San Francisco, CA

Software Developer, Data Systems, Center for Effective Philanthropy/ YouthTruth

The Organization

YouthTruth is based on the simple but powerful premise that when you get timely feedback from those you’re trying to serve, and really listen to that feedback to make changes, you get better.

YouthTruth was born out of a conversation between the Center for Effective Philanthropy and the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation back in 2008. The Foundation was seeking to hear from more voices – and one that was missing was the voice of the people whose lives they were trying to affect: the students themselves!

The key characters in this origin story are Phil Buchanan, president of the Center for Effective Philanthropy, Fay Twersky, director of the Effective Philanthropy Group at the William and Flora Hewlett Foundation and former director of Impact Planning and Improvement at the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, and Valerie Threlfall, former vice president at the Center for Effective Philanthropy and founding director of YouthTruth from 2008 to 2012.

Position Overview

Software Developer, Data Systems
San Francisco, CA

We believe, and research shows, that student and stakeholder feedback matters for school improvement and student success. That’s why, in 2008, we created YouthTruth – to help educators harness student and stakeholder feedback to accelerate improvements. We’ve heard from over 1.5 million students as well as thousands family and staff members across 39 states and four countries. When you join YouthTruth, you join a small and collaborative team that has big impact on schools across the U.S and the education sector.

As a Software Developer, you will be instrumental in putting important student perception data into the hands of those making instructional and leadership decisions in K – 12 schools. Being part of YouthTruth, a national nonprofit, gives you the chance to apply and grow your technical skills for the greater good.

Who You Are:

·        Passionate about education, with a belief in student voice as a powerful tool to drive education reform

·        Creative and analytical in your approaches to automating workflow, optimizing data processes and systems

·        Motivated to see projects through from start to finish, with the ability to manage multiple priorities simultaneously

·        Highly organized with a sharp attention to detail and commitment to excellence

·        Eager and able to quickly learn new tools, systems, and skills

·        Flexible, adaptable, and resourceful in a fast-paced environment

·        Comfortable making technical recommendations and collaborating with non-technical staff and stakeholders

·        A great colleague with a positive attitude

 What You’ll Do:

As Software Developer, you will work closely with the YouthTruth’s analyst team and our software architect to provide district leaders and school principals with data-driven insights to enhance their effectiveness.

You will work on Youthtruth’s Survey Administration Suite, an integrated platform written in Python that connects to Salesforce and our survey provider, Qualtrics, to automatically create thousands of customized surveys annually. Additionally, you will oversee YouthTruth’s data processing platform written in Python that connects our surveys to our SQL database and automatically cleans and stores all of our survey data.

You will oversee and drive efficiencies in the creation of customizable surveys and data-driven reports based on survey results. You’ll coordinate with the analyst team, software architect, and client leads to identify needs, create momentum, and deliver on:

Software Design & Architecture

·        Oversee quality control in our technical processes and products

·        Regularly test, maintain, and refactor code

·        Develop integration across tech platforms

·        Participate in code reviews and promote effective design patterns

·        Work across teams to coordinate new tech opportunities to meet external client needs and internal user needs

Software development

·        Assist analysts in capturing requirements and creating specifications

·        Identify opportunities to improve the platform

·        Estimate timeline and plan implementation of new software features

·        Participate in report generation and implement software based on our Python-driven data engine and online interactive reporting platform

·        Manage software releases and deployments

Database Management

·        Maintain SQL database: create and edit tables and views as needed, regularly clean old/outdated information

·        Collaborate with analyst team and software architect to manage and synchronize data systems

Your Background, Experiences, and Interests:

Requirements:

·        College degree (B.S., B.A.) in Computer Science or 2+ years of programming experience

·        2 years of work experience

·        Experience with Python and SQL

·        Proficiency with Git

·        Experience managing projects or teams

·        Strong interest and experience in analyzing data; demonstrated proficiency in basic statistics

·        Effective written and verbal communication skills

Nice to haves:

·        Experience with Python data science libraries (Pandas, numpy, etc.)

·        Experience or interest with web development tools such as JavaScript or Ruby on Rails

·        Experience or interest with data visualization

Benefits:

Our nonprofit model is central to our identity: our bottom line is impact, not profit. Yet even as a nonprofit, we successfully compete for top talent across both the public and private sectors and offer competitive compensation and benefits, including:

·        The annual base salary for this position is $105,000. In addition, this role is eligible for a competitive Performance Based Incentive Compensation.

·        Comprehensive health and dental insurance plans.

·        Generous paid time off plan, including up to 15 holidays, two weeks of accrued vacation, and two personal days per year.

·        Eligibility to work remotely up to 1/3 of the workweek.

·        401(k) plan with a 1:1 Employer Match up to 5% of total compensation.

·        Generous annual personal professional development allowance.

·        Flexible spending and dependent care tax free savings plans.

·        Life insurance covered 100% by the organization.

We believe diversity and inclusion are key drivers of creativity and innovation, and we actively seek out candidates from many types of diverse backgrounds to apply for this exciting role.

Location:

We have offices in Cambridge, Massachusetts and San Francisco, California, where the entire YouthTruth team resides (and enjoys sweeping views of San Francisco bay and the Bay Bridge). This role will be based in our San Francisco office (eventually). Currently our staff is working remotely and will continue to do so until it is deemed safe to come back into the office.

How To Apply:

Please fill out our application for employment and attach a resume and thoughtful cover letter, outlining how your skills and experience meet the qualifications of the position. If you have any questions, please contact Leaha Wynn, Manager, People and Culture; Diversity and Inclusion Strategist at jobs [at] cep [dot] org. Applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis.

Sign up