Staff Software Engineer, Community Platform
Join the future of news
We’re on a mission to deliver riveting storytelling for all of America. At The Washington Post, you’ll help reinvent news. Our work is driven by a deep investigative spirit and enhanced by innovation to bring audiences closer to the stories that matter most.
About Our Team
The Washington Post is powered by the passion and talent of our people. It takes all of us to reinvent news. Beyond our award-winning Newsroom and Opinions teams, we work across many departments, including Brand & Events, Communications, Customer Care, Engineering & Product, Finance, Human Resources, Legal, Marketing & Advertising, Print Operations, and Sales.
Why This Role Matters
The Washington Post is hiring a Staff Software Engineer to steer our community platform. This role is responsible for architectural direction and implementation of new end-user-facing features.
As a staff engineer, you will work closely with a full stack engineering team and high-level product stakeholders. This position requires a seasoned engineer who can guide product direction and own technical decision-making, particularly in designing and scaling large-scale community-driven applications where user experience, safety, and scalability are critical.
What Motivates You
You have a strong understanding of both front-end and server-side technologies.
You value stability, resilience, and code quality.
You dedicate yourself to writing flexible, reusable, and maintainable code.
You are eager to guide technical direction and make impactful decisions.
You balance stakeholder needs while maintaining architectural integrity.
You thrive on collaboration to solve complex problems.
You simplify and communicate technical concepts to a wide audience.
You focus on the big picture and empower colleagues by sharing knowledge.
How You’ll Support the Mission
Own the technical direction of the community platform to ensure scalability and stability.
Architect and implement systems that support user-driven community interactions such as discussions, feeds, notifications, and moderation workflows.
Guide engineers in the design and implementation of new features to deliver high-quality user experiences.
Translate business goals into technical requirements and delegate tasks effectively to keep projects on track.
Partner with engineering, product, and news stakeholders to prioritize milestones, mitigate risks, and deliver critical projects on time.
Establish architectural best practices and standards that maintain resilience and long-term system quality.
Define and promote engineering excellence, setting expectations for testing, documentation, and maintainability.
Provide vision on technology usage and drive forward engineering goals to support The Post’s broader platform objectives.
The Skills and Experience You Bring
Bachelor’s degree in computer science, related field, or equivalent experience.
8+ years of experience as a software engineer, including architecting and scaling community-focused applications (social, discussion, or user-generated content platforms).
Experience with front-end technologies such as HTML, CSS, and JavaScript, and proficiency with frameworks like Next.js, Astro, and React.
Strong command-line skills (Unix/Linux) and version control experience (Git).
Familiarity with DevOps technologies such as Docker and Jenkins.
Experience working with designers and applying design frameworks.
Broad experience with databases, with MongoDB and MySQL/Postgres preferred.
Experience with AWS technologies including ECS, Lambda, and S3.
Proven ability to write unit and integration tests to maintain code quality.
Excellent communication, documentation, and presentation skills for both technical and business audiences.
Collaboration makes us stronger. That’s why our offices are designed with open layouts, modern technology, and easy access to transportation. With certain exceptions for newsgathering and business travel, we work on-site five days a week.
Compensation and Benefits
Wherever you are in your life or career, The Washington Post offers comprehensive and inclusive benefits for every step of your journey:
Competitive medical, dental and vision coverage
Company-paid pension and 401(k) match
Three weeks of vacation and up to three weeks of paid sick leave
Nine paid holidays and two personal days
20 weeks paid parental leave for any new parent
Robust mental health resources
Backup care and caregiver concierge services
Gender affirming services
Pet insurance
Free Post digital subscription
Leadership and career development programs
Benefits may vary based on the job, full-time or part-time schedule, location, and collectively bargained status.
The salary range for this position is:
$131,500 - $219,100 AnnualThe actual salary within this range will depend on individual skills, experience, and qualifications as they relate to specific job requirements. This position may be eligible for a bonus or incentive program, and a member of the Talent Acquisition team will discuss bonus payment terms and conditions during the interview process.
Your story awaits. Apply today!
Learn more about The Post at careers.washingtonpost.com.
Average salary estimate
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