Software Engineer

Job Description

POSITION ANNOUNCEMENT:
Software Engineer
Location: National Office, Boston, MA
Organizational Overview:
Founded in Boston in 2005, The Achievement Network (ANet) is an entrepreneurial nonprofit organization on the cutting edge of education reform. We have grown more than 80% per year over the last four years, and we now serve over 460 schools educating 100,000 students in Massachusetts, Washington, D.C., New Orleans, Newark, Chicago, Tennessee, and New York City. Across our national network, our partner schools are outperforming their peers, with schools in most of our networks achieving twice the gains of non-ANet schools. Our support has consistently helped our schools – whether district or charter, high capacity or low capacity, new to ANet or long-time partners – achieve breakthrough results for their students.

Over the last 10 years, school systems have invested heavily in assessment programs and data systems. These systems have generated large amounts of information about student achievement, but they have done little to help educators target their instruction to the needs of each student in their classroom. In other words, schools have developed systems that enable assessment of student learning, but they have not mastered the art of using assessment for student learning. ANet helps schools build that capability through focused use of data, standards, and time. We provide our partners with the tools and training they need to go from data to action:
• Our assessment, planning, and instructional tools help teachers and school leaders understand where they need to focus their time and attention.
• Our coaching and professional development help schools turn that focus into concrete actions that consistently improve instruction for students throughout the year.
Our proprietary technology assets provide a backbone for the support we deliver to our schools.

ANet has received multiple awards and recognition, including a prestigious Investing In Innovation (I3) grant from the federal government and New Schools Venture Fund’s “Organization of the Year” in 2011. Over the next five years, we will build on this success. By 2017, we expect to reach over 250,000 students while continuing to deliver breakthrough results for our schools.

Position Overview:
We are seeking a Software Engineer to join our Product Development team and help build products that support ANet’s mission. Technology is increasingly central to our strategy. As ANet grows over the next four years, we will make significant investments to transform three of our market-leading technology assets:
• We will combine our unique data sets on student performance and educator practice to generate unprecedented insights into the instructional strategies that are most effective to address specific student needs. We believe that these insights, supported by the right technology, can provide teachers with the guidance they need to deliver the right instruction to the right students at the right time.
• We will build on our highly valued web application to dramatically enhance the experience as educators’ go-to resource for standards planning, data, and instructional tools.
• We will transition our paper-and-pencil assessments and 48-hour turnaround of reports to an online delivery mechanism and real-time turnaround of reports.

While many organizations are developing sophisticated educational technology, ANet stands alone as an organization that combines advanced technology with every day, on-the-ground presence in schools. This unique combination provides an unprecedented opportunity for our technology to truly shape instruction in the classroom.

Reporting to the Director of Product Development, the person will play a key role in helping implement our technology vision.

Responsibilities:
Responsibilities include, but are not limited to:
• Designing and implementing our big data strategy
• Implementation of ANet’s next generation of the education technologies that are crucial elements of ANet’s core program offering
• Creating, monitoring and delivering against the product road map and corresponding release cycles, supported by the product team
Required Skills and Characteristics:
In order to be successful in this role, the ideal candidate will demonstrate the ability to:
• Be a team player who motivates and educates colleagues; enjoy working in a highly collaborative and agile culture
• Work closely with business partners to build technology solutions
• Operate comfortably among a highly independent staff with diverse backgrounds
• Bring an innovative approach to analyze, evaluate and solve problems
The ideal candidate will also demonstrate the following:
• Belief in The Achievement Network’s mission and strategy: Embracing assessments and data as meaningful tools for raising student achievement, professional development as a critical lever in improving school achievement, and network collaboration as a powerful means of spreading best practices across schools
• Hunger for a tremendous entrepreneurial opportunity for professional growth and high impact
• Exceptional written and verbal communication skills
• Excellent quantitative and analytical skills
• Planning and organizing; the ability to set and manage priorities judiciously
• Excellent judgment in decision-making
Experience and Educational Background:
• Direct experience in the implementation of a consumer-facing web applications
• 2+ years of software development experience, with demonstrated success delivering solutions with high business value. Candidates must have experience in, and have knowledge of:
o Java/Spring and/or other web development frameworks
o JavaScript, jQuery, GWT
o Scrum or other Agile development processes
o Scalable web application development
o Analytics platforms
o Software-as-a-service and Service-oriented architecture

Nice to have:
o Hibernate, MySQL, AWS, Heroku, Git, Subversion, Beanstalk, Jenkins
o Hadoop/MapReduce
o Maven, JDBC

• A Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science or a related field

What We Offer:
ANet is a dynamic, entrepreneurial, team-oriented organization that is committed to the professional development of all staff members. Individuals who join ANet have the opportunity to join an exceptional team of colleagues committed to helping schools to close the achievement gap. ANet offers a comprehensive benefits plan including health and dental insurance; a 401(K) plan; 10 paid holidays as well as paid days off between the Christmas and New Year’s holidays; three weeks vacation (four weeks after two years with the organization); and short and longterm disability coverage.

Salary:
Salary for this position is highly competitive and is based on prior experience and qualifications.

How to Apply:
The Achievement Network is soliciting applications for this position immediately. To apply, please visit our website, http://www.achievementnetwork.org/careers/ and click the “Apply Now” button. You can review our positions, create an application, and upload a resume and thoughtful cover letter, outlining how your skills and experience meet the qualifications of the position and stating how you heard about this opportunity. Applications will be reviewed on a rolling and urgent basis.
The Achievement Network is committed to maximizing the diversity of our organization. We are an equal opportunity employer and seek individuals of all ethnic and racial backgrounds to apply to this position.