Senior Software Engineer I, Institutional Services

About the role

-- This is not a remote role; this role requires work onsite in NYC three days a week--

Overview

NYPL is hiring a Senior Software Engineer I in our Institutional Services group to work on a full-stack engineering team building and maintaining our digital platforms, and pushing forward our unified patron experience vision across multiple applications and databases.

The role will be responsible for writing code and delivering products via several codebases (Python, React, Typescript) focused on providing access to digital library resources for NYPL patrons, researchers, educators, and students around the country. This involves maintaining legacy codebases and developing new applications to help patrons access NYPL’s collections.

This role will also contribute to the technical leadership of the team by helping set and upholding standards for best practices in application development, database management, team collaboration, and other technical areas, with guidance by the Technical Team Lead.

Some expectations for this role are that within:

1 month, this person will:

Develop an understanding of our infrastructure, environments and deployment practices

Implement unit and integration tests for all the code that they write

Complete software development tasks independently and collaboratively in line/accordance with our engineering workflows

Begin to understand the product requirements for our Library Card Application and MyLibraryNYC systems and how they connect to larger strategic objectives

3 months, this person will:

Gain an understanding of the team’s codebases and familiarity with other NYPL codebases

Regularly perform code review of other engineers’ work

Support and mentor other engineers on their team in technical skills as well as the specifics of NYPL’s digital library card application

Iteratively update our digital library card application and MyLibraryNYC systems, always seeking to identify areas for improved service for patrons and staff

Lead development initiatives on new projects and open issues, ensuring that implementation is completed in a maintainable, observable and testable manner

Actively participate in design and architecture discussions, and contribute to decisions that will impact the team and organization

Participate in conversations about team’s project progress and help maintain team velocity through mentorship, pair programming, and code review

Present on their work to technical and non-technical stakeholders

Build support for the team’s work amongst various interested parties

6 months and beyond, this person will:

Provide technical advice and weigh in on decisions that impact our platforms and help realize implementation of new features and bugfixes

Regularly influence design and architecture discussions

Collaborate with other Software Engineers to deliver new features across NYPL Digital

Take responsibility for new development work, coordinating the work of other engineers

Help lead development teams by taking accountability, mentoring developers, fostering collaboration and generally aiding the adoption of best practices

Influence and empower the team to build useful, accessible applications in a sustainable and maintainable way

Understand code bases around NYPL Digital

Responsibilities:

Understand NYPL technical needs to define system specifications

Design and implement scalable, optimized, and maintainable software solutions

Collaborate with multiple teams working on platforms to build innovative and forward-looking applications for our patrons

Build software following industry best practices and NYPL values (https://github.com/NYPL/engineering-general)

Work with product/project managers on estimating the feasibility and complexity of new products/features

Participate in team agile ceremonies and contribute towards the continuous improvement of our agile processes

Ask questions to ascertain the feasibility of the technical approach

Write Technical Architecture Documents defining technical approach for foundational functionality across projects

Identify and resolve ambiguities/issues with requirements for team and org-wide projects

Research and recommend solutions based on cost benefit analysis and embracing automation and efficiency

Connect with different teams when shared issues or solutions are identified

Contribute to test suites to ensure the creation of accurate, reliable, and robust code

Create technical documentation and specifications for all delivered code

Proactively identify and remediate tech debt

Help other engineers and provide actionable feedback during code reviews

Assume additional responsibilities as required by the organization

Required Education and Certifications

Bachelor’s Degree -OR-

Required Experience

Equivalent 5 years of hands-on development experience with relevant tech stack

Required Skills

Strong leadership, mentoring, coaching and decision-making skills

Excellent written and verbal communication skills

Track record of leading major technical initiatives to solve complex technical problems

Experience establishing documentation standards and practices

Expertise in Python application development and system design, including production experience with Python web frameworks

Strong understanding of system architecture and design patterns as well as cloud infrastructure

Strong understanding of DevOps practices and their impact on implementation approaches

Proficiency in SQL and relational databases such as MySQL, PostgreSQL, etc.

Experience with Node.js and React ecosystem

Experience with Next.js.

Experience with multiple component libraries. Prior experience building a component library is a plus

Experience with front-end integration testing

Knowledge of accessibility principles. Prior experience working on an accessible front-end is a plus

Proficiency with version control systems and git

Experience with CI/CD tools like GitHub Actions, TravisCI, etc.

Familiarity with agile methodologies such as Scrum & Kanban

Familiarity with Single Sign On is a plus

Understanding or experience managing a single sign on infrastructure like Shibboleth is a plus

Production experience working with data stores, including ElasticSearch and/or Solr, at scale a plus

NYPL Core Values:

All team members are expected and encouraged to embody the NYPL Core Values:

Be Helpful to patrons and colleagues

Be Resourceful in solving problems

Be Curious in all aspects of your work

Be Welcoming and Inclusive

Work Environment

Office Setting

Hybrid work environment; 3 days in office in NYC

Physical Duties

Limited physical effort is required

May require travel within NYC

Pre-placement Physical Required?

No

Schedule

Monday - Friday, 9am - 5pm

Hybrid work environment; 3 days onsite in NYC is required

This job description represents the types and levels of responsibilities that will be required of the position and shall not be construed as a declaration of all of the specific duties and responsibilities for the role. Job duties may change if Library priorities change. Employees may be directed to perform job-related tasks other than those specifically presented in this description as needed.

The New York Public Library Salary Statement

At the Library, we believe that pay transparency and pay equity are important to ensuring we source the best candidates and keep the best employees. When making a determination as to the appropriate salary for a candidate, we consider a variety of factors such, including, but not limited to, the position requirements, the skills, prior experience, and educational background required or preferred for the job, the scope and impact of the role within the organization, internal peer equity, and the candidate's specific training, experience, education level, and skills. No single factor is conclusive; the Library reserves the right to consider any and all relevant factors and make a decision consistent with its policies.

Union Salaries are determined by collective bargaining agreement(s).