Sr Software Engineer - Backend

Location: United States

Department: Technology

Work Mode: Remote

About the Role

At McGraw Hill, we are dedicated to delivering digital learning experiences that transform education for learners and educators. Our focus is on creating seamless, impactful products that truly benefit our users while supporting growth and collaboration across teams. We foster a culture that values innovation, teamwork, and a balance between career growth and personal well-being. Join our passionate, fast-growing team within this global education technology company, where our new product has scaled from Minimum Lovable Product to hundreds of thousands of users, been featured on the App Store, and secured paying customers in its first year. As a Sr. Software Engineer - Backend, you will architect and implement scalable, high-performance, and secure server-side solutions for our platform. You will define the technical direction of our back-end systems, collaborate with cross-functional teams to deliver impactful solutions in education technology, and mentor a team of developers. This remote role, open to US-authorized applicants, requires deep technical expertise, strategic thinking, and leadership to drive innovation and excellence in back-end development that powers transformative learning experiences. Why join us? You will define and drive the evolution of our platform’s back-end systems alongside talented colleagues in a dynamic, purpose-driven environment committed to excellence. The work you do will matter, designing content and technology that builds the future of education, inspiring fulfillment and greater heights. With a competitive pay range of $124,000-$155,000 annually, bonus potential, and comprehensive benefits, play your part in McGraw Hill's mission.

Key Responsibilities

• Design, develop, and maintain highly scalable, secure, and efficient back-end systems and APIs to support web and mobile applications
• Partner with front-end engineers, product managers, and other stakeholders to deliver seamless and robust platform functionality
• Mentor and lead a team of back-end developers, providing guidance on technical challenges and fostering professional growth
• Ensure high-quality, maintainable code through rigorous reviews, automated testing, and adherence to industry best practices
• Continuously optimize server performance, database queries, and overall system scalability and reliability
• Define back-end engineering objectives that align with overall product and engineering strategies
• Implement and maintain observability tools to monitor system performance and resolve incidents, including off-hours support when needed
• Drive the adoption of modern tools, technologies, and methodologies to enhance development efficiency and team productivity
• Integrate AI/ML models, data pipelines, and event-driven architectures using tools like Kafka or RabbitMQ

Required Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in related field or equivalent experience preferred
• Minimum of 5+ years of applicable experience in backend software engineering
• Expertise in server-side programming languages with preference in Go but open to Java, Node.js, Python
• Strong proficiency in building RESTful and GraphQL APIs using frameworks like FastAPI, Flask, or Django
• Solid understanding of API design principles, authentication, and authorization mechanisms (OAuth, JWT)
• Experience with relational and NoSQL databases (PostgreSQL, GraphDB, VectorDB etc.)
• Familiarity with containerization (Docker, Kubernetes) and cloud platforms (AWS, Azure, GCP)

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience with infrastructure as code tools like Terraform or CloudFormation
• Experience with observability tools like New Relic, Datadog, or equivalent for performance monitoring
• Strong knowledge of system performance optimization, caching strategies, and distributed systems
• Strong understanding of web security best practices and OWASP guidelines
• Experience with AI/ML model integration, data pipelines, and MLOps workflows
• Familiarity with product analytics tools such as Segment

Required Skills

• Server-side programming (Go, Java, Node.js, Python)
• RESTful and GraphQL API development (FastAPI, Flask, Django)
• API design, OAuth, JWT authentication/authorization
• Relational and NoSQL databases (PostgreSQL, GraphDB, VectorDB)
• Containerization and orchestration (Docker, Kubernetes)
• Cloud platforms (AWS, Azure, GCP)
• Git version control, CI/CD pipelines, automated testing
• AI/ML model integration and MLOps
• Message brokers and event-driven architectures (Kafka, RabbitMQ)
• System performance optimization and caching
• Observability and monitoring tools
• Web security and OWASP best practices
• Leadership and mentoring
• Cross-functional collaboration
• Strategic technical planning
• Problem-solving in scalable systems

Benefits

• Competitive base salary range of $124,000 - $155,000 annually
• Annual bonus plan as part of the compensation package
• Full range of medical, dental, and vision benefits
• Remote work flexibility for US-authorized applicants
• Professional development and career growth opportunities
• Collaborative culture focused on innovation and work-life balance
• Sense of fulfillment from transforming education technology
• Comprehensive wellness programs and other employee perks

McGraw Hill is an Equal Opportunity Employer.