Software Engineer, Backend Developer, Full Stack Developer

Software Engineer

Join to apply for the Software Engineer role at Merit America

Merit America is a national nonprofit that creates pathways to family‑sustaining careers for Americans stuck in low‑wage work. We analyze job postings to identify high‑paying tech careers and partner with industry instructors to deliver part‑time programs that combine online learning and coaching. We support learners in their job search, connecting them with local and national employers to secure higher‑earning roles, achieving an average wage gain of $24k within three months of graduation.

Since 2018, we have generated a projected $1 billion in near‑term wage gains.

We’re looking for a Software Engineer to strengthen and extend the systems that support our learners and staff. You’ll report directly to the Head of Data & Technology and join a small, pragmatic team focused on keeping our core application reliable, integrating new tools, and improving the experience for the people who depend on it every day.

Stack:
Ruby on Rails, Postgres, Heroku; integrations to Salesforce, Canvas, and other partner systems. Source control:
Git Hub; data pipelines:
Big Query, dbt.

• Maintain and improve My Merit America, our Ruby on Rails application used by learners, coaches, and staff.
• Implement product and internal tooling updates to reduce manual work and improve user experience.
• Troubleshoot and resolve issues across the stack, improving reliability and performance.
• Design and implement technical solutions, from small optimizations to occasional architectural changes, that improve stability, scalability, and developer experience.
• Develop and maintain integrations with systems such as Salesforce, Canvas, and other partner platforms, focusing on building, monitoring, and improving data and authentication flows.
• Coordinate with data engineering to ensure that data from these systems is captured and structured accurately to power downstream analytics.
• Work with REST APIs to connect Merit America’s systems with external platforms.
• Participate in planning and design discussions for upcoming systems and integrations.
• Contribute to technical decision‑making, including opportunities to pilot AI‑powered features that create clear value.
• Collaborate with team members through code reviews, pairing sessions, and technical discussions.

We value the unique skills, experiences, and perspectives that each applicant brings, and we encourage you to apply if you believe your background demonstrates the required skills and competencies.

• Committed to Merit America’s mission to pave pathways to family‑sustaining careers, break the poverty cycle, and create upward mobility for low‑wage workers.
• Demonstrated history of embodying our values, which inform our work and drive our organization’s culture.
• Shared sense of responsibility and ownership for our collective work in making a positive impact on the community we support, true to our value of Win & Lose Together.
• Committed to continuous learning and growth in advancing inclusive excellence and closing gaps across lines of difference.
• Passionate about fostering a workplace culture that embraces and values individual differences, aligned with our core value of inclusivity.

• 2–5 years of software engineering experience building and maintaining production web applications.
• Experience with Ruby on Rails or another modern web framework, with ability to learn Ruby quickly.
• Familiarity with Postgres and background job frameworks (e.g., Good Job, Sidekiq).
• Comfort working with REST APIs and data integrations.
• Strong debugging, testing, and documentation habits.
• Experience successfully pushing new iterative features and small bug fixes to production systems.
• Ability to troubleshoot and resolve issues across the stack to improve reliability and performance.
• Ability to work independently in a small team with limited process.
• Judgment to balance stability with progress, improving systems without unnecessary reinvention.
• Ability to quickly learn from others and consistently step up when required.
• Active participation in code…