Staff Engineer

Job description

ApplyBoard simplifies the study abroad search, application, and acceptance process by connecting international students, recruitment partners, and educational institutions on one intuitive and personalized platform. ApplyBoard is a mission-driven, hyper-growth organization. It has been attracting dedicated individuals for more than eight years who are inspired every day to break down barriers to international education and take their careers to new heights at a company that will invest in their career growth. Our six core values are our compass in our mission to Educate the World and the foundation of our unique company culture. As an organization built on a foundation of diversity, it’s important that our team members are representative of the students from more than 150 countries that we support. The Opportunity: As a Staff Software Engineer, you won't be confined to a single product area. You’ll be a versatile technical leader whose impact spans multiple critical domains across our platform. You’ll drive the design, development, and operational excellence of large-scale systems wherever the business needs your expertise most. This role is ideal for a hands-on architect who can bridge the gap between architectural vision and low-level code implementation in a hyper-growth environment. What you'll be doing every day: 1. Technical Leadership & System Design Lead the design and architecture of major features and complex, high-impact projects, ensuring solutions are scalable, secure, and aligned with long-term strategy. Create and review both High-Level Design (HLD) documents (system architecture, component interaction, data flow) and Low-Level Design (LLD) specifications (API contracts, class design, database schemas). Proactively identify and address technical debt, advocating for and leading strategic technical roadmaps across multiple engineering teams. Serve as a technical Subject Matter Expert (SME), troubleshooting and resolving complex production issues across distributed systems. 2. Cloud Proficiency & DevOps Demonstrate strong proficiency in one major cloud platform (AWS or Google Cloud Platform (GCP)), leveraging IaaS and PaaS services to design and deploy resilient, cost-optimized infrastructure. Exhibit solid working knowledge of containerization and orchestration technologies, particularly Kubernetes and Docker, for scalable deployment and management. Design, build, and maintain robust CI/CD pipelines, contributing to DevOps best practices. Implement and champion Infrastructure as Code (IaC) practices using tools such as Terraform or CloudFormation. 3. Engineering Excellence & Mentorship Write production-ready, high-performance, well-tested, and maintainable code in a primary language (e.g., Python, Go, Java, C#, or similar). Conduct comprehensive code and design reviews to maintain architectural integrity and high code quality. Mentor and coach senior and mid-level engineers on system design, complex problem-solving, and engineering best practices. What you bring to the table: Minimum 5+ years of progressive experience in software development, with a proven track record in designing and delivering large-scale distributed systems. Strong ability to create, articulate, and defend detailed HLD and LLD documentation. Proficiency in one major cloud platform ( AWS or GCP ) with hands-on experience in cloud services. Strong programming experience in Python , Go , Java , or C# . Working knowledge of Kubernetes , including deployments, services, and cluster management fundamentals. Experience with CI/CD tools (e.g., Jenkins, GitLab CI, GitHub Actions) and Infrastructure as Code . Excellent communication skills with the ability to influence technical direction across teams. Bachelor’s or Master’s degree in Computer Science, Engineering, or a related technical field (or equivalent practical experience). Desired / Preferred Qualifications: Relevant professional cloud certification (e.g., AWS Certified Solutions Architect/Developer , Google Professional Cloud Architect/Developer , Certified Kubernetes Administrator (CKA) ). Experience designing and building microservices and event-driven architectures (e.g., Kafka , RabbitMQ ). Prior experience in a formally designated Staff or Principal Engineer role. Familiarity with monitoring and logging tools (e.g., Prometheus , Grafana , ELK stack ). About ApplyBoard ApplyBoard empowers students around the world to access the best education. With more than 1,000,000 students from over 150 countries helped with their journey in less than a decade, we are just getting started. ApplyBoard’s global team assists students and our 1,500+ partner institutions by empowering the international student sector with innovative technology and insights. As a five-time consecutive Deloitte Fast 50 and Fast 500 ranked company, ApplyBoard keeps international students at the heart of everything we do. Thank you for your interest in joining the ApplyBoard Team and being part of our mission to Educate the World. While we are lucky to attract a high level of interest in each of our roles, only qualified applicants will be contacted and selected for an interview. We may use artificial intelligence (AI) tools to support parts of the hiring process, such as reviewing applications, analyzing resumes, and/or assessing responses. These tools assist our recruitment team but do not replace human judgment. Final hiring decisions are ultimately made by humans. If you would like more information about how your data is processed, please contact us. ApplyBoard welcomes and encourages applications from people with disabilities. Accommodations are available upon request for candidates in all aspects of the hiring and selection process.