Contractor: Senior Software Engineer
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At a glance
Job overview
Newsela is hiring a Contractor: Senior Software Engineer. Newsela is hiring a Senior Software Engineer to deliver high-quality, AI‑accelerated features, own end‑to‑end delivery, craft well‑tested software, build AI‑integrated functionality, collaborate across product teams, maintain reliable systems, and support production releases.
Key focus areas include Deliver high-quality work on time leveraging AI tools, Own feature delivery end‑to‑end from scoping to release, and Craft well‑tested software using AI‑assisted development practices.
Successful candidates bring 5+ Years Building Production Web Applications, Strong Full-Stack Range, and Track Record Of Owning Ambiguous Problems End-To-End. Important skills include AI Tools, AI-Assisted Development Practices, LLM-Powered Functionality, Observability, Quality, and Incident Management. Preferred (not required): Feature Delivery, Scoping, Design Input, and Implementation.
Skills & qualifications
Skills
Qualifications
Full job description
Why You'll Love This Role:
We're hiring a Senior Software Engineer for Newsela
What You'll Be Doing:
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Deliver high-quality work on time, leveraging AI tools to accelerate velocity without sacrificing craft.
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Own feature delivery end-to-end, from scoping and design input through implementation and release, with minimal oversight.
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Craft well-tested software that meets a high bar for quality, using AI-assisted development practices where they add value and exercising judgment where they don't.
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Build and validate AI-integrated features with sound engineering judgment, applying appropriate evaluation practices to LLM-powered and AI-assisted functionality.
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Partner closely with Engineering, Product Management, and Product Design to refine ambiguous work into clearly defined, valuable deliverables.
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Maintain reliable systems by applying best practices for observability, quality, and incident response, and actively use AI tooling to detect, diagnose, and resolve issues faster.
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Support production releases, ensuring your team's systems are deployment-ready and stable post-release.
About You:
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5+ years building production web applications, with a strong full-stack range (modern React/TypeScript frontends and a typed or Pythonic backend).
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Track record of owning ambiguous problems end-to-end and shipping with measurable impact.
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Substantive code review history - examples of catching architectural issues.
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Active daily use of AI coding agents (Claude Code or similar) with a clear point of view on where they help, where they hurt, and how to keep their output reviewable.
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Comfort with production debugging across the stack: traces, logs, profiling, the unglamorous parts.
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Strong async written communication: clear PR descriptions, Slack comms, and specifications.
Why you’ll love working at Newsela:
Make A Difference: No matter your role or department, the work you do each day helps share the future of education and improves the lives of students and teachers.
About Newsela: Newsela is a leading education technology company dedicated to meaningful classroom learning for every student. We deliver integrated, AI-powered solutions designed to unlock student engagement, empower teachers, and drive meaningful learning outcomes. Our suite of products supports knowledge and skill development, writing practice, daily instruction, assessment, and data-informed decision-making across K–12 classrooms. Grounded in learning science research, Newsela’s solutions integrate content, assessment, and analytics to help educators track progress, understand student outcomes, and deliver high-impact instruction that supports every learner.
All offers of employment are contingent upon the successful completion of a background check as part of our pre-employment process.
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