Software Engineer III

Special Instructions to Applicants: All interested applicants should attach a resume in the Supporting Documents section of the application, preferably in a PDF format to avoid any formatting issues.

About Rice:

Boasting a 300-acre tree-lined campus in Houston, Texas, Rice University is ranked among the nation’s top 20 universities by U.S. News & World Report. Rice has a 6-to-1 undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio, and a residential college system, which supports students intellectually, emotionally and culturally through social events, intramural sports, student plays, lectures series, courses and student government. Developing close-knit, diverse college communities is a strong campus tradition, which is why Rice is highly ranked for best quality of life and best value among private universities. 

Rice is also a wonderful place to work. Rice faculty, staff and students share values that are essential to our success as a healthy community. Those values guide our decisions and behaviors and shape Rice’s culture. They come through in the way we treat each other and the welcome we extend to our visitors. These values can be recalled simply by our name — RICE — Responsibility, Integrity, Community and Excellence.

Position Summary:

Rice University’s SafeInsights team is hiring a mid- to senior-level Software Engineer to help design, build, and maintain the research data platform that enables secure, privacy-preserving analysis of large-scale learning and behavioral datasets. As a full-stack engineer working primarily in TypeScript, you will deliver features end-to-end across React-based interfaces and Node.js services, model and integrate data from diverse research sources, and contribute to the cloud infrastructure (AWS) and CI/CD pipelines that run the platform reliably for researchers across partner institutions. You will collaborate closely with engineers, product managers, data scientists, and academic partners—translating complex research workflows into intuitive tools, raising the quality bar of the codebase through thoughtful design and code review, and mentoring less experienced teammates. This role is central to SafeInsights’ mission of expanding what is possible in education and learning research while rigorously protecting the privacy of the individuals whose data powers it.

Ideal Candidate Statement: 

The ideal candidate is a pragmatic, full-stack TypeScript engineer who has spent several years shipping production web applications and is energized by the prospect of doing meaningful work at the intersection of software, research, and data privacy. They are equally comfortable building thoughtful React interfaces, designing clean Node.js APIs, and reasoning about the cloud infrastructure and data flows that connect them. They write code that other engineers enjoy reading—well-tested, well-documented, and easy to change—and they treat code review and mentorship as core parts of the job rather than overhead. Beyond technical depth, the ideal candidate brings strong written communication, curiosity about the research domain they are supporting, and the self-direction to be effective on a fully remote, distributed team. They take privacy and data stewardship seriously, ask clarifying questions before charging ahead, and care more about delivering durable outcomes for researchers than about being the cleverest person in the room.

Workplace Requirements:

This is a fully remote position performed from a home office or other suitable workspace within the United States, giving you the freedom and flexibility to maintain a healthy work-life balance. Day-to-day work is conducted primarily over video conferencing, chat, and shared documents, and requires a stable internet connection, a quiet space suitable for video meetings, and availability during standard U.S. business hours on Central Standard Time. The role is primarily sedentary and computer-based, with extended periods of screen and keyboard use. Occasional travel for in-person team meetups, planning sessions, and collaboration with partner institutions is encouraged but limited, typically a few times per year.

Workplace Location: 

This position is fully remote, permitting all tasks to be completed from any location within the United States. Working hours will remain central standard time. Per Rice policy 440, work arrangements may be subject to change.

Hiring Range: $111,504 to $140,800 annually, commensurate with experience.

*Exempt (salaried) positions under FLSA are not eligible for overtime. 

This position is term-limited and funded by a grant, soft, and/or restricted funds. Continued employment is contingent on the renewal of funding.

Minimum Requirements: 

• Bachelor’s degree.
  • In lieu of the education requirement, additional related experience, above and beyond what is required, may be substituted on an equivalent year-for-year basis.
• Four or more (4+) years of professional software development experience.

