Education University | Who We Are |

 

MISSION

Our mission is simple, driven, and inspiring: We grow amazing art teachers by providing rigorous, relevant, and engaging professional development at every stage of their career.

 

BELIEFS

AOEU is an innovative and fast-growing institution of higher education serving art teachers around the world. In 2019, we became the first homegrown graduate university in the state of Iowa in 50 years and the world’s first “University For Life,” serving art educators throughout an entire lifetime of learning.

 

The Software Engineering team supports AOEU and its mission by making others’ lives and jobs easier through software.

 

The Art of Education University serves tens of thousands of students, readers, and customers around the U.S. and in over 40 countries. Our Magazine is read more than 800,000 times each month, our events are attended by thousands of art educators annually, and we serve over 2,000 graduate students each year.

 

CULTURE

Our culture is at the heart of our success as an institution. We believe in a drama-free environment that upholds the ideals of Radical Candor©. We believe that your success is our success. You will always know where you stand and be challenged to grow and stretch yourself in ways you never imagined.

 

LEARN MOREhttps://www.theartofeducation.edu

 

The Details | Software Engineer |

 

Essential Responsibilities 

 

Programming Ability

  • Builds defined features
  • Writes code to solve problems in a team environment
  • Writes testable, maintainable code
  • Provides architectural guidance and feedback and implementation support
  • Performs analysis and provides feedback on reported defects, and implements solutions
  • Writes effective, automated tests
  • Follows and improves the development process
  • Mentors peers and junior team members
  • Performs thoughtful code reviews and provides constructive, positive feedback with the interest of improving code quality, performance, and building the team

 

Communication

  • Communicates effectively through emails, Slack, etc.
  • Gives proactive status updates
  • Ability to present structured fact-based arguments
  • Values collaboration with their own team and others

 

Critical Thinking

  • Balances short-term needs with long-term goals
  • Thinks about what could go wrong and how we can mitigate the risk
  • Identifies blocking issues
  • Helps define requirements
  • Open-source mindset

 

Initiative

  • Takes ownership
  • Follows through to the very end
  • Values learning new technology

 

Work Environment

 

The duties of this position are typical of those performed in a home office setting with normal ranges of temperature. The majority of tasks will be performed while sitting at a desk.

 

PHYSICAL REQUIREMENTS

  • Position requires considerable concentration and focus throughout the day
  • Ability to sit for extended periods of time
  • Ability to lift items such as laptops, monitors, and the like
  • When traveling:
    • The ability to lift or push your suitcase
    • Ability to carry/lift up to 25-50 lbs of presentation materials for customers or for conference presentations, etc.

 

VISUAL & TACTILE REQUIREMENTS

  • Ability to view computer screens for significant periods of time
  • Ability to use a laptop keyboard with accuracy
  • Ability to hear at normal levels and through electronic devices such as laptops, earbuds, phones, and the like

 

Experience 

 

We are looking for a developer who has the ability to become familiar with and navigate an existing, mature code base with relative ease. The right candidate should be able to identify and mitigate potential risks with code changes, as well as, provide thoughtful solutions to integrating with existing and new services.

  • Experience with PHP and custom WordPress development is required
  • Familiarity with SaaS platforms
  • Source control (Git, Mercurial, etc.)
  • Unit testing and TDD
  • Agile methodologies (SCRUM, Kanban)
  • Familiarity with CI/CD processes
  • Knowledge of software architecture and design
  • Experience working in a remote capacity
  • Experience in JavaScript, Python, and Go is a plus

 

Compensation and Benefits

 

POSITION DETAILS

Structured as a full-time, exempt, and salaried position, this individual will report directly to Christopher Lamm, Director of Software Engineering. Compensation is commensurate with education and experience. Payroll is issued on a semi-monthly basis with salary on the 15th and last day of the month.  

 

BENEFITS AVAILABLE

Group healthcare plans are available. The Art of Education University will contribute 100% for full-time health, dental, and vision, employee-only coverage. Family coverage is available at an additional premium.

 

The Art of Education University offers participation, upon hire, of a 401K plan with up to a 4% match of employee contributions.

 

Appropriate and up-to-date technology is provided.

 

Unlimited self-managed PTO is offered to full-time members of AOEU. Extended vacations must be pre-approved. Flexibility exists so long as responsibilities are fulfilled and careful planning and communication are evident.

 

Timeline

 

THE PROCESS

Persons interested in applying should complete the application form linked below. Applicants are required to submit a short 1-3 minute video explaining why they would like to be considered for the position and why they are uniquely qualified. Failure to submit a video will automatically eliminate you from the application process.

 

Candidates who make it to Round 2 of the Application process will be required to complete a packet for review, prior to their scheduled interview time.

 

Finalists will have one final interview with a member of the Senior Leadership Team.

 

The Art of Education University is committed to taking the time to find the right fit for our positions. This process may be more rigorous than you are used to. We have set up several interview steps to make sure this will be mutually beneficial to both our institution and our next new team member. We hope you take this journey with us!