Staff Software Engineer, Back-End Focus

Position Overview

• Location Type: Remote
• Job Type: Full-Time
• Salary: $144K - $180K

Kin is on a mission to change home insurance from what it is to what it should be. Whether we’re leveraging data to create customizable coverage or providing claims service that goes above and beyond expectations, our members are at the heart of everything we do. In the face of ever-growing climate risk, they deserve an insurance company that cares about them. We aim to stick with our members through thick and thin. We use efficient technology that lets homeowners buy directly from us to keep costs down. This is the essence of Kin. Our approach has fostered amazing growth, attracted marquee investors, and earned us accolades, including being named to:

• Built In Chicago’s Best Places to Work - Midsize Companies (2021-2024)
• Forbes’ America’s Best Startup Employers (2021- 2023)
• Inc. 5000 Fastest-Growing Private Companies
• Forbes’ Fintech 50

Simply put, our people are what make us great – we need forward-thinking, inspired game-changers like you to join us in our mission.

As a Staff Engineer at Kin, you'll develop the products and features that make Kin operate. We’re a Ruby on Rails environment with Typescript front-end and PostgreSQL database, and we apply Agile methodologies to our product and software development processes. In your role, you will have the opportunity to work on more complex engineering problems while collaborating with peers in Dev, Product, QA, and other cross-functional teams. As a senior team member, you'll have the opportunity to mentor more junior engineers, and on occasion lead small teams.

A day in the life could include:

• Writing clean, maintainable, and efficient code in Ruby on Rails and occasionally some Python and Typescript
• Setting the standards for the Engineering team by example
• Leading pair programming sessions and providing mentorship to team members
• Driving and fostering advanced design or architectural tasks
• Developing technical roadmaps
• Participating in daily stands and weekly retros
• Collaborating with cross-functional team members, including our Insurance Product and Actuarial teams
• Providing subject matter expertise and support

Requirements

• Experience:
  • 6+ years of professional software engineering experience
  • 5+ years experience coding with Ruby on Rails
  • Experience mentoring engineers
• Technical Skills:
  • Strong understanding of SQL and RDBMS, with exposure to NoSQL
  • Experience in designing and implementing scalable, API-first systems
  • Experience with event-driven architectures
  • Experience in big data engineering on AWS and/or DataBricks (a plus)
• Soft Skills & Attributes:
  • Ability to articulate the value of technical investments
  • Ability to operate with little-to-no technical guidance
  • Comfortable in a startup environment – we’re fast-paced, self-motivated, and determined to change the industry
  • A fast learner, ready to bring previous knowledge to this position and continue developing along the way

Responsibilities

• Develop the products and features that make Kin operate.
• Collaborate with peers in Dev, Product, QA, and other cross-functional teams.
• Mentor more junior engineers and occasionally lead small teams.
• Write clean, maintainable, and efficient code.
• Set standards for the Engineering team.
• Drive and foster advanced design or architectural tasks.
• Participate in daily stands and weekly retros.
• Provide subject matter expertise and support.