Senior Software Engineer II, AAA

ActBlue is a nonprofit organization dedicated to creating cutting-edge technology that fuels Democratic victories and enables progressive causes to thrive. 

Our vision is simple: building change through the power of people. Since our founding, we’ve been building innovative solutions to revolutionize grassroots fundraising – if you’ve donated to a Democratic campaign or a progressive organization online, you’ve probably used our platform! We believe in putting power in the hands of small-dollar donors by helping thousands of groups — from local candidates to national movements — mobilize their communities and create a lasting impact. Every member of our team is deeply committed to advancing our shared mission and core values. Together, we are shaping the future of democracy.

We are looking for a Senior Software Engineer, II to join ActBlue and become an integral part of our Authentication, Authorization, and Access Controls (AAA) team. In this role, you’ll focus on strengthening and advancing the core security infrastructure that ensures the safety and privacy of our users. You’ll assist in safeguarding our most valuable information through managing user authentication, access permissions, and maintaining essential systems critical to user trust in the ActBlue platform. AAA combines a product engineering approach with defensive engineering sense to build everything from beautiful user account management features to reusable code and UX patterns for solving common authentication and authorization problems across our codebases. Collaborating closely with design, product, and other technical teams, you'll be at the forefront of developing and refining secure, accessible, and scalable solutions. The work you do will not only safeguard our platform but also instill confidence among millions of users across the country.

Our engineering and product organization is made up of about 100 empathetic and passionate people. We’re organized into cross-functional teams that operate independently in alignment with the broader organizational goals. 

• Help set the standard for software quality on our team and the organization by writing maintainable code adaptable to future design and roadmap decisions.
• Demonstrate profound knowledge  and experience in designing and implementing Identity and Access Management solutions, ensuring our users' data is guarded while facilitating business functions.
• Lead initiatives aimed at enhancing the resilience, security, and availability of our Identity and Access Management application portfolio, which includes automating procedures, introducing innovative patterns, minimizing bespoke solutions, and fortifying the robustness and reliability of our systems.
• Combine product and defensive engineering techniques to develop intuitive account management features and establish reusable code patterns to make security implementation straightforward and second nature for all engineers within our organization.
• Guide the design and execution of technical solutions, prioritizing the highest impact opportunities while balancing effort, scope, and other trade-offs.
• Partner with engineering managers to find sponsorship and growth opportunities for your colleagues.
• Demonstrate technical leadership by writing documentation, establishing effective monitoring, and fostering clear, audience-oriented communication.
• Coach and mentor other engineers on your team and create spaces for individuals to be engaged, valued, and heard.
• Receive support from your manager to grow as an individual and increase your impact on the success of your team and the progressive movement.

• Frontend Development: JavaScript with React.
• Backend Development: Ruby on Rails, with SQL via PostgreSQL for database management, Node.js.
• Data Management: GraphQL for API queries, Sidekiq for background job processing.

Development Tools: TypeScript for static type checking, Yarn + Webpack for managing dependencies and builds, ESLint/Prettier for code quality control.Application Hosting: Heroku for deploying, Kubernetes for container orchestration.

• Monitoring and Error Tracking: Datadog for system monitoring, Bugsnag for error detection.
• Data Analytics and Reporting: Mixpanel for tracking user interactions, Looker for data analysis powered by SQL/PSQL for in-depth PostgreSQL querying.

