Senior Software Engineer
Pearson · United States
- Hybrid
- Full-time
- $180,000 / year
- United States
Job highlights
- Build and scale a global digital credentialing platform.
- Develop Ruby on Rails and React services and APIs.
- Lead complex feature design and end-to-end system delivery.
- Mentor junior engineers and enhance team's technical skills.
- Utilize AI tools for coding, testing, and debugging.
About the role
Senior Software Engineer
About the role
We're looking for a Senior Full-Stack Software Engineer to join the Enterprise Learning & Skills (ELS) engineering team and help build, scale, and evolve a large-scale, API-driven platform used globally to issue and verify digital credentials. This is a hands-on role for an experienced engineer who will own significant parts of the platform today, help design and build new systems and features, and raise the technical bar for the team.
You'll work closely with other senior engineers and technical leads, contribute to architectural decisions, and mentor earlier-career engineers. You'll be expected to write and review code regularly while also thinking ahead about how to reduce complexity and improve the health of the systems you own. As the platform grows, you'll help evolve it by standing up and supporting new services and capabilities, including services delivered in partnership with external vendors.
What you'll do
- Design, build, and maintain Ruby on Rails services and APIs alongside modern JavaScript/React frontends, taking responsibility for their quality, performance, and reliability
- Lead the design and delivery of complex, well-scoped features and systems end to end
- Write clear, maintainable, well-tested code and reduce complexity by simplifying services, improving patterns, and paying down technical debt
- Mentor junior engineers and level up the team through code reviews, feedback, and knowledge sharing
- Evolve the platform to support new services and capabilities, including work across adjacent codebases and domains
- Partner with external vendors and stakeholders across Product and Customer Success to turn requirements into sound technical solutions
- Use AI-assisted development tools for coding, testing, and debugging
- Follow and promote best practices for secure, scalable, cloud-native web application development
What we're looking for
- 7+ years of professional software development experience
- Proficiency with our core stack: Ruby on Rails, React, AWS, and PostgreSQL
- Proven track record of making high-impact technical decisions in complex production environments, shipping well-tested code, and giving constructive code reviews
- Excellent cross-functional communication, equally effective with engineers and non-technical stakeholders
- Experience in software architecture, system design, and scalability with a strong hands-on background
- Experience mentoring or supporting junior engineers
- Experience with distributed or service-oriented systems and asynchronous, event-driven communication between services
- Comfort working across more than one codebase and ramping quickly into unfamiliar systems
AI-Native Expectations
You should be comfortable using AI tools to assist with coding, testing, documentation, and learning, and, importantly, exercising sound engineering judgment about their output. This means validating AI-generated code, knowing when to rely on it and when not to and staying curious about how AI can responsibly improve developer productivity across the team.
Nice to Have
- Hands-on experience designing, deploying, and operating production workloads on AWS and Azure
- Experience building and improving CI/CD pipelines and automated deployment practices that raise delivery velocity across the team
- Experience integrating with, or building alongside, third-party or vendor-delivered services
- Strong understanding of web application security best practices with a track record of raising the security bar across a codebase
- Experience with design systems, component libraries, or advanced frontend tooling
- Experience with scalability, resilience, or performance work at scale
- Experience with messaging or event-streaming systems such as Apache Pulsar or Apache Kafka
Compensation
Compensation at Pearson is influenced by a wide array of factors including but not limited to skill set, level of experience, and specific location. As required by the California, Colorado, Hawaii, Illinois, Maryland, Minnesota, New Jersey, New York State, New York City, Vermont, Washington State, and Washington DC laws, the pay range for this position is as follows: The minimum full-time salary range is between $150,000 - $180,000. This position is eligible to participate in an annual incentive program, and information on benefits offered is here. Applications will be accepted through 7th of August. This window may be extended depending on business needs.
Who we are:
At Pearson, our purpose is simple: to help people realize the life they imagine through learning. We believe that every learning opportunity is a chance for a personal breakthrough. We are the world's lifelong learning company. For us, learning isn't just what we do. It's who we are. To learn more: We are Pearson.
Pearson is an Equal Opportunity Employer and a member of E-Verify. Employment decisions are based on qualifications, merit and business need. Qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, ethnicity, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, age, national origin, protected veteran status, disability status or any other group protected by law. We actively seek qualified candidates who are protected veterans and individuals with disabilities as final under VEVRAA and Section 503 of the Rehabilitation Act. If you are an individual with a disability and are unable or limited in your ability to use or access our career site as a result of your disability, you may request reasonable accommodations by emailing TalentExperienceGlobalTeam@grp.pearson.com.
Key skills/competency
- Senior Software Engineer
- Ruby on Rails
- React
- AWS
- PostgreSQL
- Software Architecture
- System Design
- Scalability
- Mentoring
- AI-assisted Development
Skills & topics
- Senior Software Engineer
- Software Engineering
- Full-Stack Development
- Ruby on Rails
- React
- AWS
- PostgreSQL
- API Development
- System Design
- Cloud-Native
How to get hired
- Tailor your resume: Highlight 7+ years of software development experience, Ruby on Rails, React, AWS, and PostgreSQL proficiency.
- Showcase impact: Provide examples of high-impact technical decisions, well-tested code, and constructive code reviews.
- Demonstrate leadership: Emphasize experience in software architecture, system design, scalability, and mentoring junior engineers.
- Highlight AI skills: Mention your comfort and experience using AI-assisted development tools for coding and debugging.
- Prepare for interviews: Be ready to discuss complex technical challenges, system design, and collaborative problem-solving.
Technical preparation
Behavioral questions
Frequently asked questions
- What is the typical career progression for a Senior Software Engineer at Pearson?
- While specific paths vary, a Senior Software Engineer at Pearson often progresses into roles such as Technical Lead, Architect, or Engineering Manager. Your growth will be supported through mentorship, challenging projects, and opportunities to lead initiatives within the Enterprise Learning & Skills team.
- How does Pearson integrate AI tools into its software development process?
- Pearson actively uses AI-assisted development tools for coding, testing, and documentation. As a Senior Software Engineer, you'll be expected to leverage these tools, apply sound engineering judgment to their output, and contribute to discussions on how AI can responsibly enhance developer productivity.
- What kind of impact can a Senior Software Engineer have at Pearson?
- As a Senior Software Engineer, you'll have a significant impact by owning parts of a large-scale, global platform, designing and building new systems, and raising the technical bar for the team. Your contributions will directly influence the evolution and success of digital credentialing.
- What is the expected collaboration like for a Senior Software Engineer at Pearson?
- You will collaborate closely with other senior engineers, technical leads, and product managers. This includes contributing to architectural decisions, mentoring junior engineers, partnering with external vendors, and communicating effectively with both technical and non-technical stakeholders.
- How does Pearson support continuous learning and skill development for its engineers?
- Pearson fosters a culture of continuous learning. You'll have opportunities to work with modern technologies, engage in knowledge sharing through code reviews and feedback, and stay curious about emerging tools like AI to improve developer productivity.
- What are the key technical skills required for this Senior Software Engineer role?
- The core technical stack includes Ruby on Rails, React, AWS, and PostgreSQL. Additionally, strong experience in software architecture, system design, scalability, and writing well-tested, maintainable code is essential.
- Can a Senior Software Engineer at Pearson work on multiple codebases and systems?
- Yes, the role involves evolving the platform to support new services and capabilities, which often requires working across adjacent codebases and domains. Comfort with ramping up quickly into unfamiliar systems is a key expectation.