Lead Software Engineer, Earth Ranger

OverviewPersons in these roles are expected to spend part of their time on-site in our Seattle offices and may occasionally work remotely from their home in the Greater Seattle area. On-site requirements vary based on position and team. If you have questions about Hybrid work arrangements for this role, please ask your pensation: Our base salary range is $242,640 - $363,960, and in addition we have generous bonus plans to provide a competitive compensation package.Who You AreLove animals? Have you always wanted to apply your technical and creative expertise to a product that protects endangered species on a day-to-day basis? You don’t have to decide between a technical career and a deeply moving, important calling. Imagine your cutting-edge software being used by a wildlife ranger in Africa, helping them to combat poaching, study animals, and help local communities!Who We AreThe Allen Institute for AI (Ai2) is looking for our next Backend Software Architect to help drive our Applied Science & Technology team’s EarthRanger project. EarthRanger is a software platform that empowers conservationists to make informed operational decisions by integrating data from many sources to create a holistic view of their protected area. Our solution helps prevent endangered species poaching, combat deforestation, promote human-wildlife coexistence, and advocate for legal wildlife protection. Used by over 700 conservation organizations worldwide—from iconic national parks like Masai Mara Reserve in Kenya and North Luangwa National Park in Zambia to species-specific programs like the Snow Leopard Trust in Mongolia and Panthera’s Mountain Lion Program in Washington state—EarthRanger is making a global impact.We are seeking a Backend Software Architect with extensive experience in processing, storing, and retrieving large volumes of IoT data for analysis. The ideal candidate will have a strong background in designing scalable systems that handle real-time data streams from diverse sources such as animal trackers, radios, vehicles, rangers, patrols, and remote imaging devices. You will be responsible for architecting solutions that efficiently ingest, store, and analyze data from over 100 hardware sensors, enabling conservationists to make informed operational decisions based on comprehensive and timely information.Essential functions:Architect scalable solutions including design documents and lead the implementation of that system by their team, including the management and processing of near real-time data streaming from remote sensors.Act as a technical innovator and thought leader, with ability to demonstrate and inspire continuous learning, experimentation, and data and metrics-driven decision making.Architect and enforce best practices for unit testing and CI/CD to support scalable, reliable delivery of web, service, database, and mobile platforms.Demonstrate broad architectural expertise spanning multiple technology domains, from designing web service interfaces to engineering scalable backend systems and the integration layers that connect them.Anticipate obstacles and performance risks early, formulating and implementing strategies to mitigate issues and maintain delivery momentum.Be delivery-focused, with a strong willingness to perform all tasks required to complete the job and meet deadlines.What You’ll NeedEstablished track record of delivering complex software solutions to delight customersBachelor's degree and/or Master's degree in Computer Science, or equivalent experienceA minimum of 12 years of software development experiencePreferred:Experienced coder in Python with over 4 years experience developing applications and services in that language. Version 3.10 and above.Proven track record of architecting and delivering scalable SaaS solutions built with Django, utilizing data stores such as PostgreSQL, MySQL, Redis, and Elasticsearch. Skilled in designing multi-tenant systems and orchestrating deployments on Kubernetes for high availability and performance.Expertise in designing and implementing RESTful APIs for complex systems using Django REST Framework, with additional experience developing real-time communication interfaces through WebSockets or Socket.IO.Architect real-time systems leveraging Celery, Pub/Sub, or similar technologies to implement distributed background processing and message queues for seamless cross-system communication.Demonstrated expertise in end-to-end application security, ensuring protection from data at rest to data in transit, and safeguarding all public-facing interfaces.Experience delivering solutions on AWS, Google Cloud or Azure. Google Cloud preferred.Physical Demands and Work EnvironmentThe physical demands described here are representative of those that must be met by a team member to successfully perform the essential functions of this position. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the functions.Must be able to remain in a stationary position for long periods of time.The ability to communicate information and ideas so others will understand. Must be able to exchange accurate information in these situations.The ability to observe details at close range.A Little More About Ai2Ai2 is a Seattle based non-profit AI research institute founded in 2014 by the late Paul Allen. Our mission is building breakthrough AI to solve the world’s biggest problems. We develop foundational AI research and innovation to deliver real-world impact through large-scale open models, data, robotics, conservation, and beyond.Ai2 is proud to be an Equal Opportunity employer. We do not discriminate on the basis of race, religion, color, national origin, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, or any other legally protected characteristic. We also comply with applicable affirmative action requirements and provide reasonable accommodations for applicants and employees with disabilities.Ai2 participates in E-Verify and will provide Form I-9 information to verify eligibility to work in the U.S. Where required by law, Ai2 will provide accommodations for applicants with disabilities in the application process. #J-18808-Ljbffr

Created: 2025-09-17