Software Engineer

About

A thriving, mission‑driven multimedia organization, NPR produces award‑winning news, information, and music programming in partnership with hundreds of independent public radio stations across the nation. The Audience Technology group is looking for an experienced, talented, and knowledgeable Software Engineer to join the Consumer & Network Services team responsible for developing, supporting, and maintaining microservices, core backend APIs, and systems that power donor/subscriber conversion experiences on NPR platforms. This role will help develop, support, and maintain audience revenue platforms, including donations and the premium podcast offering (NPR+), as well as Identity and Listening services that power NPR mobile applications and the Alexa skill. The position is union‑represented under a collective bargaining agreement with NABET‑CWA DMU.

Responsibilities

• Develop, maintain, and support core backend APIs, focusing on the Identity Service (PHP 8) and Stripe Connect API (Node.js).
• Manage and refine API integrations with key external software such as Marketing Cloud and Supporting Cast.
• Maintain and update Piano software implementation on NPR.org, iterating on promotional messaging using HTML, JavaScript, and CSS.
• Partner to develop new front‑end and back‑end code that powers key parts of the user lifecycle on NPR products, including newsletter enrollments, account creation and management, donation, and subscription.
• Collaborate across teams to implement A/B tests across user experiences to optimize performance and drive goals.
• Ensure technology meets security and compliance standards in coordination with the IT security group.
• Deploy consistent log monitoring to understand and remediate issues identified in code.
• Leverage modern developer tooling—including AI coding assistants and LLMs—to accelerate boilerplate development, generate tests, and troubleshoot complex debugging scenarios.
• Write clean, efficient, scalable, and reusable code based on product specifications.
• Provide input on system design and architecture within the feature areas and services owned by the team.
• Participate in all phases of quality assurance and defect resolution to ensure seamless audience conversion experiences.
• Collaborate in code reviews, knowledge sharing, and writing technical designs.
• Mentor and coach junior engineers on code quality and best practices, fostering a highly motivated and mission‑driven team culture.
• Actively participate in agile ceremonies (daily stand‑ups, sprint retros, sprint reviews) and join the on‑call rotation.

Minimum Qualifications

• 3 to 5 years of experience in software development.
• Fluency in PHP and Node.js or a modern backend language (e.g., Python, Go, Java) with willingness to cross‑train into PHP 8.
• Working knowledge of foundational front‑end web technologies (HTML, CSS, vanilla JavaScript).
• Experience developing and working with RESTful APIs that utilize cloud infrastructure such as AWS.
• Demonstrated adaptability and eagerness to integrate new technologies (e.g., GenAI developer tools) into daily workflow.
• Strong object‑oriented programming skills and familiarity with SQL and RDBMS technologies.
• Experience writing unit and other automated tests to ensure reliable production deployments.
• Solid knowledge of web development best practices, coding standards, source control management, build processes, and testing.
• A demonstrable passion for public media and NPR's mission to create a more informed public.

Preferred Qualifications

• Hands‑on experience with Stripe Connect or other modern payment processing platforms.
• Previous work in PCI‑compliant environments or comparable security experience managing sensitive user/donor data.
• Experience with podcast subscription platforms such as Supporting Cast or NPR+.
• Advanced experience with the Amazon AWS ecosystem (e.g., Lambda, EC2, DynamoDB, RDS).
• Experience building and maintaining CI/CD pipelines (GitHub Actions, Jenkins, CodeFresh, or equivalent).
• Experience using performance monitoring and log aggregation tools (Datadog, New Relic) to proactively troubleshoot production issues.

Work Location & Requirements

• Remote‑permitted: Based out of Washington, D.C., but may be performed remotely from any NPR‑approved U.S. location, on‑site, or a hybrid arrangement.
• May be required to travel to other locations as needed to perform job duties.

Job Type

• Full‑time, exempt position.

Compensation

• Salary range: $117,968.09 – $128,281.16 (U.S. based, anticipated range across all locations) plus benefits.

Benefits

NPR offers comprehensive benefits for employees and dependents, including:

• Health, dental, and vision plans.
• Life/accidental death and dismemberment coverage.
• Long‑term and short‑term disability.
• Paid time off.
• Financial‑wellness resources.
• Voluntary retirement savings options.

Equal Opportunity

NPR is an Equal Opportunity Employer committed to an inclusive workplace that welcomes diverse perspectives. Qualified applicants receive consideration without regard to race, color, ethnicity, national origin, ancestry, age, religion, sex (including pregnancy, childbirth, lactation, and reproductive health decisions), sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, transgender status, intersex status, disability, veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by law.

If you need assistance with the application process due to a disability, please contact employeerelations@npr.org.