Senior Software Engineer II, Publishing - React

Kit is an email-first operating system for creators who mean business. We help creators grow and monetize their audience with ease. For coaches, YouTubers, authors, podcasters, and other creatives, there isn't a better marketing hub to rely on to grow audiences, automate email marketing, and sell digital products — all within one platform.

More importantly, there isn't a team more committed to helping creators earn a living. We're on a mission to help creators earn $1 billion using our creator marketing platform. We have always been 100% independent and 100% remote.

We are proud to have built a product that our customers love, and we look for people who have enthusiasm and belief in our mission, vision, and values to join our team. We're also embracing AI thoughtfully — both in how we build and how we hire to ensure our team is adaptable, innovative, and ready for what's next.

The role

We’re looking for a Senior Software Engineer II to build Kit’s core publishing platform and creator growth experiences.

You will be joining the Builders team, which builds the suite of publishing tools creators use to create emails, landing pages, and newsletters. Our team is responsible for creators' first experiences in the app, from onboarding, to activation, and conversion. And we steward Kit’s core application experience and design system.

You're a frontend expert who thinks full-stack. Modern frontend React development should be your superpower. You're obsessed with crafting exceptional user experiences and have shaped React architectures at scale. But you don't stop at the browser: you architect end-to-end features from database to deployment. You'll help us raise the bar for how creators experience our publishing platform by combining your frontend mastery with full-stack execution.

You combine technical depth with leadership and extreme ownership. You partner closely with Product and Design to shape the “what” as well as the “how.” You thrive in ambiguity, take initiative, and elevate the people around you.

Your support system

You'll report to the Engineering Manager who leads the Builders team, a cross-functional product team at Kit. You'll collaborate closely with a Product Manager, Product Designer, and peer Software Engineers.

You’ll also have access to a group of Engineers across Kit for support and mentorship, and will start with a peer onboarding buddy who will help you navigate our systems and codebase.

What you'll do

As a Senior Software Engineer II, you will:

• First Week: Dive into our codebase and publishing platform architecture. Set up your local environment and merge your first production code. Take part in Get To Know You's to meet our distributed team.
• First Month: Work through your personal onboarding plan. Begin understanding how our publishing tools support creators from onboarding to conversion, and identify opportunities for improvement. Join team activities for planning, building, and measuring the experiences we ship to creators. Actively participate in code reviews, and contribute PRs weekly.
• First Six Months: Lead and architect at least one major feature from ambiguous idea to launch. Transform our legacy codebase through strategic refactoring while applying systems thinking to enhance scalability and maintainability. Drive adoption of patterns and conventions that elevate team-wide technical standards. Ensure service reliability by participating in on-call rotations. Present at least one Lunch & Learn session. Actively mentor peers, and champion quality across our codebase.

What will S.E.T. you up for success

Skills

• Deep expertise developing high-craft web applications, with a strong background in React, JavaScript, and modern CSS frameworks like tailwind
• Experience with Ruby on Rails (preferred). Or experience with other backend frameworks and languages, with willingness to learn and master Ruby on Rails
• Ability to architect systems that are well-designed, scalable, accessible, and easy to maintain, with a solid understanding of frontend testing practices
• Proven ability to partner effectively with Product and Design to create delightful experiences, prioritizing user outcomes and business impact in your technical solutions
• Clear and concise communication skills, tailoring messages to the audience and driving clarity across teams

Experiences

• Acting as a frontend subject-matter expert, helping teams adopt modern frontend frameworks, patterns, and tradeoff decisions
• Building complex web components, such as visual canvases or rich text editors
• Leading complex technical projects from ambiguous ideation to launch and iteration beyond, taking extreme ownership to drive clarity, anticipate risks, and prioritize the biggest impact
• Working across a legacy codebase and evolving it safely through migrations and system refactors
• Championing solutions that have demonstrated large positive impact across teams

Traits

• High agency and ability to work independently while collaborating closely with teammates
• Adaptability within a dynamic and ambiguous environment, with proactive ownership of problems
• Strong interest in AI and eagerness to experiment with the evolving landscape to make our work more efficient and effective
• Openness to direct feedback and continuous improvement, with ability to shape team culture through empathetic feedback and mentoring
• Embraces learning with growth mindset and a demonstrated ability to build new skills quickly and model this for others

Nice to haves

You will stand out with:

• Experience writing email-safe HTML and CSS
• Experience building design systems and component libraries
• Proficiency with frontend bundling and development tools
• Experience shipping user-facing AI features
• Background in creator economy or publishing platform

Working hours and location:

Compensation + perks + benefits:

Kit has standardized salaries based on position, no matter where you live. For this role, we’re hiring at a level 4 ($181,000), out of five levels. Level is determined based on experience and our interview process.

Perks + benefits include:

• Profit Sharing
• Kit equity
• 401k with a 5% match
• We cover up to $1,950 per month toward medical premiums, with dental and vision premiums fully covered. We offer Health Insurance plans through Aetna.
• $4,000 equipment allowance for your first two years, $3,000 budget every following two years
• Individual learning + development budget ($3,500/year)
• Gender affirming benefits
• Childcare benefit up to $3,000 annually
• Twenty (20) days of paid time off during each year of employment
• Paid paid vacation: An after-tax bonus of $1,000 for taking five consecutive days of vacation where you’re fully unplugged from work
• Ten (10) paid holidays a year
• Two weeks of paid sick time each year, including mental health + well being days
• Twelve (12) weeks paid parental leave and flexible scheduling in your child’s first year
• Up to six weeks of paid bereavement leave, medical leave, and disaster after six months of employment, two weeks of each paid leave in your first six months
• Winter Break Closure: Kit closes for a week at the end of December, giving everyone a collective break to enjoy the holiday season. Essential support services remain available, with teams coordinating to ensure coverage during this period
• Four-week, paid sabbatical after five years with the team
• Fantastic in-person or virtual retreats with the team twice a year

How to apply

We know that most people hate interviewing (we relate!). We aim to make it as good of an experience as we can, and part of that includes keeping you informed during the process.

Here’s what you can expect from the process:

• A phone screen with our recruiter
• Hiring manager interview
• Take-home assignment
• A technical interview
• Technical execution & leadership interview

To get started, complete this application, including answers to the questions on the next page. We read every single application, and your responses to our application questions help put your experience into context. We’ll keep you informed through every step

Kit is an equal opportunity employer

We value diversity in all of its forms. Research tells us that applicants who are female or non-binary, as well as applicants who are people of color, are less likely to apply for roles they do not feel 100% qualified for. If you think you meet more than 50% of our requirements but fewer than 100% of them, please apply.

We’re imperfect communicators, so think of our job postings as the starting point for discussion rather than proof that you shouldn’t apply.

Kit does not discriminate on the basis of race, sex, color, religion, age, national origin, marital status, disability, veteran status, genetic information, sexual orientation, gender identity or any other reason prohibited by law in provision of employment opportunities and benefits.

Compensation Range: $181K