Software Engineer

• As a software engineer, you’ll be part of a small dev team of talented software engineers (think between five and 10) as well as a larger team of product managers and designers. You will be on the ground floor in choosing and implementing technologies that power Slate.com and other Slate-related products and services. This position is located in D.C. (preferred) or New York. This position is for an individual contributor and does not require managing other developers. • Tech You’ll Encounter at Slate • As an engineer at Slate, you’ll encounter loads of interesting technologies, including Node.js, Vue.js, Python, Django, Redis, Postgres, React Native, and Docker. • Desired Qualities of a Software Engineer • For this position to be a good fit, you MUST • Have several years of experience building websites. Apps are good, but websites are important. You should also know the difference! • Have significant experience in JavaScript and/or Python. You’re able to explain and talk through the changes coming along in ECMAScript but don’t mind writing jQuery when you need to fix something. Alternatively (or additionally!), you can talk about pip and tell someone why they “really should be using a virtual env.” • Have experience with scaling web content—you know when to use the CDN vs. a cache, you know where that cache should live, and you know key-value stores and load balancers • Have strong Git skills—you know when and where to rebase and understand the value of branching • Have experience with continuous integration (Jenkins, Travis CI, etc.) • Have significant experience with the command line • Have an interest in Slate/the news/publishing content that lots of users see • Have empathy (especially for users of websites and software) • For this position to be a good fit, you SHOULD • Have once tried to build your own CMS and understand how complicated of an idea that is • Have knowledge of the current web landscape. Why is React so popular? Why is it so hard for people to just switch to Python3 sometimes? What’s the difference between CommonJS and AMD, and did ECMAScript 6 make it obsolete? Why can’t all the things be handled by Babel? • Be located in D.C. (preferred) or New York (we cannot pay relocation for this position). Although engineers often work from home, everyone is within commuting distance of either office and frequently collaborate in person.