Senior Software Engineer (Python)

Finalsite is the first community relationship management platform for K-12 schools, transforming how schools attract students, engage families, build community — and thrive. More than 7,000 schools and districts worldwide trust Finalsite’s integrated platform for their websites, communications, mobile apps, enrollment, and marketing services. Finalsite is headquartered in Glastonbury, CT, USA with employees who work remotely in nearly every state in the U.S. as well as Europe, South America, and Asia. For more information, please visit www.finalsite.com.

The Opportunity

At Finalsite, we believe that when schools communicate better, students learn better. As a Senior Software Engineer, you will be the backbone of our multi-channel communication platform, directly impacting how millions of parents, teachers, and staff stay connected across the USA. Your work ensures that whether it's an urgent SMS or a district-wide newsletter, the message is delivered reliably, securely, and at scale.

The Mission

Your mission is to architect, build, and optimize the backend services that power our unified communication engine. You will own the technical integrity of our Python/Django ecosystem, transforming complex communication requirements into seamless, high-performance API services that bridge the gap between school districts and their communities.

12-Month Outcomes

• Feature Delivery: Lead the backend development and deployment of at least two major communication channel integrations (e.g., advanced social media API updates or enhanced SMS workflows).
• Code Excellence: Maintain a test coverage of at least 80% for all new services while reducing existing technical debt by mentoring peers through high-quality code reviews.
• Collaborative Impact: Partner with the Product and UI/UX teams to reduce the time-to-market for new features by refining the integration layer between our React.js frontend and Python backend.

Key Responsibilities

• Backend Architecture: Design and implement robust, scalable backend services using Python and Django, ensuring they meet the high-load demands of large US school districts.
• API Stewardship: Develop and maintain RESTful APIs that serve as the reliable connective tissue between our platform and various communication channels (SMS, Email, Social Media).
• System Performance: Proactively monitor, troubleshoot, and optimize application performance and database queries within our AWS environment.
• Cross-Functional Collaboration: Act as a technical bridge, partnering with Product Owners, Designers, and QA to translate product vision into actionable technical requirements.
• Quality & Security: Write clean, well-tested, and secure code, participating in peer code reviews to ensure we are following industry best practices for EdTech data privacy.
• Infrastructure Support: Work closely with DevOps to streamline CI/CD pipelines and ensure the high availability of our communication services.

Required Skills

• Advanced Python Mastery: You have deep experience building and maintaining complex web applications and a strong grasp of Django’s ORM and middleware.
• Python Framework Experience: You have extensive experience with Python related web frameworks such as Django, FastAPI, Flask, etc. (We use Django, ideally you do too!)
• API Design: Proven ability to build and document RESTful APIs that are intuitive for frontend developers and external integrators alike.
• Cloud Proficiency (AWS): Comfortable navigating AWS services (such as EC2, Lambda, or S3) to deploy and manage scalable applications.
• System Design: The ability to think in "systems," understanding how backend changes affect database performance, frontend state, and third-party integrations.
• Collaborative Mindset: You enjoy working in a "team-sport" environment, where you share knowledge, mentor others, and value diverse perspectives in the dev process.
• Testing Rigor: A strong commitment to automated testing (unit, integration, and end-to-end) as a core part of the development lifecycle.

How To Leverage GenAI In This Role

We don't just tolerate modern tools; we embrace them. In this role, we expect you to use GenAI (Finalsite stack is Github Copilot and Claude AI) to:

• Accelerate Boilerplate: Swiftly generate repetitive code structures or unit test skeletons so you can focus on high-level architecture.
• Refactor & Optimize: Use AI to suggest more efficient Pythonic patterns or to help debug complex legacy code blocks.
• Documentation: Streamline the creation of API documentation and internal technical guides, keeping our knowledge base as up-to-date as our code.

Nice To Have Skills

• Frontend Context: Familiarity with React.js; You don’t need to be a CSS wizard, but knowing how the frontend consumes your data is a huge plus.
• Communication APIs: Prior experience with Twilio, Sinch, or Facebook Graph API.

Location

Remote anywhere within Poland. There is a Finalsite office in Krakow if you prefer a hybrid setting.

Employment

This is a B2B employment opportunity. Finalsite is a global company and to enable strong collaboration, we have established common core working hours. Candidates should be comfortable working from 11:00-19:00 CET, with core working hours being 16:00-19:00 CET

DISCLOSURES

Finalsite is proud to be an equal opportunity workplace and is an affirmative action employer. We are committed to equal employment opportunity regardless of race, color, ancestry, religion, sex, national origin, sexual orientation, age, citizenship, marital status, disability, gender identity or Veteran status. We also consider qualified applicants regardless of criminal histories, consistent with legal requirements. EEO is the Law. If you have a disability or special need that requires accommodation, please contact Finalsite's People Operations Team. Finalsite is committed to the full inclusion of all qualified individuals. As part of this commitment, Finalsite will ensure that persons with disabilities or special needs are provided a reasonable accommodation. Ensure your Finalsite job offer is legitimate and don't fall victim to fraud. Ask your recruiter for a phone call or other type of verbal communication and ensure all email correspondence is from a finalsite.com email address. For added security, where possible, apply through our company website at finalsite.com/jobs.