Staff Software Engineer (backend)

Company: Insurance Zebra
Location: Austin
Posted on: February 23, 2021

Job Description:

The Zebra is seeking a Staff Software Engineer (backend focused) to expand our growing team. Our Staff Software engineers are focused on balancing leadership and individual contribution. At this level, you will be expected to lead large efforts and initiatives while making exceptionally strong individual contributions. You can take ambiguous problems, and find the right-sized solution.-- We are looking for people flexible enough to contribute across our product, primarily in the back-end parts of our codebase. This could include expanding into new lines of insurance, continuing to build on our comparison experience across existing insurance lines, supporting new and existing integrations, or supporting our content and marketing efforts to drive traffic to our site and build The Zebra as a known insurance brand. You will need to be comfortable working both on experimental, rapid-prototyping projects and building long-term sustainable, scalable solutions.-- Our software engineers play a vital role in taking projects from spec to concept and building them with high-quality, creative, simple, and elegant solutions. Our team is passionate about working together to solve interesting problems with technical solutions--and having fun doing it. With a team split between Austin and Africa, we know from experience the importance of diversity within Engineering teams, and we work constantly to ensure everyone has a voice and feels valued. Collaboration is key to our success. Please note - all new hires must be able to relocate to Austin, Texas by the time of their start date. WHAT YOU'LL DO:

• Assist in the design, implementation and maintenance of The Zebra comparison product and other products using Python, Django, ReactJS, NodeJS, and other modern technologies
• Lead technical implementation of complex cross-team projects, ensuring painless launches, appropriate testing efforts, and on-time delivery
• Work closely with other engineers, designers, and engineering leadership to rapidly build, iterate, test and deploy new features and products and maintain a high-quality robust codebase
• Identify high impact opportunities for improvement and scaling of existing products and tools to support our growth
• Research and propose new tools and technologies
• Act as a technical leader across multiple teams and grow other engineers through example and mentorship REQUIREMENTS / QUALIFICATIONS:
  • 10+ years of professional programming experience
  • Know at least one of Python, Ruby, Java, C++, C#, Go at an expert level
  • Strong experience with relational and/or NoSQL databases
  • Comfort with Linux/Unix command line
  • Exceptional and demonstrable web development experience
  • Experience leading large engineering efforts while making a solid individual contribution, understanding where to draw the line between good and perfect
  • Eager to take ownership of work, including collaboration with stakeholders and developers through the product development lifecycle
  • A willingness to offer opinions and question assumptions
  • A passion for problem-solving with strong analytical capabilities
  • A desire to follow and advocate for exceptional software engineering processes EXPERIENCE THAT WILL IMPRESS THE HECK OUT OF US:
    • Experience working in consumer-facing web products, growth-phase startups and/or using A/B testing and data to drive product decisions
    • Experience with Wagtail, Wordpress, or other CMS system
    • Experience in the insurance industry BENEFITS + PERKS:
      • Health, Dental, Vision & Disability Coverages
      • HSA offering + employer contribution
      • 401k with match
      • Unlimited PTO + flexibility to enjoy it
      • Paid Parental Leave Program
      • Wellness perk ($100/month)
      • Pet Adoption Reimbursement ($300/year)
      • Learning & Development Stipends
      • Bi-Monthly Wednesday Catered Lunch
      • Zeal Care - Monthly wellness subscriptions ($35/month)
      • Curated monthly snack box - sent to your house
      • Opportunity to join Employee Resource Groups (ERGs) or drive our diversity & inclusion stance by creating your own
      • Join a team that truly lives their values, and values their lives (outside of the office. Cliche, we know--- but we really mean it) ABOUT THE ZEBRA The Zebra is the nation's leading, independent insurance comparison site. With its dynamic, real-time quote comparison tool, consumers can identify insurance companies with the coverage, service level, and pricing to suit their unique needs. The Zebra compares multiple insurance companies and provides agent support and educational resources to ensure consumers are equipped to make the most informed decisions about their home and auto insurance. Headquartered in Austin, Texas, The Zebra has sought to bring transparency and simplicity to insurance shopping since 2012 - it's "insurance in black and white." The Zebra has garnered the attention and investment of some of the nation's top venture capitalists, and the company's success has been profiled in publications like Inc., The New York Times, Forbes, and TechCrunch. Local and national publications have named The Zebra as a Best Place to Work, including Austin Business Journal in 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2020, The Austin American-Statesman in 2016, 2017, 2018, and 2020 and Inc. Magazine on their nationally-recognized list from 2018-2020. The Zebra is aiming to grow our fantastic team to add to our dynamic culture and continue building on our success. Working at The Zebra means never being bored, always being challenged, and supporting one another. We're a happy, hardworking group, and we're eager to add "new stripes" who share those values. The Zebra is an equal opportunity employer and "at will" company. As part of our dedication to maintaining an inclusive and diverse workforce, The Zebra provides equal employment opportunities (EEO) to all employees and applicants for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, national origin, age, disability or genetics. In addition to federal law requirements, The Zebra complies with applicable state and local laws governing nondiscrimination in employment. This policy applies to all terms and conditions of employment, including recruiting, hiring, placement, promotion, termination, layoff, recall, transfer, leaves of absence, compensation and training. The Zebra expressly prohibits any form of workplace harassment based on race, color, religion, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, national origin, age, genetic information, disability, or veteran status. Improper interference with the ability of The Zebra's employees to perform their job duties may result in discipline up to and including discharge. **No external recruiters or agents, please.**

Keywords: Insurance Zebra, Austin , Staff Software Engineer (backend), IT / Software / Systems , Austin, Texas