Principal Engineer (software)

Re architecting reporting engines and leveraging analytics.Location: Remote, US

Company Description:

Join CYPHER Learning as a Principal Engineer and play a crucial role in shaping the future of online education. Our mission is to revolutionize learning through our advanced CYPHER LMS, equipped with leading generative AI capabilities that enhance personalized learning experiences, predict learner outcomes, and deliver valuable insights. In this key position, you will help drive the architectural strategy, collaborating closely with Software Engineers, QA Engineers, UI/UX Designers, DevSecOps, and Support teams. We are seeking a leader to develop robust, scalable solutions that keep CYPHER Learning at the forefront of educational technology. If you are passionate about making a significant impact in a dynamic team environment, we invite you to apply.

Position Overview:

As a Principal Engineer at CYPHER Learning, you will report directly to the VP of Engineering and play a pivotal role in refining architectural designs, advocating for best development practices, and leading strategic roadmap initiatives across our global engineering teams. More than just coding, your role involves deep collaboration—reviewing and enhancing application designs, suggesting code improvements, and ensuring pull requests adhere to object-oriented development principles. You will be instrumental in maintaining consistency across the Software Development Life Cycle (SDLC).

You will work closely with product management stakeholders, UI/UX design, Solution Architects, Support and Software Engineers globally. Together, your goal will be to bolster our platform’s scalability, security, and high-performance status. Beyond technical tasks, you will mentor and coach our engineers, promoting a culture of continuous learning and operational excellence. Daily, you will engage in collaboration, working across functional teams to resolve bug tickets, identify and refactor or re-architect components as needed to remediate disruptions, and handle technical debt in alignment with our product strategy.

The ideal candidate will have a strong background in software design and coding, a comprehensive portfolio of product design, team leadership, product development, and deployment experiences. We are looking for someone passionate about driving architectural innovation and fostering team synergy. If you are eager to make a significant impact and lead our engineering efforts to new heights, we are excited to welcome you aboard.

What You’ll Do:

• Lead Technical Initiatives: Drive the development of high-quality code using Ruby on Rails and other web development technologies, exemplifying best practices in object-oriented development.

• Strategic Collaboration: Work closely with product management, UI/UX design, and engineering teams to craft and implement software solutions that align precisely with both business goals and user requirements.

• Mentorship and Leadership: Actively mentor and coach engineers, fostering a culture of engineering excellence and continuous professional growth within the team.

• Quality Assurance and Process Improvement: Engage in rigorous code reviews and actively contribute to the refinement and enhancement of our software development processes to boost efficiency and quality.

• Standards Development: Help develop and refine coding standards to ensure the platform remains scalable, reliable, and secure, addressing both current needs and future growth.

• Release Management: Oversee the release management process for all assigned product features, ensuring smooth deployments and consistent application performance across updates.

• Cross-functional Team Collaboration: Partner with the three other Principal Engineers and various teams across the organization to deliver software solutions that not only meet but exceed customer expectations, ensuring optimal user experience and functionality.

• Technical Debt Management and Architectural Refinement: Regularly assess bug tickets to identify and prioritize technical debt, leading efforts to re-architect or rebuild features as necessary to enhance system robustness and maintain high performance. Collaborate with engineering teams to ensure these improvements align with both immediate and long-term product strategies.

Your Skills & Experience:

• Master’s degree in Computer Science, Software Engineering, or a closely related field.

• Minimum of 10 years in software development using modern technology stacks, with an openness to mastering Ruby on Rails.

• Proficient in object-oriented development with a solid background in web technologies such as HTML, CSS, JavaScript, and SQL.

• Demonstrated leadership in designing and developing large-scale software applications and mobile apps, with a track record of successful deployments.

• Specialized Coding Expertise: Strong capabilities in developing with React Native or similar frameworks.

• Re architecting reporting engines and leveraging analytics.

• Exceptional problem-solving abilities with a proven aptitude for balancing technical challenges with business imperatives.

• Excellent communication and collaboration skills, with a proven ability to effectively lead and integrate into cross-functional teams.

• Systems Integration: Extensive experience in integrating complex systems that require frequent iterative updates and refinements.

• Agile Methodology: In-depth experience with Agile software development practices.

• Mentorship and Coaching: Proven experience mentoring and coaching engineers, fostering professional growth and development within teams.

• Release Management: Skilled in managing the release process for software products, ensuring efficient and timely deployment.

• Project Management Proficiency: Strong project management skills, capable of leading projects from conception to completion.

• Drive for Quality: Demonstrates a culture of urgency and commitment to producing high-quality results under tight deadlines.

• Dual Leadership and Contribution: Ability to lead engineering teams while also contributing as an individual expert in code development.

Our Values:

• Curiosity - Continues learning to stay agile and innovative.

• Connection – Embracing and celebrating our differences.

• Empowerment – Rewarding positive people-centric behaviors and decisions.

• Potential – Challenging status quo and pushing for what’s possible.

• Impact – Making a positive impact for our clients and communities around the world.

In addition to our core values, CYPHER LEARNING is committed to diversity and inclusion in the workplace and is proud to be an affirmative action and equal-opportunity employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment at CYPHER LEARNING without regard to race, creed, color, religion, national origin, sex, age, disability, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, genetic predisposition or carrier status, veteran, marital, or citizenship status, or any other status protected by law.

We offer a competitive salary, a flexible work schedule, and a comprehensive benefits package that includes health, dental, and vision insurance, 401k plan, and paid time off. If you are a passionate and experienced Principal Engineer who is excited about the opportunity to work with a fast-growing company that is making a difference in education and technology, we encourage you to apply.