Software Engineer - Applications

About the role

You will join the Applications team to develop the customer-facing product experience for Astro, Astronomer's DataOps platform. In this capacity, you will own the web console, command-line interface, APIs, and features that directly enhance Apache Airflow usability for data practitioners. The role involves full-stack development, thoughtful API design, and the delivery of production-grade features with mentorship that fosters independent ownership and growth. You will collaborate closely with product and design to translate user needs into robust application layers. This position provides the opportunity to build tools used by data teams operating at scale. You will refine your skills in writing clean, testable, and maintainable code across multiple environments. The work you do will directly impact how teams orchestrate and manage their data pipelines globally.

Key facts

What you'll do

• Write, test, and maintain application code for frontend components using React and TypeScript, and backend services and APIs built with Golang or TypeScript.
• Refactor and optimize UI workflows and API endpoints to improve performance, reliability, and user experience across the product surface.
• Contribute to the design and implementation of new product features, translating ambiguous requirements into technical solutions.
• Investigate and resolve bugs and edge cases in production systems with guidance and support from senior engineers.
• Collaborate with product managers and designers to iterate on prototypes and validate functionality through user feedback.
• Maintain high-quality technical documentation, detailed design notes, and comprehensive testing coverage for all developed features.
• Develop a deep understanding of distributed systems, service architecture, and how Astronomer's platform delivers value to Airflow users.
• Participate in on-call rotations to respond to incidents, working alongside senior engineers to restore service and document learnings.
• Review pull requests and provide constructive feedback to peers to uphold code quality and share knowledge across the team.
• Explore and prototype new tools or integrations that reduce friction for data engineers using the Astronomer platform.
• Implement observability and logging practices to ensure issues are detected, diagnosed, and resolved efficiently.
• Partner with cross-functional teams to align product roadmaps with customer needs and business objectives.
• Ensure all code changes adhere to security best practices and compliance standards relevant to data platform products.
• Continuously seek opportunities to simplify complex workflows and make the developer experience more intuitive.

Requirements

• Hold 0-4 years of professional experience in software or application engineering, or possess equivalent internship or advanced coursework relevant to a Software Engineer I role.
• Demonstrate practical knowledge of at least one backend language such as Go, TypeScript, or Python, with the ability to write and maintain service-level code.
• Show familiarity with modern frontend frameworks like React, including component design and state interactions.
• Understand REST and GraphQL API design principles and how data flows between frontend and backend systems.
• Be comfortable using version control with Git, including branching strategies and collaborative workflows.
• Have experience with automated testing practices, including unit, integration, or end-to-end testing methodologies.
• Exhibit clear written communication skills, with an emphasis on documenting decisions, processes, and technical trade-offs.
• Demonstrate openness to receiving feedback and the adaptability required to thrive in a fast-paced product environment.
• Possess strong problem-solving skills and the willingness to debug complex issues across distributed applications.
• Show respect for process and an ability to balance creative development with product constraints.
• Have the legal right to work in the United States without sponsorship for this position based in New York City.
• Be prepared to engage in a hybrid work model that balances in-office collaboration with remote productivity.

Nice to have

• Bring direct experience with modern frontend tooling, including React ecosystems, state management patterns, and component libraries.
• Contribute knowledge of backend frameworks, API authentication, and authorization mechanisms to strengthen product security.
• Apply familiarity with API design best practices, including RESTful resources and GraphQL schema design.
• Leverage previous exposure to Apache Airflow or other data orchestration tools to accelerate feature development.
• Show a track record of contributing to open source or personal projects that demonstrate engineering initiative.
• Highlight experience with cloud platforms or infrastructure as code concepts relevant to deploying data platforms.
• Demonstrate an understanding of data pipeline concepts and the challenges faced by data engineers.

Practical notes

This role covers both Software Engineer I and Software Engineer II levels; the final level will be determined by experience and demonstrated scope.