Staff Software Engineer

About Us
Academia.edu is a venture-backed, for-profit, and profitable company based in San Francisco. We are recognized as the world’s leading platform for researchers and scholars to share work, discover research, and connect with academics globally. Our bold vision is to democratize and accelerate the world's research, enhancing the speed of scientific discovery and technological progress for the benefit of everyone. We imagine a world where accessing academic papers is effortless, keeping track of cutting-edge research is seamless and collaborating with researchers is easier than ever before. Our platform empowers millions of scholars worldwide to push the boundaries of human understanding. We believe in the power of knowledge to change lives and the world, and our commitment to this mission drives everything we do.
Join us as we continue to redefine what's possible in the world of research. Discover careers that challenge, inspire and propel you toward a future where your ideas can truly change the world. At Academia.edu, we're not just shaping the future of research-we're shaping the future of possibilities.
Please note that this role is in the San Francisco Bay Area.
Our office comes alive on Mondays, Tuesdays, and Thursdays! Three times a week, our Bay Area team gathers in our office located in San Francisco's Financial District (580 California St) for All Hands meetings, collaborative sessions, innovation-driven brainstorming, and events that bring us closer together. Our space has everything we need-from cozy rooms for 1:1 mentoring and focused work to larger rooms designed for team activities.
What we're looking for
Our ideal candidates have experience working full stack and are excited about owning product and engineering initiatives. Experience scaling web applications with an increasing user base into the millions is desirable.
Responsibilities

• Technical lead for designing, building, and testing major software components, systems, features, and products.
• Collaborate with Product and Design to build innovative software products and solutions.
• Own team OKRs for timely, high-quality outcomes.
• Influence and mentor multiple teams as a technical leader.
• Architect, build, and test large-scale production-level code.
• Solve complex product development problems and adhere to best practices.
• Understands business objectives and the necessary processes to achieve them.

Your skillset

• Excellent coding habits and attention to detail.
• Sharp analytical mindset with a knack for solving complex problems.
• Excels at rapid prototyping, building products from 0 to 1, fast.
• Strong user empathy and product mindset
• Ability to solve problems autonomously with a large variety of stakeholders and partners
• Strong business and product acumen
• Understanding of LLMs and their limitations
• Professional level of coding proficiency with one of the following: Ruby, Python, or Node.js+Javascript or Node.js+Typescript. Must be willing to learn/work with the Ruby on Rails stack.

We value diversity and are committed to creating an inclusive environment for all employees. We encourage applications from individuals of all backgrounds and experiences.
Our Tech Stack

• Ruby on Rails, Sidekiq
• PostgreSQL, Redis, Elasticsearch
• React + Typescript
• RSpec, Chromatic, Jest, Storybook
• CircleCI, Jenkins, Ansible, Terraform, Datadog
• AWS ecosystem (EC2, S3, RDS, Redshift, Aurora, and many others)
• You don’t need to know our tech stack, but you must be willing and able to learn and apply it quickly!

What you’ll work on

• You'll design and build systems and web applications to increase productivity among our user base on our platform. Here are some things that we are currently working on
• Our goal is to automate science by building a co-scientist to help academics in key tasks with tools like:
  
  • Discovery Agent: helps academics stay up to date.
  • Grants Agent: assists academics in finding grants and drafting grant applications.
  • Data Analyst/AI Scientist: helps analyze datasets and identify results
  • Writing Agent: provides four peer reviews for a draft paper and finds references for claims on a paper
  • Impact Agent: helps promote a paper via podcasts, slide decks, videos, and other formats.
• A fast and scalable peer review system that identifies and distributes high-quality academic works: helps academics stay up to date.

What impact will you have?

• Researchers from all over the world give us fantastic feedback:
  
  • Writing Agent: "Very impressive. I would totally use this. I can see from the comments that it [the agent] really understands the paper. Even the editor of the journal I sent the paper to did not notice the point in this comment. This is more detailed and specific than just asking ChatGPT, "Please write a review of this paper.”
  • Discovery Agent: "I trust Academia more than I do the other AI tools (referring to Elicit, Consensus, ChatGPT). When I see something in Academia, I do not expect it to be an exaggeration or a hallucination."
• See more: https://www.academia.edu

Compensation
The total cash compensation for this role is targeted at $186,000 to $237,500 USD for the first year. Final offer amounts are determined by multiple factors, including candidate experience and expertise, and may vary from the amounts listed above.
Benefits
Comprehensive Healthcare Coverage: 100% employer-paid medical, dental, and vision insurance for you and your dependents
Generous Time Off: 21 paid vacation days, 12 paid company holidays, and unlimited sick days; paid parental leave and other leaves for life’s needs; 6-week paid sabbatical every 4 years
Flexible Work Arrangements: Flexible daily schedules within a hybrid work environment, annual remote-office budget, and monthly WFH internet stipend
Competitive Compensation: Competitive salary, 401k plan, and stock options
Mission-Driven Company: Join a mission-driven company to accelerate and democratize the world’s research
Learn more on our Careers Page!
Academia is a proud equal-opportunity employer and we are committed to hiring and supporting a diverse workforce. We do not discriminate on the basis of race, religion, color, national origin, gender, sexual orientation, age, marital status, veteran status, or disability status.
Compensation: $186K - $237K