Lead Software Engineer, Earth Ranger

Persons in these roles are expected to work from our offices in Seattle. On-site requirements vary based on position and team. If you have questions about on-site work arrangements for this role, please ask your recruiter.

Our base salary range is $146,880 - $220,320, and in addition we have generous bonus plans to provide a competitive compensation package.

Who You Are:

Love animals? Have you always wanted to apply your technical and creative expertise to a product that protects endangered species on a day-to-day basis? You don't have to decide between a technical career and a deeply moving, important calling. Imagine your cutting-edge software being used by a wildlife ranger in Africa, helping them to combat poaching, study animals, and help local communities!

Who We Are:

The Allen Institute for AI (Ai2) is looking for our next Backend Software Architect to help drive our Applied Science & Technology team's Earth Ranger project. Earth Ranger is a software platform that empowers conservationists to make informed operational decisions by integrating data from many sources to create a holistic view of their protected area. Our solution helps prevent endangered species poaching, combat deforestation, promote human-wildlife coexistence, and advocate for legal wildlife protection.

Used by over 700 conservation organizations worldwide-from iconic national parks like Masai Mara Reserve in Kenya and North Luangwa National Park in Zambia to species-specific programs like the Snow Leopard Trust in Mongolia and Panthera's Mountain Lion Program in Washington state-Earth Ranger is making a global impact.

Your Next Challenge:

We are seeking a Backend Software Architect with extensive experience in processing, storing, and retrieving large volumes of IoT data for analysis. The ideal candidate will have a strong background in designing scalable systems that handle real-time data streams from diverse sources such as animal trackers, radios, vehicles, rangers, patrols, and remote imaging devices. You will be responsible for architecting solutions that efficiently ingest, store, and analyze data from over 100 hardware sensors, enabling conservationists to make informed operational decisions based on comprehensive and timely information.

The essential functions include, but are not limited to the following:

• Ability to architect scalable solutions including design documents and lead the implementation of that system by their team. Including the management and processing of near real-time data streaming from remote sensors.
• Technical innovator and thought leader, with ability to demonstrate and inspire continuous learning, experimentation, and data and metrics-driven decision making
• Architect and enforce best practices for unit testing and CI/CD to support scalable, reliable delivery of web, service, database, and mobile platforms.
• Broad architectural expertise spanning multiple technology domains, from designing web service interfaces to engineering scalable backend systems and the integration layers that connect them.
• Anticipates obstacles and performance risks early, formulating and implementing strategies to mitigate issues and maintain delivery momentum.
• Must be delivery focused, with a strong willingness to perform all tasks required to complete the job and meet deadlines.

What You'll Need:

• Established track record of delivering complex software solutions to delight customers
• Bachelor's degree and/or Master's degree in Computer Science, or equivalent experience
• A minimum of 12 years of software development experience

Preferred:

• Experienced coder in Python with over 4 years experience developing applications and services in that language. Version 3.10 and above.
• Proven track record of architecting and delivering scalable SaaS solutions built with Django, utilizing data stores such as Postgre
  
  SQL, MySQL, Redis, and Elasticsearch. Skilled in designing multi-tenant systems and orchestrating deployments on Kubernetes for high availability and performance.
• Expertise in designing and implementing RESTful APIs for complex systems using Django REST Framework, with additional experience developing real-time communication interfaces…