Software Engineer I

About PublicInput

PublicInput develops and supports Software-as-a-Service (Saas) solutions designed for government agencies and their consultant partners to facilitate and manage better communication with the public.

Based in Raleigh, NC, the company was founded with a vision to access and elevate historically underrepresented communities in the municipal and state planning process, while simultaneously streamlining cumbersome administrative work that so often prevents equitable outcomes.

With a shared background in planning consulting, the company’s co-founders believe that technology can play a key role in making government more responsive and representative of communities' broadest needs.

Our Approach

Many engagement solutions only address small parts of the engagement process, offering a piecemeal approach that relies on third-party partnerships to fill in the gaps. 

PublicInput uses a unified approach, blending traditional and virtual engagement tactics via one integrated platform. 

Reliable, equitable, and simple, our easy-to-use user interface gives governments all the tools needed to facilitate successful public engagement.

Our Culture

PublicInput is driven by the idea that “life is all about the people you meet and the things you create with them.” We are privileged to work with exceptionally talented colleagues to create a meaningful change for governments and society.

PublicInput’s mission is to enable collaborative democracy through technology. This means creating systems that allow governments to build relationships with their community through more reliable communication, lowered barriers to participation, and data analytics to understand what they’re hearing.

That is why we work hard to be the experienced and empathetic innovation partner that state and local governments deserve, while building an exceptional team and company.

About The Role & You: 

The Software Engineer I contributes to the development and delivery of customer-focused solutions while building a strong foundation in software engineering practices. They work collaboratively within a team to develop and maintain low to moderately complex components, applying problem-solving and debugging skills to deliver reliable, maintainable, and efficient solutions. Through guidance from experienced peers, they continue to strengthen their technical capabilities by participating in code reviews, learning established design patterns, and contributing to high-quality engineering outcomes.

In this role, you will begin developing an understanding of the broader product and engineering landscape—learning how design and implementation decisions impact scalability, reliability, maintainability, and the overall customer experience.

Software engineering is changing rapidly with AI, and our team has embraced this technology as a means of improving velocity, increasing test coverage, and establishing more readable, documented code. We expect any candidate to have a solid understanding of AI software engineering tools, and experience applying them as a force multiplier.

What You Will Do:

Implement and Evolve Best Practices

Write clean, maintainable, and efficient code while learning and applying engineering standards, tooling, and development best practices. Contribute to building scalable, secure, and reliable solutions by following established design patterns, coding conventions, and source control practices. Participate in code reviews to incorporate constructive feedback and continuously improve code quality, diagnosability, reliability, and maintainability. Additionally, identify opportunities to improve existing code, enhance operational consistency, and expand technical knowledge that supports long-term product quality and performance. 

Act as a Technologist and Mentor

Develop low to moderately complex features and components with guidance from experienced peers while building strong problem-solving and debugging skills. Collaborate with team members to break down tasks into manageable solutions and deliver reliable functionality that meets quality expectations. Contribute to a culture of learning by sharing knowledge, developing documentation or learning materials, and participating in discussions around engineering principles such as security, scalability, accessibility, performance, and testability. Balance timely delivery with learning how to build solutions that support long-term maintainability and operational health. 

Deliver Value with Broader Impact

Partner with stakeholders—including product managers, designers, technical leads, and support teams—to understand customer and business requirements for features and enhancements. Contribute to implementing solutions that align with product goals while incorporating customer feedback and insights with support from senior engineers. Develop an understanding of how technical decisions impact the broader product experience, and proactively seek opportunities to improve reliability, efficiency, observability, and consistency across systems and operations. 

Skills and Experience: 

Professional Qualifications

• ASP.NET MVC, .NET, C#, MSSQL, React, Javascript, jQuery, HTML/CSS, Azure, DevOps. Leverage AI as a productivity multiplier to solve business problems and improve internal processes.
• Solid problem-solving and debugging skills, with the ability to tackle more complex and ambiguous issues.
• Proficiency in software development best practices, including SOLID principles, design patterns, and testing strategies.
• Experience designing, developing, and maintaining end-to-end features or services of low to moderate complexity.
• Familiarity with system architecture concepts and ability to articulate trade-offs.
  
  

Personal Qualifications

• Strong ownership mindset with the ability to work independently on medium  to larger scopes.
• Proactive communicator who ensures alignment across team members and stakeholders.
• Demonstrates leadership qualities, including empathy, patience, and strong collaboration/communication skills .
• Curious and forward-looking—consistently seeking ways to improve systems, processes, and team practices.

Compensation

This role pays a market-competitive base salary and is eligible to participate in the company’s annual bonus plan.

You may also be eligible for our equity incentive program that awards high-performing employees on an annual basis. These option grants are awarded at the CEO’s discretion to acknowledge employees who have made significant contributions to achieving our goals.

Benefits

• Unlimited Paid Time Off: You know yourself best, so we trust you to take the time you need to maintain a rewarding work/life balance.
• Group Health, Dental, and Vision Plan: PublicInput offers a company-subsidized healthcare plan that covers 100% of your medical premiums or up to $800 per month for you and your dependents. We also have options to add Dental, Vision, Life, and other benefit coverages for the employee and their family.
• $1,000 HSA Contribution: PublicInput will contribute $1,000 annually (spread over each month) to an employee’s Health Savings Account (HSA).
• Pre-tax 401 (k): The company provides access to make pre-tax contributions to a 401 (k) plan, and will match 50 cents on the dollar up to 6% of an employee’s base salary.

Company Culture

Our offices are based out of Raleigh Founded in the Glenwood South neighborhood of Downtown Raleigh. We’re fortunate to be surrounded by fellow social entrepreneurs and high-growth companies. Glenwood South contains a multitude of restaurants, bars, unique shops and art galleries.

The Legal Bits

PublicInput is an Equal Opportunity/Affirmative Action Employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability, veteran status, or other characteristics protected by law.

As a condition of employment, you are required to sign and comply with an Employee Confidential Information Invention Assignment Agreement that requires, among other provisions, the assignment of rights to any invention made during your employment at the Company, and non-disclosure of Company proprietary information.

All company offers are contingent upon the completion of a criminal background check. Your employment is at-will and either you or we may terminate your employment at any time, with or without notice.

Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion

PublicInput celebrates all people and is committed to working actively towards equity and accessibility for everyone. 

We believe society is strongest when everyone is listened to, respected, valued, and able to contribute to the decision-making process, regardless of race, sex, ethnicity, national origin, religious faith, disability status, sexual orientation, or gender identity.

We seek talented individuals whose skills and experiences can help us transform the way government and communities work together.

We are committed to a nondiscriminatory approach and provide equal opportunity for employment and advancement in all areas of our company.