What are the responsibilities and job description for the Senior Software Engineer position at Project Read AI?
About Project Read We are a small team of passionate engineers and former teachers who believe that the literacy crisis can be solved by combining evidence-based instructional methods with purpose-built AI. Project Read is a personalized AI-powered literacy platform for teachers and students that is rooted in the Science of Reading, the body of evidence around how students learn how to read. In 15 months, we've grown to hundreds of thousands of users across 140 countries. We have strong traction and are cash-flow positive, with some of the largest school districts in the US counted among our customers. Our Technical EnvironmentWe've built our platform on modern web technologies that emphasize developer productivity and reliable scalability. Our core stack includes TypeScript and React (Next.js) for type-safe, component-driven development, with PostgreSQL providing a robust data foundation. We use Figma for design collaboration and component handoff. We deploy on Vercel, giving us the simplicity of modern deployment workflows while maintaining enterprise-grade reliability.Beyond traditional web technologies, we leverage some of the latest advances in AI across a range of domains including text (inference), speech, audio and images. You'll have the opportunity to work with these technologies to create features that feel magical to users while remaining reliable and practical for classroom use.You'll thrive here if you're comfortable with TypeScript and React, appreciate the benefits of a type-safe codebase, and enjoy working with modern web tooling. While experience with our exact stack isn't required, you should be excited about working with these technologies and helping shape how we use themThe Role : Software Engineer As a senior software engineer working directly with our CTO, you'll drive key initiatives that impact hundreds of thousands of teachers and students worldwide. Your focus areas will include : Product Innovation & User ExperienceLead the development of new literacy tools that delight teachers and improve student outcomesOwn the full lifecycle of features from prototype to production, iterating based on real classroom feedbackEnsure our platform remains fast and reliable as we scale to more schools globallyTechnical Architecture & ScaleDesign and implement enterprise-ready APIs and integrations that make deployment seamless for large school districtsScale our infrastructure to handle growing usage while maintaining performance and reliabilityDrive architectural decisions that help us move quickly today while setting us up for long-term successEngineering Excellence & Team ImpactShape our engineering culture through thoughtful technical decisions and mentorshipEstablish patterns and practices that help our team ship quickly and confidentlyContribute across the stack to unblock high-impact initiatives, from user-facing features to infrastructureWorking at Project Read means being part of a high-autonomy, high-impact team where you'll regularly see your code making a difference in classrooms around the world.About YouThe ideal candidate has experience as a technical lead or principal engineer, with a proven track record of : Architecting and shipping full-stack solutions from concept to production, with a focus on rapid iteration and getting features into users' handsMaking well-reasoned technical decisions that balance immediate needs with long-term maintainability, particularly in fast-paced environmentsBuilding and maintaining high-quality codebases with keen attention to detail, while ensuring they remain easy to reason about and amenable to changeIdentifying and proactively addressing potential technical issues before they impact production, particularly in high-stakes educational environmentsBringing substantial experience with modern web development practicesDemonstrating strong technical judgment refined through shipping multiple successful products, with a focus on direct user impactSetting and maintaining high standards for code quality and system design while moving quicklyPrevious experience as an early-stage startup engineer or founding engineer is highly valued, as is experience working in small, high-autonomy teams.Our Engineering ValuesTeacher-Centric Development Every engineering decision starts with our teachers' needs. We regularly engage with educators to understand their challenges and validate our solutions.Collaborative Growth We foster an environment where asking questions, sharing knowledge, and giving feedback helps us all improve. Code reviews are opportunities for learning, not gatekeeping.Thoughtful Implementation We believe that attention to detail in code, design, and user experience compounds over time. We balance rapid iteration with sustainable development practices, making technical decisions that consider both immediate impact and long-term scalability.Talent Density >
Talent Mass We believe in the power of small, focused teams moving with minimal process overhead. Each engineer owns meaningful features end-to-end, directly impacting thousands of classrooms.
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