Skills:

• Expert knowledge in software application design, development, testing, and deployment
•  High proficiency with application design and data modeling
•  Demonstrated ability to define and solve logical problems for highly technical applications
•  Excellent verbal and written communication skills with both technical and non‐technical clients 
•  Ability to lead activities development projects
•  Ability to select, adapt, and effectively use a variety of programming methods
•  Knowledge of application domain
•  Excellent presentation and project management skills

Preferences:

• Five or more years of professional software development experience.
• Hands-on production experience with React and Node.js.
• Experience deploying and operating applications on AWS (or comparable experience on Azure or GCP) and working with CI/CD pipelines.
• Familiarity with Infrastructure as Code (e.g., Terraform, AWS CDK, Pulumi).
• Experience with database design and optimization across SQL and NoSQL systems, and with diagnosing performance bottlenecks in large codebases.
• Prior experience building research, data-privacy, or education-technology products, or working with sensitive data in a regulated environment.
• Proficiency in TypeScript and demonstrated ability to design, develop, test, and deploy production applications.
• Experience with at least one modern JavaScript framework such as React, Angular, or Vue.js.
• Experience designing and implementing RESTful APIs and modeling application data.
• Proficiency with Git and modern version control workflows.
• Experience working in agile or iterative development environments (e.g., Scrum, Kanban).
• Strong understanding of software testing methodologies, including unit, integration, and end-to-end testing.
• Familiarity with at least one major cloud provider (AWS, Azure, or GCP).
• Ability to define and solve logical problems for highly technical applications, and to select, adapt, and effectively use a variety of programming methods.
• Strong written and verbal communication skills with both technical and non-technical stakeholders.
• Ability to lead activities on structured team development projects and to operate effectively with minimal supervision.
• Proficiency using AI/LLM-based development tools as part of a daily software development workflow, including judgment about when and how to apply them responsibly.

Essential Functions:

• Conceptualizes designs and solutions for complex system / programs
• Accumulates information from a variety of users to develop intra-system trade-offs between different users, as necessary
• Documents system builds and application configurations; maintains / updates documentation, as needed
• Provides technical analysis to design / develop then convert and implement work
• Provides production system support and issue resolution
• Works as a project leader for projects of highly complex nature
• Serves as a technical resource for applications
• Compares, evaluates, and implements new features and technologies integrating them into the computing environment
• Mentors developer / programmers

Additional Functions:

• Design, develop, and deploy high-quality software solutions in TypeScript across the full stack, working independently on systems of moderate size and complexity or on segments of larger systems.
• Effectively use AI/LLM-based development tools as part of daily software development workflow, applying sound engineering judgment about when, how, and where to apply them and reviewing their output for correctness, security, and code quality.
• Architect efficient APIs, model application data, and identify, troubleshoot, and resolve complex software issues promptly.
• Conduct thorough code reviews, provide constructive feedback, and enforce coding standards and engineering best practices.
• Collaborate with product managers, UX designers, data scientists, and other engineers to deliver intuitive, user-centered applications, and interact with a diverse client base and external partners.
• Participate actively in sprint planning, daily stand-ups, and retrospectives.
• Document system builds, application configurations, and technical decisions; maintain and update documentation as needed.
• Provide production system support and issue resolution, including participation in on-call rotations as needed.
• Serve as a project leader on initiatives of moderate complexity and as a technical resource for the applications you support.
• Mentor less experienced engineers and foster a culture of continuous learning and technical excellence.
• Compare, evaluate, and integrate new features and technologies into the platform.
• Diagnose and address performance bottlenecks in large codebases.
• Contribute to Infrastructure as Code and CI/CD pipeline improvements.
• Support database design and optimization across SQL and NoSQL systems.
• Stay current with evolving technology trends and bring fresh ideas to the team.
• Contribute to team engineering standards and lightweight technical decision-making.
• Perform all other duties as assigned.

Rice University HR | Benefits: https://knowledgecafe.rice.edu/benefits 
Rice Mission and Values: Mission and Values | Rice University 

Rice University is committed to ensuring Equal Employment Opportunity and welcoming the fullness of diversity into our candidate pools. Rice considers qualified applicants for employment without regard to race, color, religion, age, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national or ethnic origin, genetic information, disability, or protected veteran status. Rice also provides reasonable accommodations to qualified persons with disabilities. If an applicant requires a reasonable accommodation for any part of the application or hiring process, please get in touch with Rice University’s Human Resources Office via email at facstaffada@rice.edu for support.

If you have any additional questions, please email us at jobs@rice.edu . Thank you for your interest in employment with Rice University.