• 6+ years experience in development, expertise in Ruby on Rails as well as significant experience developing and maintaining server-side web applications.
• The ability to leverage your technical expertise not just to tackle the most challenging problem in sight but to empower, teach, and build systems of support that allow others to succeed.
• The experience of recommending system-level improvements related to security, scalability, and reliability –  and comfort acting as a go-to consultant for other team engineers.
• Fluency moving between and across technical systems and stacks – or at least a willingness to try.  (Our team focuses primarily on the back end, but a candidate for this role would ideally have experience with and an understanding of the entire technological ecosystem.)
• Excitement for your own and your teammates’ learning and growth.
• A track record of effective collaboration with other engineers to develop abstractions and patterns that make it easy to build reliable software.
• Experience working closely with product and design teams to iterate on and refine product requirements, and the ability to take a long-term view when it comes to inevitable tradeoffs.
• Eagerness to explore and refactor legacy code.
• An understanding of, and a desire to co-create systems that help build psychological safety on the team: sharing learning with others, using peer review as an opportunity to celebrate and build others up, and a willingness to practice the duality of listening and leadership.

• We believe that ideas are more important than technologies.
• We understand that the tools we build have real-world consequences for millions of people and take that responsibility seriously.
• We know that code isn’t just a set of instructions for machines but communication with other humans; style, elegance, and respect are important.
• We believe that an ability to balance paying off technical debt and rapidly completing a project contributes to the health of the codebase, engineering team, and organization.
• We believe that being correct isn’t enough; respect for your colleagues and users is fundamental.

WORK & BENEFITS SNAPSHOT

This posting is for a full-time, remote, salaried position. Travel may be required on a limited basis to attend all-staff and departmental retreats (1-2 times per year). Additional travel may be required for select positions. 

Registered States*: Arizona, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Illinois, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, North Dakota, Ohio, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Carolina, Texas, Utah, Vermont, Virginia, Washington, Wisconsin, and Washington D.C.

*While ActBlue is currently registered to support remote work in the states listed above, we possess the ability to register in additional states as needed. If you are located in a state not listed, we may still be able to proceed with your application, but please note that the offer process may take longer to accommodate registration requirements.

Work Schedule: 

This role requires availability during established, regular business hours (Mon-Fri).

Work Environment: 

Employees can expect to work with distributed teams across all U.S. time zones. Our roles require extended technology usage, and proficiency with virtual communication tools such as Zoom and Slack. Regular attendance in virtual meetings is inherent to every position.

Salary Range Details:

Salary Range: $173,676 - $192,209 - $210,741

ActBlue is committed to consistent compensation practices across our organization. Final salary offers will take into account factors such as candidate experience, interview performance and current team salary parity.

• Flexible work schedules and an unlimited time-off policy
• Fully paid and trans-inclusive health, dental, and vision insurance for employees and their families; plus fully-paid health reimbursement arrangement to use for out of pocket expenses and fully-paid short- and long-term disability 
• Fully paid basic and AD&D life insurance and a voluntary supplemental life insurance option
• Dependent and health care flexible spending account options
• Employee Assistance Program (EAP) benefits for employees 
• Automatic 2% Employer-paid 401K contribution, plus up to an additional 6% match on employee contributions
• A minimum of three months paid medical, family and parental leave (for all new parents, adoptions included)
• Commuter or home-office benefits, including a $1,000 home-office setup allowance for all new full-time remote employees
• Additional perks including quarterly snack deliveries and digital subscriptions to the Boston Globe & New York Times

ActBlue is unable to sponsor work visas at this time.

UNION INFORMATION

Bargaining Unit position: The terms and conditions of this position are subject to a collective bargaining agreement with the Communications Workers of America, the exclusive bargaining agent of covered ActBlue Technical Services employees.

BACKGROUND CHECKS

As part of our hiring process, ActBlue will conduct a background check at the time of offer. This will be completed in compliance with applicable laws and will not be initiated without your consent.

INCLUSION STATEMENT FROM ACTBLUE

ActBlue is committed to equal employment opportunities and fostering a diverse, inclusive workplace. We celebrate unique perspectives, honor the dignity of all individuals, and recognize that diverse backgrounds and identities strengthen our mission.

If you’re passionate about our work and see yourself in this role, we encourage you to apply—even if you don’t meet every requirement.

We also provide reasonable accommodations for individuals with disabilities throughout the hiring process and employment. To request an accommodation, email [email protected].